Wallace at the double
Skipper Lee hits double to lift Ibrox
TWO first-half goals from skipper Lee Wallace gave new Rangers boss Mark Warburton the perfect start to his Championship campaign against St Mirren at a sold-out Ibrox last night. But ex-Rangers striker Steven Thompson blew a golden chance to halt the Warburton bandwagon when he blazed a penalty high over the bar after new signing Cameron Howieson had pulled a goal back for the visitors. Dean Shiels sealed the points with a goal in the dying minutes.
THE positive previews delivered a sell- out audience to cast a critical eye over the true opening night. No one could argue that manager Mark Warburton’s new Rangers cast didn’t deliver sufficient drama on their league bow.
Fine entertainment mingled with flickers of stage fright over 90 minutes that commanded the attention.
Two first-half goals from leading man Lee Wallace created a dominant position and drew waves of applause from the capacity crowd. Yet there was still another act or two to come. Cameron Howieson pulled St Mirren back into contention before the break. The chance was then there for the Paisley side to l evel when Steven Thompson stepped up to take a penalty early in the second half.
It was spooned woefully over the top to bring one of the biggest cheers of the evening.
As it was, Dean Shiels forced home a 89th-minute clincher to ensure Rangers began their latest promotion push with three points. The positive start made by Warburton remains unblemished.
Confident cup successes over Hibernian and Peterhead — regarded as extension of pre-season by the manager — had raised expectations and brought fans streaming back to Ibrox.
What this full house learned was that their team remain potent going f orward but f ar f r om impregnable at the back.
While Warburton relished the right result, there were crumbs of comfort amid the frustration for St Mirren counterpart Ian Murray.
His side could have wilted under the early onslaught but did their best to hang in there. Rangers were the dominant side for long stretches of the game and deserved the win. But the outcome might, just might, have been different had Thompson found the net.
The intense support from the stands would, of course, only be of true benefit to Rangers if they could harness its power.
Before the raucous noise was allowed to fully break free, there was time for reflection in the minute’s silence held for Sammy Cox. The Ibrox legend — a member of their Iron Curtain defence — died on Sunday at the age of 91.
Once under way, Rangers began firmly on the front foot.
St Mirren had been angered by referee Kevin Clancy awarding corners they disputed, one after a Nicky Law shot was blocked. It enabled Rangers to crank up the pressure further with another s et- pi ece t hat brought t he breakthrough in four minutes.
Barrie McKay delivered into an aerial melee that l eft Saints centre-back Jack Baird grounded.
Clancy saw no infringement and Wallace, again wearing t he captain’s armband, lashed the loose ball beyond keeper Mark Ridgers and high into the net. The Paisley side may have felt aggrieved but, with Ibrox now rocking, there was a danger of them being swamped.
Rangers persistently probed down both flanks. Tom Walsh had replaced David Templeton on the right, with McKay on the left. The latter had a half- chance from a Law cutback, but shot over.
A second goal arrived in the 26th minute after a l ovely passing sequence. Wallace shifted the ball inside to McKay and set off towards the area.
Jason Holt t ook over and threaded a perfect through-ball behind the Saints defence for Wallace to gather. The left-back sent a low shot through Ridgers’ legs to double his personal tally.
It was a fine goal and it now seemed a question of how many Rangers would score.
Things were not, though, always quite so assured at the other end. Warburton’s determination for his team to play out from the back had twice seen Saints gifted possession — once by keeper Wes Foderingham, once by right-back James Tavernier. Neither was capitalised upon. Yet the Paisley team did haul themselves back into contention after 28 minutes through a fairly simple route.
Sean Kelly sent the ball forward t o Paul McMullan, who f ed Cameron Howieson. The former Burnley midfielder, one of manager Ian Murray’s new signings, swept it into the net.
Martyn Waghorn then hammered one from distance fractionally too high, before Ridgers was required to make a very smart near-post stop to deny Holt’s snapshot.
Wallace upped the tempo further to continue his bravura display.
Beating Jason Naismith with a sublime trick inside his own half, he charged forward to exchange passes with Waghorn and pick out Walsh. Had the youngster’s drive dipped under the bar, we would have had an early contender for goal of the season.
Yet f or all the home side’s dominance, the match remained more finely poised than the stats would have suggested.
St Mirren knew they just needed one moment to tip the balance in their favour. That moment arrived, and was spurned, 11 minutes after the restart. McMullan underlined his credentials as their most threatening player by committing opponents on a surge into the area, eventually being toppled after a rash slide from Tavernier.
Clancy had no option but to point to the spot. Saints captain Steven Thompson took the responsibility but miscued a truly awful penalty well over the top..
It was quieter now in the visitors’ area. One great Baird challenge prevented Waghorn from pulling the trigger.
But Saints were having threatening spells, which was enough to bring a little edge into what had been a jubilant atmosphere.
Warburton opted for a double switch to try to freshen Rangers’ approach. Off went Holt and Walsh, on came Shiels and Nicky Clark. The latter didn’t wait long before f i ring an effort that Ridgers blocked with his feet.
It wasn’t until the 89th minute that Rangers-clinched it. Shiels was initially denied by a fantastic block from Ridgers, but had the rebound over the line before Baird hooked clear. The curtain could finally fall in front of happy faces.