FAREWELL GIFT
Joe Garner hits a hat-trick as Murty prepares to hand over Rangers’ reins
IF this proves to be Graeme Murty’s final game in temporary charge of Rangers, then it was quite the way to bow out. In walloping six unanswered goals past Hamilton Academical to reach the semi-finals of the William Hill Scottish Cup, the Ibrox side enjoyed an afternoon of respite from the managerial maelstrom that has engulfed them in recent weeks.
When Pedro Caixinha is unveiled as Mark Warburton’s successor this week he will have a visit to Hampden to look forward to in his first few weeks in charge.
The scoreline perhaps flattered Rangers a touch given three of their goals came in the last nine minutes against a Hamilton defence that would have struggled to keep weans out of a close, but a jubilant Ibrox was not in a mood to quibble about the finer details.
What could have been a taxing afternoon in the midst of some indifferent recent form instead turned into a rout. It may offer some succour as they prepare to head to Celtic Park next Sunday for what will surely be a far more demanding contest.
What an afternoon this turned out to be for Joe Garner. Subbed on at half time for Kenny Miller, the striker ended the day with the match ball under his arm having collared his first hat-trick for the club. That was not the sum of his day’s work. He probably ought to have been sent off for catching Accies’ Dougie Imrie with a swipe of his boot so clumsy it sparked recollections of Father Ted kicking Bishop Brennan up the backside. Imrie was not amused, comparing the tackle to something you might see from Conor McGregor and his ilk in a cage fight.
“I don’t know if we are in the UFC,” mused the forward. “Are we in the UFC? I think it was nearly a leg-breaker as he caught me quite high. One thing I will say is that if that were me or Darian MacKinnon (his Accies teammate) then we’re off the park.”
Garner, a gruff Northerner of few words, seemed bemused by the comparison. “If he’s said it’s a UFC challenge, I’d say watch it back,” he responded. “I didn’t make too much contact.”
That the striker managed to claim three goals – a close-range tap-in from a corner, a good finish after being gifted possession by Grant Gillespie, and then a rammed, deflected shot in the final minute – was all the more impressive given he spent 11 of his 45 minutes off the field receiving seven stitches following a clash of heads with Blair Adams. The Hamilton player was una- ble to return after exiting on a stretcher looking somewhat dazed.
“I had been getting calls from the crowd to put someone else on but I knew Joe was coming back,” said Murty of his forward’s extended absence that left Rangers with just 10 men. “Our medical staff did an outstanding job to get him back in the time that they did and I’m pleased for Joe.
“I had no doubt when he was going on that he was going to make an impact. I just didn’t realise how much it was going to be. But I have no doubts about his character or his work ethic and he’s got a little bit of a reward for the patience he has shown.”
Hamilton, looking to reach the Scottish Cup semi-finals for the first time in 82 years, defended appallingly throughout – four of the goals conceded came from dead-ball situations and another stemmed from a mistake – and didn’t create a solitary significant chance throughout the contest.
They were still able to leave Ibrox, however, nursing a genuine sense of grievance about three key referee decisions that had gone against them.
As well as not sending off Garner, John Beaton also failed to spot that Rangers goalkeeper Wes Foderingham had handled the ball outside his box – a possible dismissal for denying a goalscoring opportunity – and awarded Rangers a soft penalty when Jon Toral fell to the ground after losing his footing.
Martyn Waghorn swept in the resultant kick to put his side in front after 33 minutes and Accies never looked like recovering.
“It’s one of those days when nothing has gone for us,” said manager Martin Canning. “The penalty is very, very soft, if a penalty at all. I thought the tackle from Garner on Imrie was a red and I haven’t seen it back yet, but I’ve heard the goalie is a yard outside the box when he gathers the ball. Sometimes the atmosphere and the noise of the crowd appealing for things can sway decisions and that shouldn’t be the case.”
The first goal of Garner’s hattrick made it 2-0 just three minutes into the second half and at that point it was just about how many Rangers would end up running in. The answer was four.
Toral scored their third from another McKay corner after 77 minutes, Clint Hill got his head on another McKay delivery four minutes later, before Garner swept in two more to end the afternoon as the unlikeliest of cup heroes.
I don’t know if we are in the UFC. Are we in the UFC? I think it was nearly a leg-breaker