RANGERS continued their pre-season preparations with a 2-1 victory against Blackpool this afternoon.
With just two weeks to go until the opening Scottish Premiership match against Livingston, Gers travelled to Bloomfield Road to take on the English Championship side.
Second-half goals from Borna Barisic and Charlie McCann were the difference as the Rangers squad got important minutes under their belts as pre-season preparations ramp up.
Allan McGregor started in goal, with a back four of James Tavernier, Connor Goldson, James Sands and Borna Barisic.
Ryan Jack, Glen Kamara and John Lundstram were in midfield, with Scott Wright and Ryan Kent supporting striker Antonio Colak.
James Tavernier led the squad out at Bloomfield to a sea of noise from the Rangers supporters who had travelled to Blackpool in their numbers.
It was the home side who had the first sight of goal just a couple of minutes into the match as Josh Bowler picked out the run of Sonny Carey but he couldn’t keep his shot down as it drifted high over Allan McGregor in the Rangers goal.
The Light Blues were dominating possession in the opening periods of this friendly as they looked to build an opportunity at goal.
Antonio Colak thought he had his first goal as a Rangers player on the half-hour mark as James Tavernier delivered a ball from the right which was tapped home by the Croatian but the linesman raised his flag for offside.
Glen Kamara looked to create a chance for Rangers in the final stages of the first half as he turned well in the middle of the pitch to break into the Blackpool half before picking out Ryan Kent on the edge of the box but his shot was blocked by a Blackpool defender.
Rangers made three changes at the break as Jon McLaughlin, Scott Arfield and Steven Davis were introduced in place of Allan McGregor, Ryan Jack and Glen Kamara.
An early corner in the second-half for the Championship side saw Gary Madine head the ball towards goal but it bounded in the box before Rangers could clear the danger.
At the other end Rangers got the breakthrough with 51 minutes on the clock, Ryan Kent fed the ball out wide to James Tavernier who again whipped an inviting ball in search of Antonio Colak. The striker was unable to get a connection on the ball as it drifted to the opposite corner of the pitch but Borna Barisic was on hand to put pressure on the Blackpool defence.
The Croatian did incredibly well to win the ball back before finding space on the edge of the box to curl a lovely right-footed finish beyond Daniel Grimshaw.
Rangers were denied a second - and what would’ve been another fantastic strike - shortly after as Daniel Grimshaw managed to get a hand to a superb hit from Ryan Kent which was heading for the top corner.
Just after the hour mark, Giovanni van Bronckhorst made seven changes as Rabbi Matondo, Tom Lawrence and John Souttar were all introduced for their Rangers debuts alongside Nikola Katic, Adam Devine, Charlie McCann and Leon King.
James Tavernier, James Sands, Borna Barisic, John Lundstram, Ryan Kent, Scott Wright and Connor Goldson all made way.
John Souttar came close to a goal just minutes after entering the field but his effort was blocked by the Blackpool defence.
With 20 minutes of the match remaining, Rabbi Matondo made a strong run down the right wing before cutting into the box and getting a shot away but his right-footed shot skimmed the post and hit the side netting.
In the 75th minute, Rangers doubled their advantage in Blackpool. A corner was swung into the box by Steven Davis and met the head of Nikola Katic who touched the ball down with Charlie McCann alert on the edge of the box to react and hit a great strike low beyond Daniel Grimshaw.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst made his final change of the afternoon Glenn Middleton was introduced in place of Antonio Colak for the final period of this pre-season friendly.
In the final two minutes of the game, Blackpool got a goal back as Beryly Lubala picked up the ball in the box and slotted beyond McLaughlin.
The squad now turn their attention to the next pre-season test as they return to Ibrox to face West Ham on Tuesday evening.
RANGERS: McGregor (McLaughlin, 46), Tavernier (King, 62), Goldson (Souttar, 62), Sands(Katic, 62), Barisic (Devine, 62), Jack (Davis, 46), Kamara (Arfield, 46), Lundstram (McCann, 62), Kent (Lawrence, 62), Colak (Middleton, 77), Wright (Matondo, 62).
Subs not used: McCrorie, Zukowski, Kelly.
Blackpool: Grimshaw, Connolly, Anderson, Bowler, Dougall, Madine, Carey, Ekpiteta, Hamilton, Keogh, Apter.
Subs: Maxwell, Moore, Dale, Fiorini, Yates, Virtue, Ward, Lavery, Lubala, Tharme, Thorniley, Moore, Huhest
PROGRAMME SUBSCRIPTION: Rangers fans can now purchase a matchday programme subscription for the 2022/23 season. Additonally, MyGers members who purchase a subscription will be allocated 20 MyGers points. You have until 31 July 2022 to purchase online here.
RANGERSTV: Don’t forget the Gers’ upcoming friendlies with Blackpool, West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur are all live on RangersTV. You can purchase this Saturday's match against Blackpool for £5.99 or our pre-season pass is available for £19 here on RangersTV.
SEASON 22/23 HOME KIT: Our new home kit, inspired by some of our most iconic retro shirts, is now available. Available in a number of size options in-store and online. More than Ready.
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