Barry Ferguson praised the character of his makeshift Rangers side after they overcame Ross McCausland’s first-half red card to fight back and earn a 2-2 draw at Aberdeen.
Ferguson’s decision to make nine changes from the side that started Thursday’s 0-0 Europa League quarter-final first-leg draw at home to Athletic Bilbao looked in danger of bringing a defeat as his 10-man team trailed to goals from Leighton Clarkson and Pape Gueye.
But they hit back early in the second half through Hamza Igamane before equalising in the fifth and final minute of stoppage time through Ianis Hagi.
It was the second time in successive games that the Light Blues had ground out a draw with 10 men after Robin Propper was sent off on Thursday, and the point they earned at Pittodrie was also enough to deny city rivals Celtic an early William Hill Premiership title party.
“I questioned the character and the desire against Hibs last week,” said Ferguson.
“The last two games have showed that they’ve certainly got that. We’ve got to play better, but we’ve got to try and keep 11 men on the pitch. That’s becoming a recurring theme.
“But when they went down to 10, I thought they stuck together. They worked ever so hard. We got the couple of chances and we obviously stuck them in the back of the net.
“I’m never really happy drawing again, but under the circumstances I’ve got to go back down the road pretty pleased.”
McCausland picked up two yellow cards for fouls on Topi Keskinen late in the first half.
“It was a silly sending-off,” he said.
“I spoke to young Ross about it. He understands that when you get a yellow card you can’t make a challenge.
“I have no complaints about the second yellow, but maybe I should be looking at that when he did get the first yellow. I was thinking in my mind that I maybe make a change.”
Ferguson explained that his decision to make so many changes ahead of Thursday’s trip to Spain was driven by the number of injuries, with the likes of Nicolas Raskin, Vaclav Cerny, Bailey Rice and Ridvan Yilmaz among those left out altogether and James Tavernier, John Souttar, Cyriel Dessers and Mohamed Diomande all on the bench.
Ferguson is hoping for “good news from the medical staff” regarding the fitness of “three or four” key players ahead of the trip to Bilbao.
“I think you can see who wasn’t in the squad,” he said when asked who was doubtful.
“I just need to wait and see their reaction over the next couple of days. I’ll find out tomorrow, Tuesday at the latest.
“But I’m not going to take any chances. You’re never 100 per cent when you play games of football, but I need people as close to that because we know how difficult it’s going to be.”
Aberdeen boss Jimmy Thelin rued the way his side – chasing third in the Premiership – allowed Rangers back into the game.
“There was a lot of frustration when you think about how the game went and how the game was,” he said.
“You feel like you lose a game when this happens in the last second of the game.
“I think the first half was really good. The second half, when they play so low and wait for transitions, we get more time on the ball, we get passive and we start playing to each other instead of keep attacking the box. That’s the worst thing you can do in these kind of games.”
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