TALKING RANGERS
ONE test has been passed, just. Now, a far tougher examination awaits for Rangers. Victory over Partick Thistle ensured Pedro Caixinha’s side will be in the hat when the draw for the Betfred Cup is made tomorrow night.
That dream is still alive, but the reality of their position in the Premiership is now their most pressing concern as the countdown to the Old Firm fixture gathers pace.
The spotlight on boss Caixinha has shone increasingly brightly in the aftermath of the 2-2 draw at the Energy Check at Firhill Stadium on Friday night. The win here was as important for him as it was for Rangers.
It was far from straightforward, though, and Rangers again made hard work of it against a side that are still without a win in the Premiership.
In the search for positives, Caixinha won’t be able to look much further than the final score.
A goal for Carlos Pena on his first start was a reason for the Portuguese to be pleased, but seeing his side have to play 120 minutes before Celtic make the trip across Glasgow was hardly ideal.
This could have been a nightmare evening for Caixinha. Rangers may have had a scare, but they survived to see it through and ensure the Portuguese didn’t use up another of his Light Blue lives.
Caixinha resisted the chance to make wholesale changes ahead of the Celtic clash as Pena came in for Kenny Miller, Jak Alnwick returned on cup duty and Declan John continued in place of the injured Lee Wallace.
While the keeper is set to drop out on Saturday, John will make his Old Firm debut and having more minutes under his belt will undoubtedly be a help for the on-loan Cardiff defender.
He looked to use his pace as often as possible and did pose a threat as he drove forward from his left-back berth.
All eyes were on Pena, though. This was a chance for the 27-year-old to impress and it was his most encouraging outing to date. But the Mexican didn’t do enough to convince supporters he should be thrown in on derby day.
Caixinha has repeatedly expressed his confidence that the midfielder will make an impact once he fully gets up to speed at Ibrox after his move from Chivas Guadalajara.
Having opened his account against Dundee, he got his second for the Gers here as Caixinha’s side broke the deadlock shortly after the interval, but he has to offer more if he is to become an integral part of the team.
Pena was involved early on as he fed the ball to Daniel Candeias before the Portuguese fired a shot wide of target.
He also set up Alfredo Morelos as he unleashed a powerful effort from distance that keeper Ryan Scully could only parry.
Josh Windass should have put Rangers ahead, but he fluffed his lines from the rebound and a golden chance was spurned.
It was as close as the Gers would come as Morelos was left frustrated in search of a ninth goal in Light Blue.
AFTER a few spells of pressure from Rangers, it was Thistle that finished the half in the ascendancy.
The Jags didn’t have a sting, though, as Conor Sammon was thwarted by Alnwick.
The first attempt from the striker came after a sweeping pass from Blair Spittal that sent Sammon free down the left.
He beat Fabio Cardoso and saw Alnwick deny him with a smart save at the near post. The second stop from the Gers keeper was even better as he got a strong hand to a Sammon header after Ryan Edwards knocked a Christie Elliott cross into his path just a few yards from goal.
A Spittal free-kick that found the stand was the final chance of the half.
The place in the semi-finals was still very much up for grabs for both teams as the action got back underway. Rangers were soon in the driving seat, though. Morelos came within inches of opening the scoring after he collected a Candeias pass and raced towards goal.
He knocked a low shot wide of the onrushing Scully, but it was just the wrong side of keeper’s right hand post.
The ironic cheers from the Thistle fans behind the goal were soon replaced by those of celebration from the travelling Gers fans as Caixinha’s side took the lead.
Candeias’ corner from the left found Pena and a neat flick