PETER GRANT believes "anything is possible" after watching his free-scoring Pars progress in the Premier Sports Cup and set up a date with Rangers.

Saturday's 4-1 win over Stenhousemuir confirmed Dunfermline's passage to the last 16 of the competition as one of the three best runners-up, which was rubber-stamped by St Mirren's victory over Partick Thistle yesterday.

That saw the top flight Buddies go through as Group H winners with a perfect record of four wins from four, while Athletic, with three victories, sealed their place having racked up a goal difference of eight.

Grant's side were unseeded in the draw, made yesterday evening, and were handed a tie at the Scottish champions on the weekend of August 14.

Speaking after the Warriors match, the East End boss was in bullish mood ahead of the knockout round ties being decided, commenting: "As I said from day one, you want to win every competition you're involved in, and why shouldn't we?

"We've got good players and that's the aim, is to try and win every game you play. Every match you play you're trying to play well. It's not going to happen, but with cup competitions, I said to you before, I've won competitions with Birmingham, I've got to finals with West Ham when people least expected it, so I've done it before.

"With Alloa last year, it was the quarter-final and we were very unfortunate against Hibs, so it's possible. Anything's possible in football and that's why I say we go into every game, you dust one down, you win it, you go on to the next one and try and win the next one.

"That's what we've tried to do throughout. We had a disappointing result - not performance, the second half performance St Mirren put us under pressure, first half I thought we were excellent - and we were disappointed to lose that game.

"But the boys have bounced back fantastically well and to score the amount of goals we have in that period is very pleasing obviously."

In four games, Grant's team have scored 13, conceding five, and he was as concerned about Robert Thomson's consolation for the League Two side as the braces completing by Craig Wighton and Kevin O'Hara.

"I was happy with their attitude, and their commitment is fantastic as I've said to you, along with their quality, and I thought they showed a lot of that," he continued.

"I thought there was a lot of good stuff played, some great goals, but yet again we lose a goal from our possession in the opposition's final third so the one thing we asked for in the second half we never got, which was the clean sheet. That's the big disappointment.

"I think that's the one thing about this group - they've showed great respect to their opponents. We knew it would be a tough game; Stenhousemuir have done very well in the transfer market I believe. I think they've recruited very well. They've got good players; I had three of the boys, Adam Brown, Nicky Jamieson and Robert Thomson, who I know and know their quality. I know they've recruited very well along with the players they've already got, so we knew it would be a tough game, and we had to work really work to get the opening.

"But they showed great patience and I think that was the difference in the second half. We started to run with the ball instead of moving the ball quicker, and sometimes it becomes like that. I know it's difficult when you're winning by so many goals at that particular time, and we start doing things that we've talked about not doing. We keep the ball rolling, keep the ball going quick because the ball goes quicker than you, so stop running with it, and then we started making a couple of wrong choices for about 10 minutes. It cost us with the goal.

"A lot to be very pleased with, but I think you know me well enough now, I'm a stickler for making sure we do everything right, and I try to get everything right.

"I'd like an opposition to score against us a good goal; as I say, we can't give possession away as cheaply as we did and lose a goal from the opposition's half. That was criminal, actually, to do that.

"But it's something to learn and we've always got something to learn every game you go into. I'm maybe being a stickler, but I'm delighted with a lot of it, but obviously there's some bits grinding me still."