THE SPFL Premiership might be on its winter holidays but already eyes are on the forthcoming Scottish Cup ties, which brings our first question this week from Jimmy in Cathcart.

Rangers face Fraserburgh in the Scottish Cup and it has brought back memories of a previous trip north to play Highland League opposition in the mid 90s. Could you provide details of the match against Keith?

A: Played on January 27, 1996, the game was moved to Pittodrie from Keith’s Kynoch Park ground where 15,000 spectators saw Rangers beat Keith 10-1. 

Anyone looking for a cup shock at this game would have been disappointed as Rangers where 4-0 up after 20 minutes, with two goals each from Alec Clelland and Ian Ferguson. Defender Clelland would complete his hat-trick after half-an-hour and Gordon Durie added a sixth before the break. 

Davie Robertson made it 7-0 just after the restart before Ferguson completed his hat-trick with further goals coming from Charlie Miller and Alexei Mikhailitchenko.

But the Highland League side would have the last say with Mark Garden firing past Andy Goram to give them a consolation goal.

Rangers line-up was: Goram, Clelland, Robertson, Gough, McLaren, Petric, Ferguson, McCall, Miller, Durie, Laudrup Subs: Brown, Mikhailitchenko, Durrant.

Incidentally, Scottish snooker player Billy Snaddon, in Newport for the Welsh Open, was set to pick up several thousand pounds having bet on Rangers to win 10-0 – only for Keith to strike in the closing minutes.

Rangers went on to win the Scottish Cup that season, beating Hearts 5-1 in the final, with Durie hitting a hat-trick and man-of-the-match Brian Laudrup grabbing a brace.

Lastly, a Jags fan writes: 

I’m a bit concerned about our Scottish Cup fourth-round tie away to Queen of the South. Our form isn’t great and I don’t think our record is good at Palmerston Park. Can you give me details?

A: This could be a tricky tie for Thistle as the stats certainly favour the Doonhamers. 

Since season 2004-05 Queens have eight wins at Palmerston to the Jags three. Queen of the South have also won their three most recent cup-ties – the League Cup second-round tie in August 2009 (2-1), the Scottish Cup fourth-round tie in January 2012 (1-0) both at Firhill, and of course Queen of the South also beat the Jags in the 2013 final of the Ramsden Challenge Cup at Livingston on penalties after extra time.