FOR 68 minutes in this afternoon’s Scottish Cup last eight encounter it was certainly one of frustration for Jo Potter’s Rangers side.
But an inspired triple substitution, chiefly the introduction of Camille Lafaix, proved the difference as the American struck a dagger through the heart of a resilient Spartans display on the way to an eventual 2-0 victory for the Light Blues at Broadwood Stadium.
Kirsty Howat put the icing on the cake with ten minutes remaining and, in doing so, Rangers extended their winning run in the competition to eight victories in succession to move a step closer to retaining the Scottish Cup that they lifted for the first time in the club’s history last May.
From the team that played out a 2-2 draw on their return to action against Hearts last weekend, Jo Potter made five changes which included a debut for goalkeeper Telma Ivarsdottir, who joined the side back in January from Icelandic club Breidablik.
Captain Nicola Docherty, Laura Rafferty, Howat and Jodi McLeary also came into the starting lineup.
Such was the tame nature of the opening exchanges at a sun-soaked Broadwood that Rangers’ first attempt in anger was the result of a piece of improvisation from Howat, whose hooked effort from inside the penalty area dropped onto the roof of Emma Thomson’s goal.
McLeary then tested the Spartans goalkeeper moments later when she spun her marker and fired goalwards from a Docherty pass, but the effort was tame and straight down the throat of Thomson.
Granted, debutant Ivarsdottir had been a spectator for the opening quarter of an hour, collecting a hopeful through pass from the visitors to an ironic smattering of applause from the Gers faithful.
The Light Blues had been hitherto unable to pinch possession in advanced areas – a hallmark of their game under Potter – going close to doing exactly that when Mya Christie played her way into trouble for Spartans before Howat popped an effort into the hands of Thomson.
Spartans were indebted to a last-ditch interception from Tegan Browning just beyond the half-hour mark when a Brogan Hay delivery made its way to Lizzie Arnot at the far post whose subsequent pull-back was snuffed out by the visitors’ defender.
The Edinburgh outfit were, bit-by-bit, beginning to gain encouragement in a game where Rangers had yet to find the required level to cut their way through a stubborn Spartans defensive unit.
When Kirsty Maclean unleashed on her unfavoured left side moments prior to the interval, Thomson watched the effort trickle past the post and the away side were in no rush to quickly restart play.
A penny for Potter’s thoughts at half-time, then, although the home side almost shot themselves in the foot less than 60 seconds into the second period when Spartans passed up a glorious chance to break the deadlock.
There didn’t appear to be any immediate danger when a free-kick from the halfway line sailed into the Gers penalty area, but a mix-up in communication between Docherty and Ivarsdottir presented Erin Rennie with an unguarded net but the Spartans attacker stabbed her finish wide of the post.
A snapshot from Hay sailed wide eight minutes later after neat interplay between Howat and McLeary on the right-hand side, before the Gers winger almost forced an own goal from Sarah Clelland when the defender inadvertently diverted a low delivery into the arms of Thomson.
Rangers certainly had to increase the tempo if they were to manufacture a route past the visitors, with Thomson gathering Docherty’s clipped cross in search of Rio Hardy in the danger area.
The deadlock was almost broken on the hour-mark when Maclean collected a clearance at the edge of the penalty area and forced Thomson into a smart stop at full stretch.
Still, the scoreline remained goalless heading into the final 25-minute stanza, ushering in a triple substitution as Katie Wilkinson, Lafaix and Chelsea Cornet entered the fray.
And, within a couple of minutes of her introduction, Lafaix made the desired impact when she collected a pass on the edge of the penalty area before shifting the ball onto her left side and arrowing an unstoppable effort low and into the bottom corner.
The American found herself beyond the Spartans defence moments to double both her and Rangers’ tally, but Thomson was out smartly and made herself big to deny the midfielder’s clipped effort.
Indeed, Leah Eddie had an opportunity to strengthen Rangers’ position in the contest when a corner fell invitingly to the defender from close-range, but Spartans threw themselves in front of the strike to keep the scoreline as it was.
Yet the Edinburgh side couldn’t keep the second goal at bay for long as, with ten minutes remaining, Howat delivered the final blow when she drilled home following more enterprising play from Lafaix.
In the end, Rangers could breathe a sigh of relief in the knowledge that their name would be in the hat for the last four draw.
RANGERS: Ivarsdottir, Docherty, Eddie, Rafferty (Middag, 82), Hay, Howat (Ross, 82), Hardy (Wilkinson, 65), Arnot (Lafaix, 65), Maclean (Cornet, 65), McLoughlin, McLeary
Subs not used: Fife, Hill, Cruft
SPARTANS: Thomson, Clelland (Andrews, 85), Browning, McCafferty, Douglas (Brayshaw, 74), Anderson, Jordan, Rennie, Davies (Reynolds, 65), Chomczuk (Bates, 74), Christie
Subs not used: Yates, Foote, Beaton-Hill