Aird: Don't Call Us Dirty

Photo by Jeff Holmes Rangers winger Fraser Aird insists the Ibrox men do not have a disciplinary problem. Ally McCoist's side were lucky to finish last Saturday's 2-0 Tynecastle defeat to Hearts only a man short. Stevie Smith was sent-off just 21 minutes in after clattering into Callum Paterson - earning him a straight red. But strikers Kenny Miller and Kris Boyd were also guilty of wild lunges which could have seen them dismissed too. Miller's tackle on Kevin McHattie left the the full-back writhing in agony and the Jambos youngster now faces six weeks out with knee ligament damage. Smith's red card was Rangers' first this season - although defender Bilel Mohsni did receive a three-game ban for lashing out at Hibs defender Liam Fontaine. But Aird insists the Light Blues are not a dirty team. He said: "We haven't had any other red cards this season - that was our first one. So I wouldn't say we have a disciplinary problem at all. "These things happen in football. Tackles are made and it's just part of the game. "There are red cards all the time. You see it when you watch the highlights of any games. "It has been spoken about and we just need to get on with it now. That is it over - and it won't happen again." Rangers now trail their promotion rivals by nine points in the race for the Scottish Championship crown. But their focus now turns to the William Hill Scottish Cup this weekend, with fourth-round opponents Kilmarnock set to visit Ibrox on Sunday. Aird believes victory over Allan Johnston's top-flight side could heal some of the damage done by that capital collapse. "It's over now," said Aird when asked about the Hearts defeat. "We can't do anything about it. There is nothing we can physically do to change that result. "All we can do is get a result on Sunday and then it will probably be forgotten about in a way. "The league is really important for us but we have a job to do on Sunday and that is where we should put our focus. "Rangers have been nine points clear before and not won the league. It's not even Christmas yet and we still have to play Hearts twice. It's not over yet."