IF ST JOHNSTONE are to beat Rangers in the Scottish Cup for the first time in the Perth club’s history at McDiarmid Park tonight they may have to do it without leading goalscorer Steven Milne.

A thigh strain has made Milne, a striker with nine goals to his name so far this season, “very doubtful” according to Saints manager Derek McInnes.

He said yesterday, “Savo has done really well for us this year and is our top scorer.

“He’s also proved over the seasons that he can score against top opposition, so it will be a big disappointment if he doesn’t make it.”

Martin Hardie and Peter MacDonald have already been ruled out but Derek Holmes has recovered after twisting his ankle in training on Friday, and Collin Samuel will also be available.

Andy Jackson is another possible replacement for Milne should he miss out.

Hibs boss Miksu Paatelainen gave McInnes some good news yesterday by allowing on-loan defender Paul Hanlon to play tonight, and he is expected to start at left-back.

McInnes reported, “Miksu had always said that if Hibs were knocked out of the cup (they lost to Hearts on Sunday) we could play him. He’s been involved in all our preparations so far and is up to speed, so that’s not a problem.”

Meanwhile, for Jody Morris, victory over Rangers this evening won’t erase the memory of his penalty shoot-out miss in last season’s Hampden Park semi-final, but it will certainly help ease the pain.

The former Chelsea man saw his spot-kick saved by Neil Alexander after Saints and Rangers couldn’t be separated in extra-time.

Daniel Cousin then found the net to deny the Perth men a place in the final.

This year’s fourth round draw has given Saints a quick opportunity to avenge that defeat, and Morris believes the home team are now better equipped to send the holders crashing out.

The influential midfielder, who has recovered from a flu bug that kept him in bed for three days last week, commented, “It’s a game we’re all looking forward to. But after injury problems during the first half of the season any game is welcome for me.

“For it to be a cup game against a big club like Rangers is a bonus.

“There’s still a bit to go before I’m in tip-top condition, but even with the flu last week I’m in much better shape than I was before the semi-final.

“I had a sore throat, headaches, shakes, the lot. But I’m over it and ready for Rangers.

“Obviously it will be tough but I genuinely believe we are a better team than we were last season.

“We have gone 14 games unbeaten and we are high on confidence. They will be expected to do a job on us but we are proving a hard team to beat at the moment.

“At Hampden we pushed Rangers all the way and matched them for 120 minutes. But this time the tie is at our gaff and the manager will have us well prepared—so why can’t we win?”

Casting his mind back to April’s semi-final, Morris recalled, “I was really struggling with my calf before the match. It was touch and go and I ended up just plodding about after Goran Stanic was injured. It was either him or me to see out extra-time.

“That penalty miss is the only downside I’ve had on the park at St Johnstone, a real low point. It was so disappointing to miss it with a cup final place on the line. We were so unlucky that day.

“It’s something I’ll never be able to forget. Beating Rangers this time would help but that miss will stay with me forever.”

With several Rangers’ players being linked with moves out of Ibrox, second guessing Walter Smith’s line-up won’t be easy.

Whichever XI are chosen, Morris doesn’t expect them to be affected by the situation however.

He stated, “Obviously Rangers have top players throughout their squad and they are playing a different style this season.

“There has been a lot of transfer speculation about Kris Boyd and other players but I know from my time at Chelsea that is all forgotten out on the pitch.

“To be honest, I’d rather Boyd had gone to Birmingham. His goals to games ratio must be as good as anyone’s in Europe over the last couple of years.

“We are looking to win the title to secure promotion to the SPL. We want to go up this season. This will be a taster for us and it’s a chance we want to grab with both hands.”

McInnes added, “We know it’s not the most important competition for us this season but we want to make it a fantastic occasion to remember.

“We know they’ll create opportunities but we have to try and restrict them and do our best to impose our game on them. I feel as if we’ve got players to score goals and hopefully that will be the case.”