Rangers easily made Peterhead to take the Petrofac Cup before a horde of more than 48,000 at Hampden. An early owns objective from Ally Gilchrist and a thunderous strike from James Tavernier put the Championship winners into an unassailable lead. Andy Halliday included a punishment and Kenny Miller tapped home to ensure Rangers took the trophy at the fourth endeavor.
Celtic is the following opponents for Mark Warburton’s side in next Sunday’s Scottish Cup semi-last. Rangers had drudged in the Challenge Cup in the competition’s various guises, losing previously to Queen of the South, Raith Rovers and Alloa Athletic. They have at long last won it and now proceed onward to play the Premiership leaders back at the national stadium. There will be another pitch at Hampden by then – greatly required, as well.
The surface Rangers and League One Peterhead were compelled to play on was scarcely fit for purpose. Scarcely five weeks prior, the present pitch was laid at a cost of £200,000 yet it’s going to be uncovered again having neglected to bed in. The part-timers of Peterhead were 22-1 to cause a shock however their prospects everything except went out the window when Miller slid a cross into their six-yard enclose that was turned by a terrified Gilchrist.
Rangers huffed and puffed for a period after that and it was just when Tavernier volleyed in from distance that they multiplied their lead. It was the full-back’s fourteenth objective of the season. Peterhead dove in, in any case, Rangers’ level dropped and the underdogs had two fine chances to score before the break.
The first of them came when Scott Ross’ descending header was cleaned up the line by Jason Holt, the following when Jordon Brown neglected to peruse Rory McAllister’s conveyance into the six-yard box. Had he done as such, Rangers would have been stuck in an unfortunate situation. The last was wandering to a conclusion before Rangers roused themselves in the last minutes. With Peterhead tiring, Halliday was denied by a point-clear save from Graeme Smith and the goalkeeper blocked again from Tavernier soon after. The goals would come, however. Steven Noble fouled Holt and Halliday changed over the spot-kick. At that point Miller, acting as hard toward the end as he was toward the starting, set away the fourth from close range. Two titles in a week is fine work by Rangers. In any case, the biggest test is to come next Sunday.
