Arbroath 0 -4 Rangers: Early threat rubbed out as Rangers exert total control

AT the fourth time of asking, Ally McCoist finally won a cup tie as Rangers manager yesterday. On an afternoon when Second Division opponents Arbroath were ultimately as becalmed as the surprisingly benevolent conditions at Gayfield, there was barely even a hint of the SPL champions failing to book their place in today’s William Hill Scottish Cup fifth-round draw.

Having seen his side fall at the first hurdle to Malmo, Maribor and Falkirk in the Champions League, Europa League and League Cup respectively already this season, McCoist could not afford to suffer a similar disappointment as he looks to rebuild Rangers’ momentum following their festive period slip from the top of the league table.

They were as dominant as he would have hoped here, albeit with his goalkeeper Allan McGregor having to make the best save of the match during the first quarter of an hour, when Paul Sheerin’s team produced moments of threat before Rangers began to impose themselves on their hosts.

From the moment David Healy netted his second goal in as many games to put the Ibrox side in front, there was no real doubt in anyone’s mind that this was an assignment Rangers would see out without any great drama.

But during those early moments, when hope of an upset was still very much alive among the home fans, Carlos Bocanegra made an almost costly slip on the uncertain surface to present Arbroath with their first scent of goal in the sixth minute. The American defender, wearing the captain’s armband in the absence of the suspended Steven Davis, lost his footing to allow Steven Doris to seize possession and race into the Rangers’ penalty area on the right. The striker drove in a low right-foot shot which flew narrowly wide of McGregor’s right-hand post.

The Rangers goalkeeper was called into action two minutes later, making an outstanding save to deny Josh Falkingham what would have been a fortuitous opener. The midfielder’s shot from around 20 yards took a wicked deflection, forcing McGregor to twist in mid-air and acrobatically turn the ball over for a corner.

It was one of a series of flag kicks earned by Arbroath in an encouraging opening spell, with their player-manager Sheerin’s excellent delivery from the right causing real panic among the Rangers defence on one occasion.

As impressive and enterprising as Arbroath were in the initial exchanges, however, there were still clear indications of the superiority Rangers would eventually bring to bear on the tie. Before his opening goal, Healy had missed two equally good opportunities to beat Arbroath goalkeeper Darren Hill. The first saw Nikica Jelavic flick a John Fleck free-kick into Healy’s path, only for the Ulsterman to snatch at his close-range shot and hook it over the crossbar.

Healy’s next chance was laid on a plate for him by Sone Aluko’s low cross from the right, but he completely miskicked in front of an open goal. It was hardly the standard of play expected inside the penalty box of a man regarded as an instinctive finisher. But he redeemed himself with the 17th-minute strike which put Rangers ahead.

Clever build-up work between Maurice Edu and Jelavic carved open the Arbroath defence, the American midfielder threading the telling pass into Healy’s path. Having timed his run to beat Arbroath’s offside trap, Healy coolly slotted a right-foot shot beyond Hill from around eight yards.

Four minutes later, the game was firmly under Rangers’ command as they doubled their lead. It was an unfortunate moment for Arbroath defender Craig Wedderburn as he turned a low Jelavic cross from the right into his own net from inside the six yard box. Had Wedderburn not intervened, Healy would almost certainly have been presented with a tap-in.

The stuffing was visibly knocked out of the outsiders by that goal and it was only Rangers’ own profligacy and some fine goalkeeping by Hill which saw the scoreline remain just 2-0 at the interval. Jelavic wastefully swept a Lee Wallace cross wide of the target from around 12 yards, then Sone Aluko was twice denied by alert work from the increasingly busy Hill.

The second-half had a processional feel to it, Rangers spending most of it on the front foot as they completed a serene passage into the next round. Arbroath’s half-time substitute, Lee Sibanda, did have a half-hearted appeal for a penalty turned down by referee Calum Murray when he went down under a Dorin Goian challenge, but there was little to seriously worry McCoist’s men after the break.

They made it 3-0 just before the hour mark as Jelavic claimed his 15th goal of the season. The Croatian international, who missed last Monday’s league win over Motherwell with a groin strain, reigniting feverish speculation over his future, latched on to Aluko’s perfectly weighted pass and drove home a right-foot shot from around 14 yards via the inside of Hill’s right-hand post.

The one remaining highlight of the afternoon for the visiting supporters was a tremendous fourth goal by substitute Salim Kerkar. The Algerian midfielder has had scant first team involvement since joining Rangers last season, but made a memorable impact yesterday. Kerkar replaced Wallace in the 66th minute and 10 minutes later rounded off Rangers’ victory with his first goal for the club, latching on to Healy’s cross from the right and smashing an unstoppable left-foot volley high beyond Hill into the roof of the net.