Bright start forgotten as Rangers run riot

Dec 11 2008 by Andrew McGilvray, Hamilton Advertiser

JAMES McArthur admits it will be difficult for Hamilton to raise their spirits after this 7-1 demolition by Rangers at Ibrox, but said they’ll bounce back in time for Saturday’s trip to Hibs.

The midfielder stunned Ibrox with a second-minute opener, but Walter Smith’s side hit back and after Martin Canning was sent off for a trip on lethal striker Kris Boyd the floodgates opened.

Including the penalty following Canning’s dismissal, Boyd grabbed a hat-trick, with Kenny Miller, Kyle Lafferty, Nacho Novo and Steven Davis adding further strikes on a miserable afternoon for Accies.

McArthur said: “We weren’t expected to go to Ibrox and win, but it was a hard defeat and it’s hard to lose seven goals and have a man sent off.

“We’ll raise our spirits in training during the week. We just need to bounce back from this.”

James added: “I thought in the first half we did okay in spells, but a second half like that just can’t happen at this level, and Rangers punished us.”

Hamilton played well during the first half and it was an entertaining game until half-time.

After just two minutes Rangers goalkeeper Allan McGregor dropped a Trent McClenahan cross from the right and McArthur, poised on the left side of the box, delicately lobbed the ball over the stranded keeper and into the bottom right corner.

For a second you could have heard a pin drop inside Ibrox.

But in 10 minutes Steven Davis’ cross from the right was cleverly dummied by captain Barry Ferguson and Kenny Miller’s stinging drive was brilliantly turned around the right post by Tomas Cerny.

However, when Davis’ corner wasn’t cleared properly Miller ripped a fierce angled drive into the bottom left corner from 16 yards.

Joel Thomas had easily his best game in an Accies jersey and caused problems for Rangers’ defence – particularly in 12 minutes when he bustled his way through the middle and despite it looking like he was fouled by both Ferguson and Madjid Bougherra, the striker’s penalty claims fell on deaf ears.

Rangers should have taken the lead seven minutes later when Damarcus Beasley played a neat one-two with Miller before reaching the bye-line and cutting it back for the Scotland striker to slide his low shot past the right post.

But the Ibrox side did take the lead in 28 minutes when Miller played a superb curling ball to Boyd on the right, he steadied himself and shot across Cerny into the bottom left corner.

On 30 minutes, Davis’ cross was knocked into Ferguson’s path, but his point-blank header was well held by Cerny.

Sixty seconds later Sasa Papac released Boyd and despite the striker looking well offside, he was allowed to stride forward before crashing a ferocious shot off the underside of the crossbar before it was cleared.

Chris Swailes was inches away from equalising when McClenahan’s free-kick fell to him in the box and he sent a scorching volley just over the bar in 35 minutes.

Miller nearly put Rangers further ahead a minute before the interval, but Cerny blocked his first shot and was relieved to see his follow-up effort trundle past the left post.

But in 51 minutes it all went wrong for Accies when McGregor’s kick-out was allowed to bounce through to Boyd and, while tussling with the striker, Canning appeared to bundle him over in the box with referee Murray immediately pointing to the spot.

Boyd centred the ball, prepared to take his run-up, and Canning was shown a straight red card – although why the referee took so long is anybody’s guess.

Either way Rangers’ top scorer buried the ball firmly to the right.

After that it was something of an onslaught as Rangers attacked in waves.

After Boyd had hooked a shot over and Beasley sent an effort past, goal number four was scored in 61 minutes.

Davis superbly beat the offside trap and his low cross from the right was slammed in by Boyd for his hat-trick.

Firmly believing that Davis was offside Accies stopped, but should have played to the whistle; TV evidence showed that the Irish midfielder was just on.

A defensive lapse allowed sub Nacho Novo’s cross from the left to reach fellow bench-man Kyle Lafferty, and he stroked home from close range for 5-1 in 80 minutes.

Mendes saw a delicate chip brilliantly touched over by Cerny five minutes later.

But when sub Aaron Niguez found Novo inside the six-yard box in 88 minutes the Spaniard wasn’t going to miss and Davis completed the rout 60 seconds later, lashing a shot past Cerny from a Steven Whittaker cross.

RANGERS: McGregor, Weir, Mendes, Papac, Ferguson, Boyd (Lafferty, 76), Miller (Novo, 67), Beasley (Niguez, 78), Bougherra, Whittaker, Davis. Subs (not used): Alexander, Edu, Broadfoot, Little.

Booked: Bougherra.

HAMILTON: Cerny, Easton, McCarthy (Gibson, 71), McLaughlin, McArthur, Neil, Thomas (Lyle, 71), Swailes, Canning, McClenahan (Graham, 71), Mensing. Subs (not used): Murdoch, Elebert, Akins, Ettien.

Sent off: Canning.

Booked: Mensing.

Referee: Calum Murray.

Attendance: 48,282.

Advertiser Man of the Match: Tomas Cerny – he may have lost seven goals, but the Czech goalkeeper was on top form and prevented this from being an even heavier defeat.