Rangers skipper James Tavernier spoke to the assembled press following the 3-2 win over Partick Thistle in the Scottish Cup.

Here is everything he had to say.

Is there a sense of relief?

It’s probably more disappointment. We got through to the next round but the level of performance is really disappointing. We made it really hard for ourselves which we didn’t need to but we’re through to the next round which is the main thing. There’s a lot more improvement that we can do and we’ll keep working hard and trying to do that.

Were there any reservations amongst the players when the manager allowed Partick Thistle to make it 2-2?

It’s the right thing to do. Rangers has got a high level of standard and it was the right thing to do. Malik’s a young honest lad and he was down when the ball went out of play so I don’t think he actually knew what was happening. We knew we had more than enough to finish off the game and get through but it’s just disappointing the level of performance we displayed today.

Is it frustrating that sometimes it takes some adversity to kick you into gear?

We’ve really shown signs of consistency in our results but we have spells of really good play and then we can almost take the foot of the gas and make it harder for ourselves. We obviously showed a really good level of performance against Hearts and we need to work on that and continue working to display that throughout the 90 minutes. We know there’s work to be done and we’re improving all the time but it is that small margins that we need to keep that consistency of performance up.

How do you think Nico Raskin did?

He’s another great lad who has settled in really well. He got an assist for Tony’s goal. It was probably not the afternoon I would’ve wanted to give him given the way we all played but credit to himself, he had a good game and hopefully, he can build on that for us.

Did you feel nerves creeping in at the end?

You know when it’s close to the end and you take the lead, you know they’re going to pile bodies forward but the main thing is we’ve seen the games out and that’s the positive thing. We’ve soaked up the best we can and not conceded. It’s just learning from it and really trying to maybe not get too anxious but we know teams are going to pile bodies forward. It’s about trying to keep them open and keep the ball the best we can in the final stages.

What does it say that you’re not playing at the top level but still getting results?

It’s obviously a positive thing because we know we’re getting results and we’ve not hit that top gear of the consistency of the 90 minutes. We know that’s to come but we can’t keep saying it week after week. We’ve all been together a long time and we know what the manager wants us to do so we’ve just got to be really at it.

Rangers Review:

How do you fix the level of performance?

It’s down to the players at the end of the day. We’re all very good players, we know what the manager wants us to do but it’s about us executing it on the pitch and we need to execute it for 90 minutes. If we take the foot off the gas, if we make it difficult, if we’re sloppy in our play then we’re going to make it harder for ourselves. We’ve done that the past few weeks. Hearts was a great example of how well we played throughout the game so we’ve just got to learn but we have to learn and deliver. We can’t continue to play like this but we are getting the results that we’re wanting so in that sense it’s positive but we know there’s still room for improvement which is a good thing.

Who did you delegate to, to tell Allan McGregor that Partick Thistle were allowed to score?

It’s not something that Allan wants to hear. He’s a proud goalkeeper and never wants to concede but it was the right thing to do. As Rangers Football Club, we’ve got a high level of standards and we always try to set them every single day.