Rangers miss chance to join pacesetters after Firhill draw

Griffiths does it again

PARTICKTHISTLE RANGERS 2 2

Rangers missed the chance to draw level with Premiership pacesetters Celtic and Aberdeen as they were held to a 2-2 draw by 10-man Partick Thistle at the Energy Check Stadium.

Alfredo Morelos gave the Light Blues the perfect start with his eighth goal in six games early in the first period.

But Gers manager Pedro Caixinha’s hopes of recording three straight wins for the first time since his March appointment were wrecked when Blair Spittal and Chris Erskine scored for the Firhill hosts.

Erskine’s red card for a lunge on Morelos handed the initiative back to Gers and Jags were denied their first win of the season when Graham Dorrans equalised with 13 minutes left.

But there was no winner for Rangers with Caixinha again set to face some difficult questions as his side has dropped seven points from its first six games of the campaign.

The early stages were cagey as both sides looked for an opening but Morelos needed needed just half a chance to break the deadlock.

Josh Windass had his shot blocked by Danny Devine’s head. Blair Spittal had the chance to clear the danger for Thistle but when hesitated for a second, it gave Jack his chance to steal possession. The former Aberdeen player fed Morelos and while the angle was against the Colombian, it made no difference as he drove the opener past Ryan Scully.

Windass passed up a decent chance late in the half as his finish from James Tavernier’s deep cross squirmed wide.

Rangers fluffed another chance when Daniel Candieas scuffed his shot just moments into the second period and Jags soon took advantage of the visitors’ profligacy as they levelled.

Fabio Cardosso was penalised for climbing over Storey and Spittal got lucky when his the Portuguese defender’s compatriot Bruno Alves helped his free kick past Foderingham as the Gers wall came apart.

By the hour mark Thistle were ahead. With Gers failing to press quickly, Edwards fed the unmarked Spittal out wide and played on-side by Tavernier, he was able to find Erskine for a simple tap-in.

But joy turned to despair five minutes later for Erskine as referee Willie Collum flashed him a straight red as he lost control of the ball before throwing himselfstuds-firstatMorelos.

The man advantage gave Rangers a renewed sense of urgency after a laboured spell following the break and they got their reward on 77 minutes as Dorrans swept home a delicious equaliser from 20 yards out. Aboyne’s Carmen Griffiths won the Aberdeenshire girls scratch championship for the second year in a row with a score of 76 over the Newmachar Golf Club Swailend course.

Caitlin Fraser (Tarland), playing off 12, won the girls’ handicap title for the third year in a row with a net 73.