over Kilmarnock at Ibrox - a result that enabled the
Light Blues to move six points clear in the
Championship race, but it was a win that should have
been much more emphatic.
Manager Alex McLeish made two changes from the side
that had won so well at Celtic Park last Sunday with
Allan McGregor and Steven Smith replacing the injured
Ronald Waterreus and Michael Ball against a Killie
side that included former Ranger Allan Johnston.
Making a less than welcome return to Ibrox was Referee
Steve Conroy whose appalling decisions cost Rangers
two vital points against Dundee United on 24th
October, and who would today confirm the impressions
established that day with some further abominable
officiating.
The first bizarre decision occurred in the very first
minute when Gregory Vignal's cross saw visiting
goalkeeper Alan Combe collide with two of his own
defenders - the loose ball breaking to Dado Prso who
promptly swept the ball into the back of the net, only
for the goal to be chalked off on the say-so of a flag
from Assistant Referee Gary Sweeney.
The atmosphere was muted - and it took some time for
Rangers to get moving, although Nacho Novo did force
Combe to make a fine save when he parried the
Spaniard's volley from a Fernando Ricksen chip in
eighteen minutes.
Two minutes later Combe again denied Novo when the
Ranger cut inside and saw his shot parried by the
goalkeeper - Vignal's right-footed effort from the
rebound being blocked by a defender.
The opening goal arrived in 29 minutes when Prso
netted with a superb 25-yard shot from a Barry
Ferguson pass.
Rangers suffered a serious injury blow nine minutes
later when Alan Hutton was stretchered off with a
broken leg following a mistimed tackle on Garry Hay.
The full-back was replaced by Alex Rae.
It had taken fully four minutes for the youngster to
be carried off, but to an extent the gloom was lifted
in forty minutes when Novo seized on a short passback
from Simon Ford to round Combe and stroke the ball
into the net.
Combe again kept the scoreline respectable three
minutes into the second-half when he turned wide
Prso's shot following a Vignal break.
Steven Thompson replaced Prso in 55 minutes, and
within ten minutes had created an opening with a
reverse pass to Vignal whose square ball to Thomas
Buffel saw the Belgian strike an upright.
Rangers were so much on top, yet found themselves just
one goal in front when Kris Boyd headed home a
corner-kick from Killie substitute (and former Ranger)
Peter Leven.
With the 48,575 crowd growing more and more nervous
with every passing minute, a state of affairs not
helped by some bizarre refereeing decisions, Sotirios
Kyrgiakos almost sealed the win in 82 minutes when his
volley from a Vignal corner produced a superb
one-handed save from Combe.
It was all Rangers in the closing minutes - Combe
twice denying them a third goal, firstly in 87 minutes
when he held substitute Chris Burke's left-foot drive
from a Ricksen cross then immediately afterwards he
denied Novo following a quickly-taken Ferguson
free-kick.
The paucity of Referee Steve Conroy's performance was
appropriately summed up late on when he stood
lecturing both Kyrgiakos and Colin Nish in one corner
of the pitch while play raged on at the other end -
Burke twice coming close to finding the net. Not that
it would have counted - but the absurdity of the
situation was underlined when Assistant Referee George
Drummond, having followed play, signalled a goal-kick
after Burke's header had drifted wide.
Afterwards Alex McLeish confirmed the seriousness of
Hutton's injury:
"He will undergo surgery tomorrow, and the medical
people have confirmed that he will be out for six
months."
On the game itself 'Eck' reflected:
"We started well, and were comfortable at 2-0. The
crowd's expectations were high following last Sunday,
but football doesn't work like that sometimes."
RANGERS McGregor; Hutton (A. Rae 38), Andrews,
Kyrgiakos, S. Smith; Buffel (Burke 80), Ricksen,
Ferguson, Vignal; Prso (Thompson 55), Novo
UNUSED SUBS G. Smith, Malcolm, Djordjic, McCormack
KILMARNOCK Combe; Lilley, Fowler, Ford, Hay (Leven
53); Invincible, McDonald, Locke, Johnston; Naismith
(Dargo 85), Boyd (Nish 85)
UNUSED SUBS Murray, Smith, Fontaine
REFEREE Steve Conroy
Attendance 48,575