SMOKIN JOE RAZOR
Dodoo floors Jags at death as Gers show fight again
Rangers can be accused of plenty of failings.
Predictable, one- dimensional, achingly frustrating to their support. But quitters they ain’t. For the second week in a row they turned one point into three with the last kick of the ball from a sub in injury time.
This time it was a Joe Dodoo double in the final 10 minutes – his first league goals for Gers– that sealed their come-from-behind victory.
It’s a win that takes them up to second, eight points off the top, and stretches their unbeaten run to seven with five wins and a couple of draws.
But for so long yesterday they never looked worthy of any of it, their support climbing the walls at the paucity of their first-half show in particular.
And when Kris Doolan put Thistle ahead with quarter of an hour left, especially after Gers had been denied a stonewall penalty, it never felt like they would produce the same kind of finish that downed Dundee last weekend.
However, two Kenny Miller assists and two Dodoo finishes turned the boos to bravado at the end.
And the former Leicester kid, with only one league start to his name so far, said: “I was pleased to score but it’s important not to be seen as super sub because it can become a regular thing.
“For me to come on and make an impact, you sometimes have to take your chance and I did that out there.
“But the manager said to be patient and my chance will come. You have to be prepared and make sure when your chance comes that you take it. I’m happy to say I did that.
“It’s great because we needed the three points to climb the table and
we can’t afford to lose more. We have to make sure we don’t give sloppy goals away, keep it tight at the back and try to finish games off earlier.”
Harry Forrester’s 93rd- minute winner last weekend got the forward his wish of a rare start, just his second in two months, with Danny Wilson another fresh face after eight weeks on the sidelines.
But the personnel changes didn’t make Rangers any less vulnerable to a team who had their number tactically from the start.
Switching from a back five to a conventional 4- 4-2, Alan Archibald used Jags’ front two to squeeze the game as soon as Gers split their centre-backs, forcing them sideways and backwards constantly as they struggled to handle the press.
And Thistle created a couple of decent chances with it, the best of them falling to Chris Erskine after Wes Foderingham had parried David Amoo’s shot straight back into the mixer, but the striker’s effort was deflected wide.
Rangers’ frustration was evident, as was their fans’ but they gradually began to thread a couple of passes through Thistle as the half wore on.
Joe Garner, though, was sti l l playing the game like he’s looking for a non- existent partner in a system that doesn’t give him one.
The only real chance Gers created was a darting Miller header which veteran German keeper Thorsten Stuckmann saved superbly.
The rest of it was a litany of sloppy ball retention and giving Thistle space to play.
For a team one point off the bottom of the table with only two wins in their previous 12, the Jags looked far more comfortable than the side from over the Clyde.
When Rangers came back out, a rocket had clearly been bounced off the walls of the dressing room.
The tempo was up and they were denied a cast-iron spot-kick in the first 90 seconds, Forrester bundled to the deck from behind by Abdul Osman. Nick Walsh’s decision to give a corner was mystifying.
Garner also came close with a clip at the near post as they tried to turn the screw. Yet Thistle were resilient, both Christie Elliott and Erskine forcing stops from Foderingham.
Both sides saw plenty of the ball as the game stretched but Thistle’s quality of delivery was slipping – and Rangers’ chances were increasing.
Forrester forced a good stay-big stop from Stuckmann. Dodoo saw the former Preston No.1 bundle a great chance wide and Lee Wallace thought he was about to see fireworks until Jason Holt got in the way of his on-target 12-yarder.
Again, though, vulnerability cost Rangers. Hesitant defending from Wilson and James Tavernier gave Doolan the two bites at the cherry from sub Steven Lawless’ cross. And he was able to squeeze the ball home from close range.
The Rangers support, already on a knife- edge after booing the replacement of Forrester, were set for a full-blown revolt.
And it may well have come had Ryan Edwards’ 30- yarder dipped under the bar instead of clipping it and going over.
But with nine minutes left, they pulled what looked like a point out of the fire. Miller’s delivery was turned into a perfect assist by Dodoo’s sweetly-timed volley which nestled beautifully inside the post. No matter how good it was, the smoke bomb on the park to rejoice at levelling with the Jags was as over the top as it was idiotic – and the celebratory bouts of sectarianism as crass as they’ve ever been. Just when Thistle thought they had done enough though, the same as Dundee thought last weekend, they tucked in just a little too tight with 93 past on the clock, Adbul Osman slipped to create the opening and Miller once again picked out Dodoo. The shot across goal from the lef t was decent enough but keeper Stuckmann should still be annoyed it squeezed through him and in to the net . Goal hero Dodoo said: “It sets us up because it keeps our momentum going and we want to win as many games as possible in the busy Christmas period. “This will keep the confidence up.”