Home truths for Rangers after agony on the road
Wallace scrambles a point as County trip up Ibrox men for the third time
MARK WARBURTON was probably right, then, to dismiss the significance of a light being shone quite so fiercely on his record away from home to top-four rivals in the wake of the midweek mauling at Hearts.
After all, why concentrate on one problem area when there are many others to examine?
Results against Ross County aren’t too clever, either, for a club aiming to nail down second place. That’s three draws against the Dingwall team in the league this season, including two at Ibrox.
This one allowed Aberdeen to slide into that berth behind Celtic last night — and that was what Rangers deserved after letting more points slip to a Jim McIntyre outfit that seem to know how to nullify the nuisance of a Warburton team.
And while they did require some superb goalkeeping from Scott Fox to return to the Highlands with a result, County showed up with much more of a threat than in those previous meetings and were left to rue not burying their hosts before the break in a fine first-half display.
Alex Schalk, detailed to get in behind the Rangers old guard centre-half pairing of Clint Hill and Phillipe Senderos, scuffed at a glorious opportunity to add to his early opener and send County in two-up at the interval.
Lee Wallace’s second goal of the season denied the visitors victory and took the edge off the ferocity of another chorus of final-whistle boos from the Rangers support.
A previous defeat away to Hearts, late in November, was swiftly forgotten with a highly creditable home win over runners-up spot rivals Aberdeen. An edgy opening here gave no hint of a repeat recovery performance by Rangers.
A disciplined and purposeful County were only denied a stunning second-minute lead by Wes Foderingham’s excellence in reacting to a wickedly deflected Martin Woods shot. However, the Englishman had no response for Schalk’s deadly finish on 18 minutes.
Jim O’Brien supplied after collecting a deep ball on the right and going beyond Wallace, Schalk took a touch then swept home high into the net from ten yards for his third league goal of the campaign.
The 4-1 Tynecastle torment teased out a statistic of four points out of 30 for Warburton in 18 months against top-four opponents on the road. Yet an expectant Ibrox can be just as uncomfortable. When 1-0 down, it offers no hiding place to so many players unfamiliar with the habit of finding answers under pressure.
Those jitters were there for all the horrified home support to see when Rangers were incredibly fortunate not to fall two behind. A ghastly breakdown in communication between Foderingham and Hill gifted O’Brien another assist opportunity.
This time Schalk hit the sidenetting. As Foderingham desperately scrambled back into position, the Dutchman appeared to kick the ball off his left foot and the shot squirmed wide of the empty goal.
Warburton banked on quick healer Joe Garner, his £1.5million signing, returning from the shoulder injury he suffered against Celtic.
Fast-tracked to the starting line-up ahead of Martyn Waghorn, Garner’s lofty status among the Rangers support is completely at odds with production on the pitch.
Hailed for his combative style as if a reincarnation of Mark Hateley and Dado Prso, and lauded with a song and chart-topping campaign to go with it, Garner is without a goal since October 29 after this latest blank.
He could not defy the rust when Kenny Miller slid him through and he took a poor touch as Marcus Fraser and Fox combined to worry him out of it. Garner was the length of another stud away from sliding in to convert a delivery fizzed across goal by James Tavernier.
Rangers were more like their ball-dominating selves in the second period, forcing the play and cranking up the corner and shot count, without threatening to swamp the visitors and turn the score on its head.
Top scorer Miller was unable to receive the ball in dangerous positions, however, a source of huge frustration because his scoring form was needed to outdo Fox.
Tavernier’s deep corner dropped to the wrong man’s right foot at the back post as Senderos, on his first outing since October 1, scooped the chance to strike first blood in the second half over the bar.
On 53 minutes, the opportunity Garner dreams about came alive. Wallace whipped over a perfect cross, which the ex-Preston man met powerfully with a downward header. Fox was in difficulty but improvised to save his team, keeping the ball out on his line then, on the deck, finding a fist to clear as Jon Toral moved in for the kill.
As four County men threw themselves at Emerson Hyndman’s shot in the area to block, it rather summed up the struggles of Rangers to break through.
Within seconds, however, they were level. A terrific trade of passes by Toral and Wallace let the Rangers skipper catch sight of goal and slip a finish under Fox from a tight angle.
County’s keeper then had a scare from friendly fire as Andrew Davies chested Tavernier’s low ball towards his own goal, forcing Fox into more goal-line heroics.
The four minutes of injury time saw Rangers come close to sealing another great, late show as they managed against Motherwell, Dundee and Partick Thistle.
But Jason Naismith cleared off the line from Waghorn and Toral hit the outside of the near post as McIntyre’s men got in the way for a third time this term.