Scott McMann’s last victory at Ibrox came with Premiership survival on the line.
Now, the Dundee United defender hopes to repeat the feat as European football beckons.
McMann, 25, was part of the Hamilton side which claimed a stunning 1-0 triumph in Govan on March 4, 2020.
That proved to be Rangers’ final home match before football was halted due to the Covid pandemic. It also remains the last team any side other than Celtic has beaten the Gers on their own patch in the Premiership.
“I remember it well,” smiled McMann. “It was when Chipper [Brian Rice] was Hamilton manager, just before football shut down due to the pandemic.
“We were second-bottom of the table and beat Rangers at Ibrox. Then we beat Kilmarnock at home. After that, the league got scrapped — so it was those two results that kept us up.
“It was the year Hearts went down and we needed those results. But Rangers have very rarely lost at Ibrox since then!
“We just need to focus on what we’re doing at the minute. We got a good result against Motherwell and are in a brilliant position in the European hunt.
“The chance to get into Europe with United was something I thought about before coming here. It’s a massive club with a great history, and that’s what drew me to the club.”
Siegrist the key?
McMann actually boasts two Ibrox victories on his CV, having seen off the Gers 2-0 back in 2017. Goals from Darren Lyons and David Templeton did the damage on that occasion.
Which begs the question: what’s the secret to winning in the blue side of Glasgow?
“Our goalkeeper — on both occasions,” laughs McMann.
“For the first win, it was Luke Southwood, who is now at Reading. Gary Woods was in goal for the second one.
“You need to ride your luck at times if you are going to get a result at Ibrox. I remember in one of the games they had a few good chances, hit the post and the bar.
“Benji [Siegrist] was excellent at the weekend against Motherwell. He had a couple of brilliant saves that kept us in it. I’m sure we will need him at some point on Sunday — and we know we can rely on him to make big saves.”
McMann adds: “To be fair, I’ve had a few scuddings at Ibrox as well! There was the game that finished 8-0 [November 2020].
“There were 20 or 30 fans waiting for us back at the ground, saying some unsavoury things. To be fair, that’s to be expected when you get beat 8-0!”
Ibrox hangover?
Rangers host United in the afterglow of a momentous night at Ibrox, with Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men seeing off RB Leipzig to reach the Europa League final.
With that Seville showpiece and a Scottish Cup final against Hearts on the horizon, it would be fair to say that Sunday’s visit of United — with the Premiership effectively Celtic’s — may not sit atop of the club’s agenda.
But McMann is loath to rely upon either fatigue or a lack of focus.
“They played in Europe and then went to Motherwell and played well,” recalled McMann. “It’s never easy going to Ibrox with the players they’ve got and the way they’re playing.”
