Ian Murray hails 'excellent' Raith Rovers performance despite Scottish Cup exit to Rangers

After a solid opening 40 minutes, which saw Murray’s side frustrate the home crowd, Connor Goldson headed home from a corner kick.

Ryan Nolan then directed the ball into his own net on the hour mark from James Tavernier’s cross, with a late Scott Arfield finish sealing the hosts Hampden spot.

Raith travelled to Ibrox with seven players out, with Murray forced into naming only five substitutes.

“We’re disappointed to be out of the Scottish Cup, that’s for sure,” said Murray. “We wanted to go further and we wanted to beat Rangers at Ibrox.

“My overriding emotion right now is pride in my football players, I thought they were excellent.

“I thought the discipline, shape and structure that they carried out was great.

“The pride in the football club – the support that we brought today and the appreciation they showed us towards the end. It’s been a tough season, we’ve had to rebuild a little bit.

"To see Lewis Vaughan play at Ibrox against Rangers and to see Tom Lang play at Ibrox after a long-term cruciate injury, I have so much pride after that despite the result.

"The first goal is from a set-play and the second one is an own goal, it’s unfortunate. The third one was sloppy, but it was the only time we were cut open.

"Apart from that, Jamie (McDonald) didn’t have too much to do.”

The boss now wants his players to use their showing against the Premiership side as a “grounding” for how they perform going into the final quarter of the Championship campaign.

“It’s been a tough season, we had to rebuild a little bit. We all know what happened last season at Raith Rovers and we are trying to rebuild the football club.

“Delighted. We bring in a young boy Adam Masson at right back who was at school this time last year.

Then we put on Greig Young, who was on loan the first half of the season at Elgin City. I commend them both for the way they applied themselves.

“It’s very daunting to come here and play in front or 45,000 or 50,000 and try to stick to the basics and not get nervous. But to a man I thought our players gave everything within the game.

“But I said to the players that this wouldn’t be a game which would define our season. It just gives us a grounding for the final quarter and if we work like that we will be okay.”