Rangers 1 (Gilmour 76)
Partick Thistle 5 (Britton 2 {31,37}, Chiarini 3,
Bonnes 17, Panther 83)
Once again a ridiculously young Rangers side was
fielded against infinitely more experienced opponents
who effectively choose to play their first-team. The
Light Blue line-up contained even fifteen-year old
boys, underlining the dearth of available talent at
Under-21 level, given that so many players were absent
due to injuries, loan deals and the fact that the
management has chosen not to select a number of
experienced players, for reasons known only to
themselves.
Indeed such is the state of the club that it was
unable to name five substitutes, listing only four.
Thistle struck early, Daniele Chiarini opening the
scoring after three minutes.
Stephane Bonnes added a second in seventeen minutes
when he chipped the ball over the advancing Lee
Robinson.
It was now a rout, and Thistle Player Manager Gerry
Britton made it 3-0 in 31 minutes when he netted from
a Willie Ferguson free-kick.
Six minutes later it was four when Britton rifled the
ball home from a narrow angle.
Brian Gilmour had a chance to reduce the deficit five
minutes after the restart only for over-elaboration to
cost him the chance.
Home substitute Bajram Fetai hit the post from a
Gilmour pass in 69 minutes, but it was Gilmour who
atoned for his earlier miss when he coolly chipped the
ball home from a Darryl Boyd pass in 76 minutes.
Taking heart from that goal, the Ibrox Colts came
close to adding a second minutes later when Gilmour’s
free-kick was touched wide by Jamie Langfield.
Pressing hard to reduce the deficit even further,
Rangers were caught on the counter-attack in 83
minutes, Britton’s cross being rifled home by Emmanuel
Panther
RANGERS Robinson; Lowing, A. Dick; Kalenga, McMillan,
Gilmour; Johnston, Lennon (McLaughlin 66), Davidson
(Fetai 45), Boyd, Agnew (Crooks 59)
UNUSED SUBS J. Dick
PARTICK THISTLE Langfield; Wilson, Chiarini; McBride,
Ross, Ferguson; Panther, Bonnes, Shields (Niven 66),
Cassidy, Britton
UNUSED SUBS Strachan, A. Gibson, Pinkowski, Grady