NafisaDerek McInnes finally had something to smile about.
After a difficult opening spell at Rangers, the new Ibrox boss watched his side explode into life with a thumping 5-1 victory over St Mirren, finally securing his first win in charge and booking Rangers a place in the quarter-finals of the Premier Sports Cup.
But almost immediately after celebrating that breakthrough, McInnes was handed another challenge.
And this one could hardly be bigger.
Rangers were drawn at home against Celtic in the last eight, setting up another Old Firm showdown at Ibrox in September.
For McInnes, it is exactly the type of fixture that can define a season.
The Rangers boss was clearly pleased with the draw, but his comments also carried a warning. He knows that the performance against St Mirren, while hugely encouraging, will not be enough if Rangers are to overcome their city rivals.
“I’m delighted to be at home, obviously it’s a mouth-watering tie,” McInnes said.
“If you’re going to win the trophy, you need to beat the better teams.”
That was perhaps the clearest indication yet of the scale of the task facing Rangers.
McInnes knows Celtic will arrive at Ibrox as a completely different proposition to the St Mirren side his team dismantled on Sunday.
And he believes Rangers must become stronger before then.
McInnes already has Celtic in his sights
The timing of the draw makes the fixture even more intriguing.
Rangers and Celtic will meet at Ibrox in the League Cup quarter-final during the weekend of September 12/13 before facing each other again at Celtic Park just a week later in the Premiership.
It means McInnes could find himself facing Celtic twice in a matter of days.
“Obviously, Celtic coming here, which I think means we’ll face them two weeks in a row,” he continued.
“It will be eagerly anticipated by everybody. It will be something to look forward to.”
But McInnes isn’t simply looking forward to the occasion.
He is already thinking about how Rangers can make sure they are ready for it.
“Hopefully by the time that game comes around, we’ll have a few more wins and the squad will be a lot more settled and a bit stronger than it is at the minute,” he added.
“Because it will need to be to wrestle with a team like Celtic.”
That final remark could prove particularly interesting for Rangers supporters.
McInnes is effectively admitting that the current Rangers squad still has work to do before it can genuinely go toe-to-toe with Celtic.
The good news for him is that there is still time.
Rangers finally give McInnes something to build on
The 5-1 victory over St Mirren was precisely the type of performance Rangers needed.
Ryan Naderi, Vanja Dragojevic, Djeidi Gassama, debutant James Penrice and substitute Ross McCausland all found the net as Rangers finally produced the attacking display their supporters had been waiting for.
Chris Mochrie briefly gave St Mirren hope with a superb strike that reduced the deficit to 2-1 before half-time.
But Rangers responded emphatically after the break.
For McInnes, there were plenty of encouraging signs.
“I thought it was a strong start, I thought we scored two, we should have maybe scored more,” he said.
“We looked a threat on counter-attack but we also built the game pretty well as well.”
The Rangers manager was particularly pleased with the energy shown in midfield and the contribution of his wide players.
However, he was not prepared to pretend everything was perfect.
The Light Blues still gave St Mirren opportunities and McInnes admitted that his side’s confidence remains fragile.
“I thought from the 10-15 minute period after that, we weren’t great in the game to be honest,” he said.
“I thought you see the fragility of the team again. A goal cannot just rock us like that, a goal against us.”
That is precisely the sort of weakness McInnes will know Celtic could punish.
The Rangers boss wants more before the Old Firm
The victory has given McInnes breathing room, but he knows one good performance cannot suddenly solve every problem at Ibrox.
Rangers are still looking to add more players before the window closes, and the manager expects his squad to look considerably different by the time Celtic arrive.
“Delighted to get through a tough time, scored five goals, should have scored more,” McInnes said.
“There were still elements I’m not happy with, we gave up too many chances.”
That honesty could ultimately prove important.
Rather than allowing the five goals to mask the weaknesses, McInnes appears determined to use the victory as the starting point for something bigger.
He also praised the Rangers supporters for sticking with the team through a miserable opening spell.
“It’s up to us to try and build on today,” he said.
“We are pleased with what the players gave us.”
And now the target is obvious.
Celtic.
The first win has arrived, the confidence is beginning to return and reinforcements are still expected.
But when McInnes’ Rangers walk onto the Ibrox pitch to face Celtic in September, they will discover whether this 5-1 demolition of St Mirren was the beginning of a genuine revival — or simply one brilliant afternoon.
For McInnes, the message is already clear: if Rangers are going to wrestle Celtic out of the League Cup, they need to become a much stronger team first.
Nafisa
