FEAR FACTOR
Rangers scared into a late show, admits Gerrard
STEVEN GERRARD claimed his Rangers side had been scared into a late goal-rush against Hamilton to ensure they finally recorded their first away win in the Premiership.
The Ibrox outfit were looking at a fifth league game on the road without victory after Steven Boyd cancelled out Ryan Kent’s first-half opener with ten minutes to play.
But James Tavernier netted two penalties in the space of three minutes — both conceded by Accies defender Alex Penny — before Alfredo Morelos struck in stoppage time.
Gerrard reckoned the fear of extending the long wait for success on their travels had been the impetus for a remarkable finale to an otherwise
disappointing performance. Asked if his players had shown character, the Rangers manager replied: ‘Is that the word you’d use? ‘I think we were actually frightened when they equalised — that basically gave us the rocket we needed because, at 1-0 up, we were too casual and I didn’t feel comfortable on the sideline. ‘I always felt that they were going to have one opportunity or one decision that could have proved costly, in terms of that win slipping from our grasp. ‘But their goal scared us a bit and that sparked us into life. We then went on to win comfortably but 4-1 flattered us. ‘Performance-wise, we weren’t at it. We weren’t great but I’m pleased with the three points, and the result, because all the talk before the game was about our away record and how we hadn’t had a win for eight months (when Rangers beat St Johnstone under Graeme Murty). ‘The points were the most important thing for me but I wasn’t pleased with our display, to be honest. ‘It came on the back of an international break, it was on a plastic pitch and maybe this wasn’t the juiciest of fixtures for the players to motivate themselves for — but you have to be up for it.’ Ibrox captain Tavernier has a perfect record of seven successful penalties this season, with Gerrard praising how he grasped the lifeline offered by Penny’s handball on a Daniel Candeias cross. The Hamilton centre-back then toppled Morelos to scupper any chance of his side claiming a point. Gerrard added: ‘James has the personality to step up in high-pressure situations and, certainly, the first penalty today — with the score at 1-1 and time running out — was a big one for us.’ Accies boss Martin Canning felt referee Andrew Dallas should have awarded his side a spot-kick when Mickel Miller tangled with Tavernier in the opening period. ‘Mickel cuts inside Tavernier and he gets held back,’ argued Canning. ‘If that’s anywhere else on the park, 100 per cent you get a free-kick for it, so why don’t you give it in the penalty box? ‘I don’t know if it’s because there wasn’t 2,000 fans behind the goal shouting for it, and if it was the other way around and they jump up, is it a penalty? I don’t know. But for me, it was a penalty for us first and foremost.’