Gers-Well TV game hit by a two-hour delay as teams waited for their sample results
SCOTTISH football was struck by another Covid testing farce as Rangers and Motherwell cooled their heels at Ibrox.
Kick-off was delayed by two hours last night as both clubs waited on the results of coronavirus testing.
Confusion reigned for telly viewers who tuned in for the pre-season friendly match, played behind closed doors at the home of the Light Blues.
There was no team news and no players had taken to the pitch 15 minutes before the scheduled kick-off at 6pm.
It’s believed Rangers were even still waiting on results in the build up to the hastily re-arranged kick-off at 8pm before they arrived and officials
gave it the green light. The delay came after Hibs were forced to cancel a friendly with Ross County when their coronavirus tests were not returned on time.
Rangers eased to a 4-0 win when action got under way but Steven Gerrard admits he may have to dive into the transfer market as Jermain Defoe sweats on his fitness.
The Rangers striker limped out of the closing stages with a hamstring injury.
The former England frontman, 37, suffered a similar setback in January and was ruled out for a month.
Goals from Ryan Kent, Ianis Hagi and Joe Aribo had Rangers in cruise control last night before Ricki Lamie’s own goal added further to the agony of Stephen Robinson’s side.
However, Gerrard admitted the victory was marred by the sight of Defoe limping off, just 10 days before the season kicks off for real at Aberdeen.
He said: “We believe it’s a hamstring injury and until it is scanned we won’t know the extent of it or how long he’ll be out for.
“In the main, I’m pleased with our night’s work but I’m disappointed about Jermain.
“I’ve already spoken on the record about our need to bring in a new striker and it might push us more in that direction to get something done.
“But first and foremost let’s stay calm and find out the extent of the injury.”
Rangers added to the feelgood factor of their victories against Nice and Lyon with a comprehensive win over Well.
Gerrard added: “We played with energy and intensity and our first-half performance, in particular, was strong.
“We were right at it and playing at the level I’m looking for and with intensity, certainly to half-time.
“We’re getting better in the final third and can still create even more in that area.
“We lost our shape a little in the second half but Brandon Barker did well when he came on. We’ve put the ball in Brandon’s court. We haven’t given up on him. It’s all about finding consistency and Scottish defences will find it difficult to cope with his blistering pace.”