IT was a positive opener for Rangers B in their Glasgow Cup campaign this evening as they ran out comprehensive 5-0 winners over Partick Thistle at the Rangers Training Centre.
The performance was punctuated by a hat-trick for Findlay Curtis who continues his excellent campaign infront of goal, while there were also strikes from Ianis Hagi and a Chris Eadie spot-kick.
Indeed, it took until shortly into the second period for the Light Blues to break the deadlock, but they showed their attacking quality thereafter and were able to reward 15-year-old Oliver Goodbrand with his B Team debut in the second half.
The Gers lined up with the experience of Hagi in midfield, while there were starts for Clinton Nsiala, Robbie Fraser and Leon King in defence.
Thistle, meanwhile, were certainly well-stacked in first-team experience, giving the nod to 25-year-old Luke McBeth in midfield.
Rangers started the brighter of the two sides, with Leyton Grant going close to finding an opener when he latched onto an Archie Stevens knock-down and drew a fine stop from Connor Storey in the Thistle goal.
The away side’s attacking endeavour had been relatively minimal, although they tested Mason Munn from a free-kick moments later that the Northern Irishman was equal to.
A sweeping move from Rangers almost engineered a strike of the finest quality when a switch of play allowed Curtis to tee up Bailey Rice who drew a fingertip stop on his unfavoured right side.
Josh Gentles then stung the palms of Storey before the half-time interval, with Rangers emerging for the second half with a renewed intent to make the game their own.
And the Light Blues didn’t have to wait too long into the second period to make the all-important breakthrough.
There didn’t appear to be a shooting opportunity for Hagi when he picked up the ball on the right-hand side of the penalty area, yet the Romanian showed tremendous opportunism to spot a gap at the near post and rifle a finish under Storey from an acute angle.
The goal provided the perfect footing in the game for the Light Blues, with Thistle forced to commit extra bodies in attack in search of a leveller.
It also prompted a triple substitution from Rangers, which included a first B Team appearance for Goodbrand.
The opener presented the young Gers with space to punish the visitors on the break, and they duly grasped the opportunity with a little over ten minutes remaining.
Stevens was the architect for the hosts as he spotted the run of Curtis beyond the Thistle rearguard and, with only the goalkeeper to beat, the 18-year-old kept his composure and slotted his finish into the bottom corner.
The goal appeared to knock the stuffing out of Thistle, who were once again caught short at the back four minutes later as Curtis added his second of the evening – and Rangers’ third – with an arrowed finish across the goalkeeper.
Three soon became four for the Light Blues less than 60 seconds later as Chris Eadie, fresh from the substitutes bench, went over in the penalty area after stealing the ball high up the pitch.
The 17-year-old grabbed the ball and made no mistake from the penalty spot, sending Storey in the wrong direction and seemingly putting the icing on the cake for Rangers.
However, the scoring wasn’t finished there as Curtis brought up his hat-trick with a composed first-time finish into the near bottom corner after a delicious low delivery from Hagi on the right-hand side.
PARTICK THISTLE: Storey, Monaghan, Low (Dolan, 60), Falconer (Lockhart, 80), Smith (MacKay, 80), McBeth (Dolan, 60), Sayers, Stanway, Lyon, Taggart (McKenna, 55), Diack
RANGERS B: Munn, Grant, King, Nsiala (Webster, 67), Fraser (Goodbrand, 60), Rice (Robertson, 60), McKinnon (Nsio, 60), Hagi, Stevens (Eadie, 82), Curtis, Gentles
Subs not used: McGuire, Burnside