McCoist bemoans cup replay March 19 2008
Ally McCoist admits another fixture crammed into an already packed schedule is the last thing Rangers need.
Both teams will have to do it all again at Firhill after a scrappy goal from Kris Boyd saved Rangers' blushes by cancelling out Damon Gray's shock opener for the Irn-Bru First Division side.
With the CIS Insurance Cup already in the bag following a dramatic victory over Dundee United at the weekend, Walter Smith's men are still challenging on three fronts and that means plenty more football still to be played between now and the end of the season.
A date has yet to be set for the replay - which will determine who will face St Johnstone in the semi-finals - and as far as McCoist is concerned it was a scenario the club were hoping to avoid.
The Ibrox assistant boss said: "It's a fixture we could have done without in the respect that if we had won the game, that would have been great.
"We haven't won the game and we probably didn't deserve to win the game but we didn't deserve to lose so we have another fixture and we will get on with it."
April 13 has been mooted as one possible date for the replay to take place but has yet to be confirmed by the Scottish Football Association.
Having let themselves down tonight, McCoist insists the Glasgow giants will be up for the challenge at the second time of asking.
He added: "We just have to get ourselves ready to play whenever they ask us to play it. We will be well up for playing it.
"I thought we would be a lot better tonight and I thought Partick Thistle did very well, they were spot on individually and collectively.
"I'm delighted we are still in the cup - and I think we deserve to be in the cup, we didn't deserve to lose tonight - but we were poor and our use of the ball, especially in the final third, wasn't good enough."
Aberdeen dumped Celtic out of the Scottish Cup last night at the second time of asking and Partick boss Ian McCall hopes the underdogs will triumph once again.
He knows his players face a massive task to overcome the SPL leaders but he is hoping a combination of fatigue and the Firhill pitch will work in Thistle's favour.
He said: "There have been a lot of shocks in cups this year both down south and up here.
"Aberdeen are a far better club than us. But, although the Ibrox pitch isn't very good, I think the Rangers players will get a shock when they come to Firhill because that's awful.
"I don't know how many games they have to play - they are victims of their own success - so I hope the games keep coming thick and fast for them and they are tired when they come to Firhill."