It’s Miller time! Two late Kenny strikes win it for the Gers
KENNY MILLER rode to Rangers and Mark Warburton’s rescue at Ibrox yesterday.
With less than 10 minutes of regulation time remaining, last season’s Scottish Cup runners-up were facing a humbling exit from the competition.
However, just as the Steelmen’s smash-and-grab tactics looked set to pay off, the 37-year-old veteran swooped with two late goals.
It earned the Light Blues a place in the competition’s last 16, ties for which will be decided in the fifth round draw to be held after Celtic’s tie against Albion Rovers today.
And, as Miller pointed out, the opportunity to try and erase the memories of a painful loss to Hibs in last year’s showpiece final.
“Of course we want to win it. After last year there is an extra hunger,” he said.
“We had a really positive campaign last year in the cup. We had some really good performances, culminating in a really good day at Hampden against Celtic. “But we never followed it up. “All that joy and celebration after the Celtic game was pointless because of the fact we never went on to win it.
“With 10 minutes to go we were 2-1 up in a cup final, but it was really disappointing to lose it in that matter.
“So we want to go all the way this year and lift the trophy. Today was the first part of that journey.
“We’ve obviously taken a lot of knocks this season so it is important we stick together in situations like this.
“We did that here. We showed the character that we have.”
Appropriately for a game with a lunchtime kick-off, this tie took a long, long time to come to the boil.
It said it all that Motherwell took until the 72nd minute to get their first corner and then the 74th minute to score.
Chris Cadden swung a high cross in from the right and Louis Moult rose above Lee Hodson to head home.
It was a decent goal yet nowhere near as good as Miller’s double which advertised the range of his finishing ability in eye-catching style.
The first was a flying header from substitute Martyn Waghorn’s cross into the box.
Then, when Stephen McManus sent his clearance straight to Emerson Hyndman, a mistake prompted by a back-pass from Carl McHugh, he was immediately alive to the possibilities.
He wheeled off right and into space, skipping on to the perfect pass from the American, before coolly slotting home.
Probably the biggest talking-point until then had been the surprise selection of Michael O’Halloran.
The former Scotland U-21 internationalist hadn’t started since the game against Aberdeen on December 3.
However with Hearts, St Johnstone, Aberdeen and, of course, Motherwell all credited with an interest in taking him on loan until the end of the season, Mark Warburton decided to give him a run out.
It was a chance for the attacker to remind everyone why the Light Blues paid £500, 000 for him in 2016, handing him a four-and-a-half-year deal in the process.
And to be fair, in an underwhelming game, he did not do too badly.
He was direct and pacey, cutting in from the right whenever the chance offered itself up.
Probably his most notable moment came in the first half when he was at the centre of a vociferous penalty claim.
Driving into the Motherwell box, he suddenly tumbled under a challenge for Steven Hammell.
Television evidence suggested the hosts had a case, but referee Craig Thomson, who had a good view of the incident, waved them away.
“I thought it was nailed-on from what we saw,” said Warburton.
“Michael has great feet and he was in the area. So why go down?
“I read all these stories about where he’s apparently going but it is news to me.
“I am not letting players go out unless I get players in.”
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