STILL LIVING ON THEIR NERVES
Relief for McCall as a Queens calamity is avoided
FOR Rangers, the final stages of the journey threaten a nervous two weeks. The safe haven of the Scottish Premiership has moved closer. They are not quite there yet.
The biggest Ibrox crowd of the season turned out for a fluctuating triumph over Queen of the South. They will be back on Wednesday for the first leg of the semi-final against Hibernian. How a two-week lay-off might affect the Edinburgh side is the unknown factor.
Yet this much we can say. Two games against James Fowler’s brave, enterprising team were a bruising, edgy affair for Rangers.
A 2- 1 l ead, forged solidly in Dumfries, was wiped out when Derek Lyle scored with the first Queens attack in 35 minutes.
The home team restored their aggregate lead — deservedly — on the hour when Lee Wallace swept the ball into the net from close range. But for Queens keeper Zander Clark, it might have been a smoother progression altogether.
For a Rangers crowd which came in numbers, and in expectation, the final minutes were horrible.
The impact of Haris Vuckic, a fine footballer, proved critical at both ends of the pitch. In attack, he featured in everything, earning a merited man-of-the-match award.
His most telling contribution came with 10 minutes to play when he headed a netbound, curling shot from Lyle off the goal-line.
‘It was more nervous than it should have been,’ acknowledged Rangers boss Stuart McCall.
‘If you look at the game in the first half, we played some really good football.
‘We had a lot of opportunities. Their keeper has had a few really good saves, but they have scored from their first attack. It was good play and a good goal by them.
‘But I think we have proved a lot of people wrong here.
‘I think there will have been a lot of people looking at us a goal down at half-time thinking: “Oh, Rangers have bottled it again. They are looking a bit flaky.”
‘However, we said to them at half-time keep creating, and we do have creative players i n the side. We knew we would make opportunities.
‘We just had to make sure we kept it tight at the other end. In the last 10 to 15 minutes, Queens have had nothing to lose.’
The arrival of Bilel Mohsni for the l ast f i ve minutes was delayed because, at first, they couldn’t find him. When he did show up, it did nothing to ease rising levels of tension in the home support.
The Tunisian may yet be needed again — with Darren McGregor suspended from the second leg of the Play-Off Final should Rangers get t here — and t hat is a frightening prospect.
Especially when he hit the ball straight at Queens keeper Clark with minutes to go when he should have been holding the ball up and counting down the clock.
‘I don’t mind him coming out in front of defence and winning the ball,’ said McCall of another erratic and mercifully brief display.
‘I don’t mind him running 70 yards. But when he’s going to pass it back to their goalie with a shot he thinks is going to go in, it astounded me.
‘But that’s Billy. He’s a likeable lad. I think we needed to put him on there from an aerial point of view. They had a lot of corners and free- kicks near the end and I thought we stood up to that. But that’s Billy for you.’
It really shouldn’t have come to the point where Rangers were throwing on defenders to cling on.
Until they scored, Queen of the South were a threat only to themselves.
Yet, 10 minutes from half-time, they claimed the lead. Against the run of play barely covers it.
For the third time in three games against Rangers, Lyle inflicted the damage, heading a deep, probing cross f rom Daniel Carmichael down into the net.
The disbelief of the home support was palpable and justified.
And yet, having switching from a solid 3-5-2 from the first leg to a 4-4-2 featuring Vuckic at the head of a diamond anchored by Andy Murdoch, Rangers had started with a tempo and conviction often missing this season.
Wallace, on the left flank, was granted the run of the place.
The full-back played a superb one- two with Vuckic i n seven minutes, his low cross turned past the near post by Nicky Clark.
The Slovenian’s footwork in the area also created space f or Nicky Law to sidefoot a netbound shot in 13 minutes, Clark in the Queens goal blocking with his left boot before the ball spinned tantalisingly away.
Rangers almost profited from a wretched error by defender Mark Durnan in 22 minutes.
An attempted pass back to team-mate Andy Dowie eluded him, allowing Vuckic to pick out Clark in the centre, unmarked.
His first touch was poor, allowing Kevin Holt the time to race back and produce a heroic sliding tackle.
When Vuckic had another dangerous, low drive from 25 yards pushed to the left by keeper Clark, it seemed a question of when rather than if.
What happened next was almost unbelievable.
Midfielder Mark Millar did some fine fetching and car ry i ng. Carmichael and then Lyle — the l atter a persistent t horn in Rangers’ side this season — did the rest.
The reaction of the Rangers support was predictable.
When Ian McShane smashed a low shot towards goal in 53 minutes following a spell of sustained Queens pressure — amid shambolic, hesitant defending — it seemed that Ibrox might not withstand the cacophony of boos.
Yet all this served only to emphasise one thing. Glasgow’s south side now had a game to savour. The supporters were galvanised.
They should have had something to celebrate moments later when Richard Foster’s cross from the right picked out an unmarked Kenny Miller at the back post.
Clark produced a fine juggling save to deny the veteran. Yet again Rangers were foiled. But not for much longer.
The game turned on some critical moments. Queens had a wonderful chance to go 2-0 up when Lyle’s flick sent Gavin Reilly clear on goal. A careless touch overran the ball and Rangers survived.
Within a short space of time, they were level.
Yet again Vuckic was at the heart of the goal, a cross into the area picking out Clark in an onside position. The striker smartly chested the ball into the path of Wallace, who tucked it home from close range.
The visitors immediately made a substitution, Stephen McKenna replacing Millar.
Rangers almost went in front in 72 minutes when Vuckic smartly turned his marker in the area to lay the ball off to Law, the midfielder’s angled effort blocked by Clark once more.
That would be the last Rangers chance of note. Queens now had nothing to lose. A McShane corner ran through to Lyle and his dinked effort was headed off the line by Vuckic ahead of a tense finale.
Rangers supporters don’t have much to thank Mike Ashley for. If his on-loan Newcastle man helps deliver Premiership football, the fans might yet force a mumbled acknowledgement.