Rangers forced to scrap it out

Published on Saturday 28 February 2009 18:55

Hamilton Academical 0 Rangers 1 (Ferguson 35)

STEVEN Naismith claimed last week that his team might score seven against Hamilton yesterday. Not only did Rangers fall six short of the tally they racked up at Ibrox in December, he was heavily barracked by the home support when he came on with five minutes left. Seconds later, he was scythed down by Alex Neil, right in front of the dugouts, after which all hell seemed to break loose.

Barry Ferguson jabbed a finger in the offender's face, Ally McCoist was apoplectic in the technical area, and David Weir was hit by a coin thrown from the crowd.

Rangers' veteran defender picked up the 5p piece, and removed it from the field before various police officers got involved. Neither the referee, Craig Thomson, nor the fourth official, Willie Collum, saw the incident, but Tom Purdie, Hamiton's safety officer, said that the culprit would be banned from the stadium if they could identify him. "It is hugely disappointing," said their manager, Billy Reid. "That's not what this club is about. If it has hurt Davie Weir, then we apologise."

It was a controversial end to a match dominated by Rangers, who had a first-half goal by Barry Ferguson to thank for their win. It was his first for the club since a 1-0 defeat of Motherwell last May. They remain top of the league on goal difference, but this was a missed opportunity to improve that statistic. Kris Boyd, in particular, passed up several opportunities to give his team more breathing space.

Accies, though, are not the easy touch they used to be. After 7-1, 2-0 and 3-1 defeats by Rangers already this season, their new-found defensive strength kept the outcome in doubt until the final whistle. "It is progress for us," said Reid. "We have taken a battering from them this season."

After instructing his players to close and harry throughout, it must have frustrated the Accies manager to see them repeatedly penalised. At one point he turned to the crowd, mouth open, hands apart, as if to plead for their intervention. He was also angry that Boyd got away with what he thought was a two-footed lunge just before the goal.

It was a quiet day for both teams' young players, about whom so much has been written. Derby County manager Nigel Clough was among the 5,895 spectators who gave New Douglas Park its biggest attendance yet, but the Hamilton prodigies he was doubtless here to consider had little opportunity to impress. In the first half, Brian Easton's rising shot drew a ripple of applause, and James McCarthy nearly caught out Allan McGregor at his near post , but they were fleeting glimpses of the Rangers goal. John Fleck was an unused substitute for the league leaders.

The absence of Mark McLaughlin, with an infected head wound, was expected to compromise Hamilton's burgeoning defensive qualities, but they stuck to their task. Chris Swailes, who has been a rock for them this season, was taken off after 24 minutes because Reid thought Jimmy Gibson would be better equipped to deal with Kenny Miller, playing unusually wide for Rangers.

They set about denying their opponents in familiar fashion, flooding the edge of their own penalty box in an effort to force Rangers wide, but their resistance wasn't convincing. Kyle Lafferty, trying to find room on the left, had a snap-shot parried by Tomas Cerny, who also thwarted Miller with a tip over the crossbar.

Rangers were without the injured Pedro Mendes, which allowed Maurice Edu a rare start in midfield. The American's more prosaic qualities allowed Ferguson more freedom to break forward, the result of which was a goal for the Rangers captain, his first of the season. When Madjid Bougherra's head connected with a cross by Steven Davis, the ball fell to Ferguson just outside his box. Those who say the midfielder's biggest weakness is his shooting will have been startled to see him guide a low, left-foot effort across the box, through a ruck of players and into the bottom corner. That was unusual enough, but when the same player wriggled into space just before half-time, he nearly did it again, this time releasing a shot that rose over the bar.

It was the first time since November that Hamilton had conceded in a league match at home. And yet they were lucky not to lose another six minutes later. Kirk Broadfoot's header seemed to be heading for the net until the slightest of deflections, off Miller's head, diverted the ball against the bar.

Only in the second half did Hamilton venture forward in sufficient numbers to concern their opponents. Reid's reluctance to alter the gameplan eventually crumbled after an hour, when he replaced defender Martin Canning with striker Kenny Deuchar. That gave much-needed support to Richard Offiong, hitherto alone up front, but Accies hadn't enough quality in the final third.

The best chances, make that the only chances, were at the other end. When Davis capitalised on a mistake by Easton, his pass picked out Boyd on the edge of the area. A neat first touch allowed the unmarked striker to open his body, but Cerny got down quickly to block the shot. A sweeping counter- attack might have produced a goal, but Boyd's pass to Davis on the edge of the area was underhit, and with opponents closing him down, the midfielder could only squeeze it wide of the post.

MAN OF THE MATCH

Barry Ferguson not only scored his first goal of the season, he seemed to enjoy his midfield partnership with Maurice Edu.

QUICK FACT

This was Hamilton Accies' first defeat at home since the middle of November, when Rangers' title rivals Celtic were 2-1 winners.

TALKING POINT

The coin thrown after Alex Neil's challenge on Steven Naismith will lead to an investigation by Hamilton into the incident.

Smith impressed by Ferguson and Edu partnership after Mendes fails late fitness test

NECESSITY, they say, is the mother of invention. A failed fitness test by Pedro Mendes before yesterday's match against Hamilton allowed Maurice Edu and Barry Ferguson to form a midfield partnership that won Rangers all three points. It was a rare start for Edu, whose tidy work in the engine room allowed Ferguson to flourish. Not only did the Rangers captain score his first goal of the season, he played better than he has for much of a disappointing campaign.

The Rangers manager, Walter Smith, was full of praise for them both. "Barry's first goal was a good one for us to get," he said. "He played extremely well in midfield. Hamilton crowd that area and make it difficult for teams, but both of them were excellent today."

It was only Edu's second league start of the season, but it will not be his last. "It was a difficult place to ask him to come in and play, but I thought he did exceptionally well," said Smith. "Maurice has to be patient. I have said to him that it can take a period of time to settle in at the Old Firm. He was playing college football in America up till a year-and-a-half ago. He had one season in the MLS. He is still young in terms of experience at professional level. But I think he can be an exceptional midfield player."

Next Sunday, Rangers will play Hamilton again, this time in the Scottish Cup. Mendes is likely to be fit for that, although he will miss Wednesday's league match against Inverness at Ibrox. Smith will be hoping that his side are more ruthless than they were yesterday. "It was always going to be a difficult game. I'm delighted with the way the team set about it. I'm just a little bit disappointed we were not tidier with our final pass, especially in the last half an hour. We could have made ourselves a little more comfortable."