He was once turfed out of the Scottish Cup by a Junior side and his brother-in-law was part of a Darvel team that inflicted the worst result in Aberdeen’s history. So don’t tell Ross Docherty that shocks can’t happen.
No one in their right mind would give Partick Thistle a hope when they take on Rangers at Ibrox today for a place in the quarter-finals. In the Championship, the Jags have lost their last two home games to bottom dogs Hamilton Accies and Cove Rangers. While their promotion bid has faltered, it has been turmoil off the pitch with fan protests threatening to derail manager Ian McCall’s side.
So how can they possibly go to Govan with a belief they can upset the odds? Docherty has never played at Ibrox before but knows how big the task is against Michael Beale’s men. But the Thistle captain once lost to Auchinleck Talbot in the cup while at Ayr United. And no one in his family thought Andy Stirling and Darvel would see off the dismal Dons in the last round.
That’s why the 30-year-old midfielder thinks anything can happen against Rangers. He said: “Shocks definitely happen. I played in that game against Auchinleck in 2019 and it was a terrible day for Ayr.
“It was probably the club’s worst result. Talbot were a decent side but we were expected to win. It’s a different pressure. Rangers have that most weeks but hopefully we’ll have a little bit of a shock factor. We will give it our all – and it’s like a free hit for us.
“We have to take motivation from Darvel as well and there was a bigger gap between them and Aberdeen. We are closer to Rangers and can take confidence from the fact we have players who could definitely play at a higher level. Darvel proved it can be done and they were a lot better than Aberdeen on the night.
“My brother-in-law Andy plays for Darvel. They deserved their victory against Dons but they went out on Saturday and lost their next league game. That just shows how much of a free hit it can be. It’s the same for us.
“I spoke to Andy after the Aberdeen game and he was buzzing. He’s put more pressure on me now against Rangers! They play Falkirk on Monday so we’ve been laughing and saying: ‘What’s going on here?’
“We can both do something special, especially Thistle. If we could win at Ibrox and reach the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup, it would be magic.
“Maybe we could meet Darvel in the next round. That’s the dream. Although I’m not sure how that will go with the rest of the family.”
Docherty was on the losing side against Rangers in a League Cup tie eight years ago for Ayr at Somerset Park. In the same competition in 2018, the Honest Men were hammered 4-0 at Ibrox but he watched it unfold from the bench.
This time, he’s desperate to sample the iconic stadium for himself – and pick up a more positive result. He said: “I was on the bench under the gaffer here when we were at Ayr.
“We lost 4-0 so I’ve told him if he plays me this time, maybe we won’t lose! It was frustrating because you want to play at the big grounds against the big teams.
“It was tough, especially watching the goals go in. But Rangers were flying at that time and I couldn’t get in the team. I had to take it on the chin. Hopefully I’ll have a bigger role to play this weekend.
“I remember the game at Somerset a few years ago. Gers had Nathan Oduwa on loan from Spurs and he was flicking the ball over people’s heads. He got a bit of treatment that day! But we were competitive in that game. That’s all you can ask against the big teams.
“We’re going up against one of the best teams in the country. There were a few injuries in the squad in recent weeks – but all the boys seem to be rushing back now! Our last two league games have been poor, there’s no getting away from that. But this is a welcome distraction and it’s great to challenge yourself like this.”
Thistle will have almost 3000 away fans for the tie and will be hoping for a repeat of their last cup visit to Ibrox. In 2008, Damon Gray’s goal earned them a replay after a 1-1 draw.
Docherty knows they’ll need everything to go their way if they want to still be in the Cup on Monday. He said: “The pressure is all on Rangers. Our manager has had good results with Thistle so I’m sure that will be mentioned in the build-up.
“We need everything to fire on the day. After our last two results, we need to get our fingers out. History tells you we CAN produce good performances and we’ll need that at Ibrox.”
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