IT couldn't happen again, could it?
The draw for the fourth round of the Scottish Cup takes place at Hampden this afternoon and there is nothing to prevent Rangers and Celtic being drawn together again. Imagine the sensory overload and cardiac risks that would bring to Glasgow and much of the rest of the country. Rangers only had one other team, and one fixture, on their minds last night, but the League Cup semi-final against Celtic is three months away. They will play again in the Scottish Cup long before then after seeing off Dumbarton yesterday.
Ally McCoist has seen his side knocked out of the Scottish Cup by Dundee United in all three of his seasons in charge, and although they were poor against Dumbarton, they never really looked like losing. McCoist welcomed the result before quickly switching his focus to Craig Gordon.
The Celtic goalkeeper had said in yesterday's newspapers that he was grateful to Rangers for allowing him to use Murray Park while he was recovering from injury last season, but the Ibrox club had never offered him a contract. McCoist was upset by that and very openly disputed it.
"We did offer Craig Gordon a contract," he said. "I have been put in a position with the press today - and I know you were only reporting what was said - that there was a question mark about myself and my staff putting an offer in to a very, very good player.
"I can assure you I gave Craig Gordon the opportunity to use our facilities, I gave him the opportunity to use our doctor, our physiotherapist, our goalkeeping coach.
"I haven't heard from Craig Gordon since, but I can assure you an offer was made to Craig Gordon and his representative."
That one will doubtless be revisited in the weeks to come. As for Dumbarton, Rangers eased past them with a goal from Kris Boyd in stoppage time at the end of the first half. Boyd has been criticised for his slow goalscoring return this season, by his standards, but this one was his eighth in 18 appearances.
It was laboured, pedestrian stuff from Rangers. Dumbarton lined up with five across the back again - as they had last weekend against the same opponents - and Rangers huffed and puffed in their often painful efforts to find a way through. Their passing and crossing were ordinary.
Ian Black sliced a shot which was so comically bad it did not even go out of play. Ricky Foster came closer and when the right-back tried another shot, Boyd diverted it into the net but was offside before he connected. Minutes later he scored the goal which stood.
Lewis Macleod had been quiet on the right, his crosses usually not finding their man in the middle, but when he came infield his fine pass picked out Boyd just inside the penalty area Dumbarton were opened up.
Boyd dug out a shot which went in off Jamie Ewings's left-hand post. "I thought that was the one time we had a real tempo to an attack," said McCoist. "It was a great pass in and a very, very good finish."
Dumbarton had worried Rangers once or twice before the goal. Mitch Megginson's shot was saved for a corner then Colin Nish fizzed one wide.
There was some sectarian singing from the Rangers fans'. Only a few were responsible, but in the small crowd they were depressingly loud and clear. For the majority, the vocal chords were usually exercised by low level grumbles and complaints about their team making heavy weather of seeing off a team they had beaten 3-0 last weekend. Clearly the message got through to the park, given the way Nicky Law briefly turned and snapped back at something he heard.
Rangers' use of the ball remained poor to the end. Boyd wrestled clear of Lee Mair to latch on to a Law long ball, but Ewings raced out to block with his legs. Boyd should have scored.
Dumbarton had a big chance, but when Scott Agnew's free kick found Andrew Graham in the box, his header was well saved by Lee Robinson, playing because of Cammy Bell and Steve Simonsen's injuries.
"I said to the boys after the game that they did themselves justice," said Dumbarton manager Ian Murray. "I thought we deserved a goal, but it wasn't to be. I thought our players were magnificent."
McCoist praised Robinson for important saves. "When you don't get the second goal you always have the risk of giving a chance up to the opposition and he was really sharp. I was really pleased for him," he added.
Rangers were generally comfortable enough, although when Foster gratuitously thrashed a ball out of the ground and just about into the River Leven he was booked for timewasting, which said it all.
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