DUNDEE manager James McPake tonight accused Rangers players of trying to get Leigh Griffiths booked during a cinch Premiership game at Ibrox this afternoon - and almost causing an on-field “riot”.

Griffiths, who has been loaned to the Dens Park club by Celtic this season, came on for Charlie Adam in the second-half of the league match in Govan and quickly received a yellow card for a foul on Joe Aribo.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men, who won the match 3-0 to move seven points clear of their city rivals at the top of the table, were unhappy with the challenge and immediately confronted the striker and surrounded referee Alan Muir.

A shoving match broke out and the Dundee forward and his Rangers counterpart Alfredo Morelos were both cautioned by the match official when order was restored.

The Scotland internationalist avoided a second booking and a red card when he brought down Calvin Bassey on the edge of the Rangers penalty box soon after the flashpoint.

McPake, who was later shown a yellow card by Muir himself for comments he made in the technical area, was unhappy with the conduct of Van Bronckhorst’s charges after the first Griffiths foul.

He praised his players for standing up for the Scotland internationalist, who was singled out for abuse by the home support when he was warming up in the first-half and then after he took to the field, during the game.  

“He’s going to get a hostile reception,” said McPake. “He gets a hostile reception everywhere he goes. It would never cross my mind to say I’m worried about putting him on. Leigh’s a character that can take it.

“He went on and you could see what they were trying to do, in my opinion. He got booked and then there’s a riot about to happen all of a sudden because it’s Leigh. Rangers players coming from everywhere.

“Fair play to my players. That’s what I want to see from my team, togetherness. Paul McMullan, Liam Fontaine, Ryan Sweeney, Paul McGowan all coming together to help their team mate out.

“To me there was nothing in it, but I was miles away. If it was worthy of a booking then Alan has got one right.”

Asked about his own yellow card, McPake said: “I was booked for something the fourth official thought I made comment to him, which I didn’t.

“I made comment to someone else. I got booked for something I said to someone and the fourth official thought I was saying to him.

"I apologise for him thinking it was him I said it to. It doesn’t take a genius to work out who I said it to. We move on to next week.”