St Mirren manager Gus MacPherson has warned his defence they are in for a tougher time against Rangers in their Clydesdale Bank Premier League clash on Tuesday night than they had against Hibernian on Saturday.

The Saints had one of their most convincing wins of the season at the weekend - the 2-1 scoreline barely reflecting the ease with which the Buddies moved into 10th spot in the table and 12 points ahead of bottom side Gretna.

First-half goals by Ian Maxwell and Gary Mason had the Paisley side in control of the game until the 88th minute when they conceded a slack goal to Hibs striker Mickael Antoine-Curier.

But MacPherson knows his former club, who went top of the table with a 2-1 win over Dundee United at the weekend, will offer a much sterner challenge.

He said: "The most disappointing thing on Saturday was to lose the late goal.

"We played well in the game and although Hibs improved in the second half, we defended well and our defenders enjoyed it.

"But we will be asked to defend more against Rangers, without a doubt. Rangers are on a roll and they are picking up results.

"But when we've got the ball we've got to make things awkward for them and any team that comes to Love Street would expect that.

"The win over Hibs at the weekend gave us a boost, as did the fact that we moved out of second-bottom spot in the league.

"We had the players in on Sunday and Monday and there was a noticeable difference about their spirit - a win does that to players.

"The games against the Old Firm are bonus games, there is no pressure on us and so they are games that we can look forward to."

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