The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Rangers fight back from scare to hit Ayr for six
AYR UNITED 1 RANGERS 6
Rangers survived an early scare against Ayr United to cruise into the William Hill Scottish Cup quarter-finals with a 6-1 win at Somerset Park.
Alan Forrest took advantage of a mistake by Gers goalkeeper Wes Foderingham in the 10th minute to give the League One side a shock lead before returning striker Alfredo Morelos levelled on the half-hour mark after missing a sitter on the goal line.
Graeme Murty’s side were ruthless after the break as Jason Cummings struck from close range in the 65th minute before a double from Josh Windass, either side of Morelos’ second, preceded a last-minute counter from Jamie Murphy.
The home side’s early goal, which had given them hope, was a simple calamity for the visitors.
Foderingham hesitated when taking David Bates’ pass back and Forrest closed the keeper down and bundled the ball into the net.
It was the perfect start for United, whose manager Ian McCall missed the match after undergoing an operation for a detached retina last week as assistant manager Neil Scally took charge.
The goal sprung the Govan side into action and they upped the tempo immediately.
Murty believes there is more to come from his side.
He said: “I would say parts of it were as well as we’ve played but I still think we can get better in our basics and fundamentals.
“Some of our play is exhilarating as a coach. You see the tempo we move the ball at, the quality we have in the side.
“I was going to give Jamie Murphy a load of stick because the only thing missing from his game was a goal.
“He was outstanding. He gives us understanding, quality and incredible work rate even though he’s not fully fit yet.”
Ayr: Ruddy, Geggan (Faulds 83), Rose, Reid, Boyle, McDaid, Moffat, Adams, Forrest (McGuffie 75), Moore (Ferguson 70), Shankland; unused subs – Murphy, Hart, McCowan.
Rangers: Foderingham, Tavernier, Martin, Bates, John, Murphy, Docherty, Goss, Windass (Halliday 84), Cummings (Herrera 76), Morelos (Miller 76); unused subs – Fabio Cardoso, Candeias, Holt, Kelly. Att: 9,346, Referee: Nick Walsh.