RANGERS B made it three wins in a row as they got their City of Glasgow Cup campaign off to a winning start with a 5-1 win over Partick Thistle at the Rangers Training Centre this afternoon.
The defending champions got off to the perfect start in the group stage with goals from Tony Weston, Zak Lovelace and Charlie Lindsay in the first half to put the Gers in control at the break. Substitutes James Graham and Robbie Ure rounded off a five-star display against the Championship side who ended the match with ten men.
David McCallum made four changes to his side from their 6-1 victory over Dalbeattie Star at the weekend, with Bailey Rice, Zak Lovelace, Ross McCausland and Tony Weston coming into the team for their first outing of their City of Glasgow Cup defence.
It was a close opening ten minutes at the Training Centre, with both sides finding their feet, Rangers looked comfortable in possession without creating any real openings, the returning Ross McCausland was getting into promising areas down the left side, trying to link with striker Tony Weston against his former club without an early joy.
The first chance of the contest fell a minute later to the away side, Zander MacKenzie making a clever run in behind the Light Blues backline but couldn’t get the connection he desired from a left footed volley on the stretch.
Clear cut openings remained few and far between as we approached the 25-minute mark. Weston was brought down on the edge of the area by Duncan Laird who received a yellow card for the challenge, but the Gers couldn’t make the most of the dangerous free-kick situation with the ball safely landing in David Mitchell’s hands from the delivery.
The best opening of the game came the way of McCallum’s side on the half hour mark. Zak Lovelace clipped a fantastic, scooped ball over the top of the defence which was latched on to by Weston, taking his touch round the keeper but Laird made the covering interception and cleared the danger before the striker could get his shot away.
A moment of genius from Weston broke the deadlock just after 30 minutes, cutting inside on his right foot from the edge of the area and unleashing an unstoppable strike that curled into the far corner to put the Gers in front, a piece of magic in a game that had few clear chances up to that stage.
Rangers doubled their lead just over five minutes after, a corner kick delivery broke to centre back Johnly Yfeko inside the area. Sliding the ball through he found Lovelace who was able to cushion the ball back across goal to double the lead and put the hosts in control of proceedings.
Soon, two became three before the interval. Arron Lyall had an initial effort blocked before Charlie Lindsay followed in and the final touch coming back off himself and into the back off the net in what was a dominant opening 45 minutes for Rangers.
The away side pulled a goal back at the start of the second half. Jack Harkness turned the ball into his own net after a delivery from the right side saw Thistle get on the scoresheet and provide some hope for the visitors.
Lovelace almost added a fourth as the Gers looked to regain their three-goal lead, driving down the right side well using his pace to his advantage but was denied well by Mitchell who kept out the powerful strike well.
Substitute Robbie Ure was denied well again by the opposing goalkeeper as he fired a left footed strike across but again the Thistle keeper was on hand to make the stop as the Light Blues pressed for a fourth.
Thistle were reduced to ten men after Ross Docherty was shown a straight red card for dissent just two minutes later after being unhappy with a number of challenges, with the away side’s captain given his marching orders just after the hour mark.
Rangers continued to probe with the man advantage, Lovelace picking out Ure inside the area, but his close-range strike was kept out well again by Mitchell before Rice’s shot was diverted over the top as we reached the final 20 minutes at the Training Centre.
The Gers wrapped up the game as we approached the final ten minutes, Arron Lyall slipped a fantastic ball beyond the defence which substitute James Graham latched onto. On the pitch just two minutes he was composed as he slotted the ball home at the near post to add a fourth.
Robbie Ure rounded off the afternoon’s work with a well taken right footed finish, driving the ball low past Mitchell in the Thistle goal as the B side added another five goals to the six they put passed Dalbeattie Star at the weekend.
RANGERS: Pazikas, Harkness, MacKinnon, Yfeko (Kpakpe 80), Fraser, Rice, Lindsay (Strachan 75) , Lyall, McCausland (Graham 75), Lovelace (Young 72), Weston (Ure 45)
Subs not used: Budinauckas, Allan
PARTICK THISTLE: Mitchell, Lennon, Laird, Tiffoney (Taggart 45), Diack, Akinola, Docherty, Owens, Lyon, MacKenzie, Stevenson
Subs not used: McCready, Queen, Bell, Mackle, Ocholi