On with the show
Morton feel the burn as Rangers get back to their ruthless ways
ASTROLL in t he Greenock sunshine was the perfect response to Rangers’ first major setback of the Mark Warburton era. For all their f l aws i n being ruthlessly dismissed from the League Cup at home by Premiership St Johnstone in midweek, the Ibrox side preserved their spotless record i n the Championship thanks to a comfortable victory at Cappielow.
The damage was done courtesy of a first- ever hat-trick in senior football from Martyn Waghorn, while the other strike came from another familiar source; James Tavernier with his eighth goal of the season from right-back.
Up 3-0 after 34 minutes, it was clear early on that this trip to the Tail O’ The Bank was going to end in an eighth win from eight league games.
Warburton’s men are now nine points clear of second- placed Falkirk and can increase that margin when the Bairns visit Ibrox on Saturday. For midfielder Andy Halliday, however, this was about proving a point as well as collecting another precious three.
‘It was important we bounced back after Tuesday night,’ said the 23-year-old. ‘We felt we had something to prove to ourselves and it was good to have a game so quickly after such a disappointing result.
‘As players, we were frustrated because we want to win every cup we’re in.
‘We got knocked out and we are all disappointed, but we still have goals we want to achieve and it was important to bounce back. We wanted to prove we can maintain a consistent level in every game. Those are the demands at this football club.
‘Morton had a plan to slow us down and frustrate us but we didn’t let them. It was a great performance from the lads.
‘We started with an intensity that was maybe lacking in the last two or three games. I thought we were excellent, especially in the opening 25 minutes.’
Jim Duffy’s hosts fell behind on 12 minutes after tricky on-loan Spurs winger Nathan Oduwa was flattened by a rash sliding tackle from Ross Forbes inside the box.
Waghorn stepped up and made his customary efficient job, sending Derek Gaston the wrong way to make it seven goals from seven penalties.
He scored his second 10 minutes later, after fine play up the left wing from Lee Wallace and Barrie McKay ended with the ball being played into the striker’s feet.
A clever spin bamboozled his marker, Ricki Lamie, before the Englishman cracked the ball hard into the far corner.
Morton fans thought their team were back in i t when Forbes whipped in a free-kick that brushed the side-netting as it flew past. But, following another Morton free-kick, it was effectively game over.
Despite defending a dead ball on the edge of their own box, Warburton ordered McKay and Oduwa to remain on the halfway line on either touchline, with Waghorn in the centre circle.
When Morton’s Lee Kilday lost possession it was three against three at the back. And Rangers ruthlessly took advantage as the breaking Gedion Zelalem f ed McKay, who teed up Tavernier to fire home from 15 yards.
Morton could have hit back when Alex Samuel, two-goal League Cup hero against Motherwell in midweek, ran in behind the Rangers defence. But he stumbled at the vital moment under pressure from Danny Wilson and shanked wide.
Waghorn then had a great chance f or his hat- trick when Conor Pepper’s clearance came back off Oduwa, but he shot straight at Gaston.
Rangers had enjoyed 65-per-cent possession in the first half in front of 7,392; the highest l eague attendance at Cappielow since May 2003. But the under-worked visiting keeper Wes Foderingham proved he was alert when he made a fine double save from Michael Tidser and Denny Johnstone.
After the break, Morton’s Michael Miller made a terrific tackle 12 yards out to stop Waghorn pulling the trigger on his hat-trick.
But the Rangers star would not be denied and, when Tavernier’s cross from the right found him at the back post, he steered home a lovely finish to complete the scoring.
Substitute Dean Shiels thought he had grabbed a fifth but his 20-yard shot bounced back off Gaston’s right-hand post and away to safety.
At the end, Waghorn showed off the match-ball to jubilant travelling fans, with the striker and the supporters coming in for high praise from Halliday.
‘Martyn has been different class,’ he said. ‘But we’ve been winding him up about the penalties.
‘The sad thing is, I’m second on the penalties and I’m choking for him to come off and let me have a shot. If he’s not on the park, I take them but he’s playing 90 minutes most weeks, so I probably won’t get a shot.
‘But that’s seven from seven penalties now and I’m happy to let him take them when he’s got a conversion rate like that.
‘It’s really important you have a striker that can score 25 goals a season and Martyn looks like he’s on the way to hit that target.
‘The fans have been different class, too, after the St Johnstone game. It was a little surprising because the high demands here mean defeat is unacceptable at a club like this.
‘But they are buying into the way we want to play and they came to Greenock and got behind us in their numbers again.’