Rangers slumped to a 0-1 defeat at the hands of Hearts at Broadwood in tonight s SPL Under-21 fixture in a game that did little to promote the first-team prospects of those who took part.
Chris Burke was prominent in the opening seconds, embarking on a mazy run before finding Egil Ostenstad only for the Norwegian s shot to be blocked.
Hearts squandered a golden opportunity to take the lead in 21 minutes when Graham Weir, clean through on goal, was upended by Allan McGregor. It was a clear penalty, and the Rangers goalkeeper was perhaps fortunate to receive only a yellow card. Just to rub salt in the visitors wound, McGregor saved Robert Sloan s spot-kick.
Jean Louis Valois came close on the half-hour with a curling 22-yard free-kick that only just missed the target, but the first-half was instantly forgettable and ended goalless.
Burke again threatened in the early stages of the second-half, fastening on to a Stephen Hughes pass before seeing his shot deflected wide by goalkeeper Jamie MacDonald.
Hearts however continued to look the likelier side without creating many clear-cut chances.
The deadlock was finally broken in 72 minutes when Stephen Simmons headed home a Liam Fox corner. The goalscorer was however fortunate that the referee missed his gesture to the home fans.
Within two minutes Rangers should have been level when substitute Charlie Adam's cross found Chris Burke in front of goal only for the winger to slice his shot wide.
Nevertheless the Ibrox youngsters had clearly been shaken out of their lethargy by the loss of the goal, and twice within as many minutes MacDonald defied them when an equaliser seemed certain firstly being equal to Burke s twenty-yard drive, then foiling Billy
Gibson following the Gers Captain's turn and shot from a Stephen Hughes pass.
The visiting goalkeeper was the man of the match turning wide Burke s twenty-yard drive from a Bob Davidson pass in 82 minutes.
The final opportunity came in injury time when Egil Ostenstad turned inside the box on a Davidson cross only to shoot wildly over the bar.
RANGERS McGregor; Hutton, Vanoli; Dowie, Malcolm, W. Gibson; Burke, Hughes, Ostenstad, Namouchi (Davidson 60), Brighton (C. Adam 68)
UNUSED SUBS McLeod, Fortunato, Trialist
HEARTS MacDonald; Neilson, McMullan; Dunn, McKenna (Berra 45), Fox (McGeown 77); Sloan, Simmons, Weir, King, Valois (Knox 45)
UNUSED SUBS Strickland, Windrum