McDowall’s men grind a way to stop Ally’s Alloa bogey men

THERE may not be much cause for cheer at Ibrox of late, but at least Kenny McDowall can celebrate achieving a feat which eluded his predecessor this term.

Three times Ally McCoist failed to beat lowly Alloa — the third a humbling 3-2 reversal in the Petrofac Training Cup semi-final.

That capitulation from 2-0 up with 19 minutes to play sparked the beginning of the end for McCoist, but McDowall’s men went some way to making amends by grinding out a scrappy win, courtesy of Nicky Law’s first-half strike.

It says a great deal, however, that such a result can be taken as progress.

Before plummeting into financial turmoil, Rangers were on the brink of achieving four successive top-flight titles.

In Clackmannanshire yesterday, they only narrowly avoided a rather more ignominious four in a row. The visitors were second-best for large stretches of this open contest, which came at the end of another eventful week for the club.

Sandy Easdale took up his seat at the Indodrill Stadium amid growing concerns for his powerbase at Ibrox. Last week, takeover bids were tabled by American financier Robert Sarver, while the Three Bears — Douglas Park, George Taylor and George Letham — snapped up shares as they sought regime change.

Footballing matters were also a source of speculation with Ian Cathro and Felix Magath linked with coaching positions. It almost seemed fitting, then, that the latest tumultuous spell should culminate in a clash with their bogey team.

Just six who started in the cup defeat did so here — Kyle Hutton making only his second start of the season.

Unsurprisingly, Alloa started the game without fear. In the opening minutes, Stephen Simmons even added a touch of flair, beating Law with a backheel.

And the hosts almost snatched an early lead when Liam Buchanan chipped Rangers goalkeeper Steve Simonsen — the ball dropping inches wide of the far post.

It took the visitors 15 minutes to get the monkey off their backs. Jon Daly was given space in the area to fizz a low ball across the six-yard box which Law gleefully turned in.

Yet Alloa dug in and frustrated their opponents, Simmons and