win over Motherwell at Ibrox this evening - Barry
Ferguson playing a real captain's part with the
winning goal in 73 minutes, to leave the Light Blues
on course for the championship.
Manager Walter Smith made three changes from Easter
Road with Steven Whittaker, Jean-Claude Darcheville
and Kris Boyd replacing Sasa Papac, Christian Dailly
and Daniel Cousin against a Motherwell side restored
to full strength after their manager Mark McGhee (a
former Celtic player) had deliberately and shamefully
fielded a weakened team against his former club on
Saturday. So much for sporting integrity.
Rangers were all out for an early goal - and it should
have come in seven minutes when Darcheville's cutback
to Boyd saw the Scots striker completely miss his
kick.
Two minutes later David Weir's header from a Steve
Davis corner was clawed out by Graeme Smith, Nacho
Novo putting the rebound wide of the post.
Slackness at the back almost cost the home side dear
in fifteen minutes when Steven Whittaker's attempted
clearance cannoned off Steven McGarry into the path of
Ross McCormack, Carlos Cuellar coming to the rescue
with a late intervention.
Smith and McCormack were two of five former Ibrox men
in the visitors line-up, the others being Brian
McLean, Bob Malcolm and Stephen Hughes.
'Well had survived Rangers early pressure - indeed
they might even have snatched the opening goal in 33
minutes when McCormack shot wide from a Hughes
cutback.
The first-half had developed into one where defences
were on top - yet the Light Blues should have broken
the deadlock on the stroke of the interval when in a
lightning break Novo's crossfield pass found
Darcheville who squared to Boyd only for the Scot to
shoot wide.
The capacity crowd of 48,238 had grown ever more
nervous as the half developed, but Rangers restarted
in top gear, piling on the pressure in search of the
opener - and Boyd twice connected with Davis corners
in the opening five minutes, heading wide with the
first and over with the second.
The pressure was relentless - Ferguson's shot on the
turn from another Davis corner whistling over in 52
minutes.
The tension was tangible - one could almost reach out
and touch it as time wore on, but the Light Blue
legions created an atmosphere and backing for their
team perhaps at times all too rare in many all-seated
arenas.
The Fir Park men survived the siege - but it was still
all Rangers, with Novo, through on a Boyd flick midway
through the second-half, being denied by Graeme Smith.
To massive acclaim, the deadlock was finally broken in
73 minutes when yet another Davis corner, flicked on
at the near post, found Ferguson who turned to hook
the ball home.
The relief was audible and overwhelming - and Rangers
now went all out for the kill.
Charlie Adam made a welcome return from injury in 75
minutes when he replaced Darcheville.
Kevin Thomson came close to adding a second seven
minutes later when his thirty-yard shot following a
Davis corner flashed wide.
Rangers were denied an absolutely stonewall penalty in
84 minutes when Adam was felled by Malcolm following a
Davis corner, but incredibly neither Referee Charlie
Richmond nor linesman Mark Doyle saw anything amiss.
Boyd had the ball in the net seconds later from a
Davis pass, but again the selfsame linesman ruled
against the home side.
Daniel Cousin replaced Boyd immediately afterwards,
but an absurd four minutes of injury time left Walter
Smith angry as he remonstrated with both the fourth
official and the linesman. It was ironic that the
additional time was due, at least in part, to
timewasting on the part of the visitors.
Rangers held out however for a critical victory, and
now lie four points adrift of Celtic with two games in
hand.
Afterwards Smith summarised:
"This was the type of game we'll get from now on. We
started well, and had the greater territorial
advantage in the second-half. Everyone at the club is
delighted with the win. I was proud of the way we
played, and of the backing we received from the
crowd."
RANGERS Alexander; Broadfoot, Cuellar, Weir,
Whittaker; Davis, Ferguson, Thomson, Novo; Darcheville
(Adam 75), Boyd (Cousin 85)
UNUSED SUBS G. Smith, Dailly, Lennon, Emslie, McMillan
MOTHERWELL G. Smith; Lasley (D. Smith 75), McLean,
Craigan, Reynolds; Hughes, Fitzpatrick, Malcolm,
Lappin; McCormack (Porter 75), McGarry (Clarkson 59)
UNUSED SUBS Daniels, Hamil, Porter, Clarkson, D.
Smith, Murphy, Meechan
REFEREE Charlie Richmond
Attendance 48,238