HAMILTON..1 RANGERS..4
EUAN McLEAN AT SUPERSEAL STADIUM the defeat by Saints. That thrust Darren Jamieson into the firing line for a live TV match that was a world away from his appearances for Junior side Bo’ness United just 18 months ago.
But he wasn’t the one to wilt under the spotlight from the start – it was a far more experienced defender caught like a rabbit in the headlights.
Cumbersome Fabio Cardoso was criminally turned by Rakish Bingham striding clear into the box. His low shot was saved by Wes Foderingham – but only as far as Danny Redmond who gratefully turned home the rebound.
Just 57 seconds gone and already the Gers defence was a busted flush.
Now Caixinha would see whether his players were 100 per cent committed to his cause as he insisted in Wednesday’s audience with the media. And he got his answer in emphatic fashion.
Maybe Carlos Pena was guilty of being too committed as he was lucky to see yellow instead of red for clattering Dougie Imrie, with the Mexican also appearing to elbow Greg Docherty in an earlier incident missed by the ref.
But John got it just right when he brought Gers to life on 21 minutes.
Driving in from the left, most would have expected the cross inside but the powerful shot he unleashed from outside the box took everyone by surprise, including keeper Jamieson as it lashed inside his right post.
Four minutes later John showed the positivity to go it alone again but this time, at such a tight angle, the keeper will be furious he let the shot squirt through him.
Jamieson redeemed himself seconds later, winning a one-on-one showdown with Alfredo Morelos.
But in the 27th minute came the moment that defined this Rangers dressing room and the spirit that still burns strong within it.
Dorrans’s ball over the top found Candeias in space to take full advantage with a clinical low finish across the keeper but it was the celebration that