David Martindale has claimed that “three or four” Rangers players admitted to being surprised when Abdallah Sima’s debut came last night.

The striker appeared to push Livingston defender Jamie Brandon before the opening goal at Ibrox on Wednesday night.

Ridvan Yilmaz passed the ball to the left wing for the on-loan Brighton striker to chase. Brandon seemed to like to touch the ball first, but it was Sima who was behind the away defense after fouling the right back.

Sima ran into the box before scoring with a stunning finish from a corner to give Michael Beale’s side an easy 4-0 win in the Viaplay Cup.

Willie Collum did not whistle for a foul in the situation leading up to the goal and VAR decided not to intervene.

The incident irked Livi coach Martindale, who insisted his team would not have received the same leniency from officials if the shoe had been on the other foot at the other end of the field.

And the Premiership boss even claimed that a number of Rangers players had privately confessed their honest feelings to him on the matter.

He told Livingston TV:
“The first goal can be a game-changer when you go to Ibrox, Parkhead, the big clubs, it’s really difficult.

“The first goal changed the dynamic of the game and it was a foul on Jamie. I can say more here than on TV, it was a blatant foul.

“I won’t tell you who I spoke to, I spoke to three out of four Rangers players and they all said the same thing: ‘I can’t believe the goal was awarded, I cannot. believe it so.’ It wasn’t a mistake. “Now I can pretty much guarantee that we wouldn’t get that if it were at the other end of the park.”

Michael Beale addresses the Alex Lowry Rangers vs Hearts semi-final situation

Meanwhile, Michael Beale has addressed the Alex Lowry situation following Rangers’ draw against Hearts in the Viaplay Cup semi-finals.

The talented playmaker scored the winning goal for Tynecastle in spectacular fashion at Rugby Park on Tuesday night.

The 20-year-old’s neat return and finish helped Steven Naismith’s side progress to the last four of the League Cup to ease some of the pressure on the club’s stands.