RANGERS Under-19s rounded off a flawless Glasgow Cup group phase campaign with a 3-1 triumph over Queen’s Park at The city Stadium this afternoon.
A brace from 16-year-old Alfie Hutchison either side of the half-time interval propelled the Light Blues into a confident position, before Aiden McCallion rounded off the scoring from a Rangers perspective midway through the second period.
The young Gers will now begin their preparations for the final four in the competition as they look add a second successive Glasgow Cup crown.
Boss Stevie Smith was boosted by the inclusion of Paul Nsio and Findlay Curtis from the off, with the pair supplementing the relative experience of 2009-born Hutchison in attack.
The theme of Saturday’s draw with FC Copenhagen was the awarding of spot-kicks and only ten minutes had elapsed when the referee pointed to the penalty spot in a sun-soaked Mount Florida.
Zander Hutton was the unfortunate guilty party when the ball reared up and struck his arm as he went to ground in attempt to block Magnus MacKenzie’s delivery from the left-hand side.
Rangers, however, were offered a reprieve when Timam Scott stepped forward for the Spiders and struck the post with his resulting effort.
The game began to settle down from a Light Blues perspective as Findlay Curtis looked lively down the left-hand side, drawing a save from Jack Wils in the Queen’s Park goal when he jinked inside from the left-hand side on 20 minutes.
The Spiders reminded Rangers of their threat moment later when Rocco Hickey-Fugaccia showed impressive persistence to wriggle free of Hutton on the right byline and curl a dangerous effort only inches past the far post.
Curtis certainly had the right full-back’s number in the opening exchanges, leaving Ross McLean in his slipstream and threading a dangerous low delivery into the penalty area in which Aiden McCallion was unfortunate not to sweep goalwards.
Burnside then combined with the 18-year-old who drew a reaction stop from Wils at his near post as Rangers cranked up the pressure.
And that move proved the precursor to the Gers breaking the deadlock eight minutes prior to the interval.
The ball broke to Cameron Scott advanced on the left-hand side whose initial cross didn’t appear to ask many questions of the Queen’s Park, yet the delivery skidded its way through to Alfie Hutchison whose first-touch and swivel was immaculate in teeing up his resulting arrowed finish into the bottom corner.
The forward was inches away from doubling both his and Rangers’ tally five minutes later when he collected a pass in space from Burnside, but his finish was erratic and failed to work Wils in the Spiders goal.
The lively McCallion was next to threaten the home side’s goal when he made his way to the edge of the penalty area from a well-worked training ground corner, with only the post sparing the Spiders’ blushes.
Chris Eadie made way for Lewis Stewart at the half-time interval, moving the goalscorer Hutchison through the middle.
The decision paid immediate dividends as, nine minutes into the second period, the 16-year-old grabbed his second of the afternoon to strengthen his side’s grip in the contest.
The Spiders thought they had cleared the danger from a Burnside corner, but the ball was headed back into the penalty box and Hutchison showed impressive strength to hold off his marker and fire an unerring finish into the bottom corner on his left side.
Prior to that, Greig Thackray produced an impressive save down to his left to deny Timam; a reminder that the game was still very much in the balance.
However, the visitors put the result beyond doubt with a sweeping move from back to front beyond the hour-mark.
The attack was initiated with a sweeping pass out of defence by Jack Wylie to find Paul Nsio breaking beyond the Spiders defence. One pass later, the Englishman picked out McCallion at the edge of the penalty area who produced an impeccable first touch to bring the ball under control and volley confidently beyond the outstretched Wils.
There was still time in the dying embers of the contest for Queen’s Park to pull a goal back as Josiah Sowa converted from the penalty spot after Nsio was penalised for a foul on the edge of the penalty area, but it was to matter little as a young Rangers outfit saw out an impressive triumph.
QUEEN’S PARK: Wils, McLean, MacKenzie, Carrick, McGarva, Collie, Scott, McGinlay, Evans, Bradley, Hickey-Fugaccia
Subs: Sliwinski, Sowa, Oguama, Fisher, Thomson, Clark, Falls
RANGERS: Thackray, Hutton, Wylie, Campbell, Scott, McCallion (Fernie, 64), Nsio, Burnside (Smith, 55), Curtis, Hutchison (Christie, 64), Eadie (Stewart, 45)
Subs not used: McGuire, Hynd, Goodbrand, Kerr, Wark