RANGERS midfielder Steven Davis tonight stressed that securing a Premier Sports Cup semi-final was what mattered most to the Ibrox club after their nervous 1-0 win over Dundee in Govan.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side went through to a last four encounter with Aberdeen at Hampden in January thanks to an early Davis goal.

The Premiership side’s display against Championship opponents was far from convincing and there were boos from supporters around the ground at the final whistle.

Northern Ireland internationalist Davis admitted that Rangers must raise their performance levels – but he expressed his happiness at progressing to the semi-final of the competition.

“First and foremost the most important thing is to get through,” he told Premier Sports.

“I thought the first half we moved the ball well and our intensity was good. We tried to create openings, but maybe didn’t test their keeper enough at times.

“Second half we lost a bit of energy and tempo, we got a bit sloppy on the ball and that gave them a bit of confidence and belief they could get back in to the game. There are obviously things we can improve on, but ultimately we are delighted to be in the next round.”

Davis added: “I was asked to play a bit higher so it was nice to get in and around there. The chance fell for me early on and I managed to put it away.

“I was trying to get on the end of scraps in the second half. It was difficult due to the amount of bodies back there but we didn’t find the quality we needed at the end.

“The final ball was a bit sloppy. First half a lot of it was really good and we got into good areas. There were a few unforced errors in the second half so there are things to improve.”