Rangers 1 Celtic 2 - Broadwood Stadium
The proceedings began in bizarre circumstances on arrival at Broadwood when the sides found the dressing rooms locked and were forced to change in the adjoining Leisure Centre and enter the field of play from the corner area instead of the tunnel. Clyde Manager, Graham Roberts, explained that the Bully Wee had arranged a training session this day and were only made aware there was a match on at 5.30pm the night previous.
The match was only seconds gone when Ross Perry clattered into a Celtic forward and the scene was set for a passionate encounter in true Old Firm style. Celtic had the first chance of the match after 8 minutes when McGowan turned Frizzel twice on the 18 yard line but his shot was well held by Reidford at head hight. Celtic were starting to put their influence on the match, 5 minutes later it was O'Brien who then had a shot saved again by Reidford. Rangers started to get back into the match on 24 minutes when Jordan McMillan was brought down 28 yards out, but the subsequent free kick from Emslie went narrowly over.
With 33 minutes gone Ross Perry then went in forcefully for a high ball and clashed heads with his opponent, this time the Rangers defender came off worse and was then replaced by John Johnston. The first half remained nip and tuck with few chances then created and the first period ended goalless.
The start of the second half saw Celtic attack from the start and the extremely hard working Martin Ure was forced to clear the danger twice in the space of a minute, both times from the goal bound Jim O'Brien, Rangers reply was for Dany N'Guessan to shoot wide.
The deadlock was finally broken in 63 minutes when John Johnston cleverly worked his way through and played in Dany N'Guessan on the edge of the box, the big forward took two strides into the area and his low 16 yard drive proved too powerful for Fox as the ball shot under the despairing Celtic keeper and into the net to put Rangers one up.
The goal then put Rangers in the ascendency as they strived for a second goal to put them in the clear in the match and the opportunity came 2 minutes later when Johnston was brought down on the 18 yard line. Stevie Lennon lined up to shoot but his shot went wildy over the bar. Rangers were then awarded a corner on 67 minutes and the flighted ball across goal was met by the onrunning McMillan who found himself with space to place his header, but his attempt missed by inches when he looked certain to score.
Rangers were then to rue their missed chances to put the match beyond Celtic when on 69 minutes a Paul Caddis corner kick was flicked onto the back post and met by the unmarked Marc Millar for the equaliser.
It was only to take Celtic another 5 minutes to go into the lead as they found themselves searching for the next goal as Rangers went onto the back foot. Celtic substitute John McGeough played a neat flick through ball between the Rangers defence who attempted to play the offside against a Celtic forward trying to come back onside and took their eyes off Paul McGowan who ran through to meet the pass and lob the ball over the onrushing Reidford and put the Bhoys from Barrowfield into the lead.
With the match now slipping away from Rangers Ian Durrant then brought on Scott Agnew for Lennon and Chris Smith for Andy Shinnie. The changes couldn't alter the course the match was now taking and with 4 minutes left the menacing O'Brien turned inside Martin Ure and gave himself space in the box before his angled shot was stopped from going in by the right back, Alan Lowing.
This fired Rangers into a final effort to seek out an equaliser and earn at least a point from all their hard work, with 2 minutes left Frizzel was brought down 25 yards out and as the players lined up in the box to receive the ball the curling cross was met cleanly by Fox. Another similar free kick, this time from Ure as the match entered injury time, overshot everyone and went out meakly for a bye kick and end any chance of Rangers taking anything from the match.
In the dying seconds the frustration was clearly showing in the Rangers players and Scott Agnew was extremely lucky to escape a booking when he took out O'Brien well after the ball was away. Referee Craig Young had a stern word for him instead and in fact never booked anyone throughout the 90 minutes, prefering instead to talk to the young lads of both teams rather than flash yellow cards.
The result now leaves Rangers trailing Celtic by 13 points in the race for the title, but with 2 games in hand, one of which is scheduled for Friday 23rd December away to Livingston at Fauldhouse.
RANGERS;- Reidford, Lowing, Ure, Frizzel, Perry (Johnston 33), Emslie, McLachlan, Lennon (Agnew 77), N’Guessan, Shinney (Smith 84), McMillan
Unused Subs - Sagar, Woods
CELTIC - Fox, Caddis, Richardson, Bjarnasson, Cuthbert, McCafferty, Walsh (Carey), Ferry, O'Brien, McGowan, Millar.(McGeough 71),
Unused Subs - Skinner, Hutchison, Traube