Team news: One Change At Brechin City

 

 

RANGERS manager Ally McCoist makes one change to the side which beat Albion Rovers in the Scottish Cup for today’s League One fixture at Brechin City.

Kyle Hutton drops out of the side which won 2-0 at New Douglas Park on Monday night and although he has travelled to Glebe Park he’s out of the squad altogether.

In comes Dean Shiels, who will operate in behind Jon Daly as champions Gers look to extend their lead at the top of the table to 32 points after Dunfermline’s loss yesterday.

Calum Gallagher makes his first league start for the club as he keeps his place off the back of an impressive show against Rovers in Hamilton six days ago.

Elsewhere, Cammy Bell remains in goal with a back four of Richard Foster, Lee McCulloch, Bilel Mohsni and Lee Wallace in front of him.

Ian Black and Nicky Law combine in central midfield while Fraser Aird features once more on the left wing.

Teenage midfielder Charlie Telfer is among the substitutes and the hope is he might get on at some stage for his first-team debut.

Steve Simonsen, Sebastien Faure, Arnold Peralta, Robbie Crawford, Stevie Smith and Nicky Clark are the other replacements.

Emilson Cribari is also part of the visiting party but like Hutton, he’ll watch the 90 minutes from the stand.

Rangers have arrived at Brechin with a stunning defensive record away from home to defend, with their last goal conceded on the road coming here more than five months ago.

A total of 1,135 minutes of football at venues other than Ibrox have been played since then but the Hedgemen will fancy their chances of ending that run.

They have scored in each of their three league games with Gers this season and also struck against them in the Ramsdens Cup last term, netting six times in those four fixtures.

The Light Blues remain unbeaten in League One and haven’t lost in any of their last 37 competitive fixtures.

A win in this game will keep them on course to record a century of points before the season is out as they look to add to the haul of 112 goals scored in 2013/14.

RANGERS: Bell; Foster, McCulloch, Mohsni, Wallace; Gallagher, Black, Law, Aird; Shiels, Daly.

SUBS: Simonsen, Faure, Peralta, Crawford, Smith, Telfer, Clark.

Goals from Fraser Aird and Nicky Clark, within a minute of being brought on were enough to stretch Rangers' unbeaten record to 38 games in all competitions. From the official Rangers site:

Brechin City 1-2 Rangers

 

NICKY CLARK came off the bench to win a game for Rangers at Brechin for the second time this season as they beat City 2-1 at Glebe Park.

Fraser Aird gave the away side a deserved lead before it fell out of the game a little as the midway point approached.

Robert Thomson levelled shortly after the break to end Gers’ run of play without losing an away goal at 1,184 minutes.

Clark then came on after Ian Black was carried off on a stretcher with a potentially serious foot injury and within a minute headed his side back ahead.

That was enough to swing the fixture in the champions’ favour, just as he did when he struck five minutes from time to clinch a 4-3 victory in Angus in October.

Clark’s intervention with his ninth goal of 2013/14 means the Light Blues now lead League One by 32 points following Dunfermline’s defeat to East Fife yesterday.

With six games to play in the competition, they remain unbeaten in 38 matches in all competitions in a sequence stretching over seven months.

Manager Ally McCoist made just one change to his team from the side which beat Albion Rovers in a Scottish Cup replay last Monday.

Kyle Hutton dropped out of the pool altogether, with Dean Shiels stepping up to play in behind Jon Daly.

There was a relatively pedestrian start from both teams but Rangers should have made more of their first shooting opportunity when it eventually came.

Aird did well to salvage Bilel Mohsni’s poor pass out wide and burst away from his man into space 25 yards out.

But having scored a terrific goal against last time out, there was to be no repeat of the glory from six days ago on that occasion as he blazed a wild shot high and wide.

Nicky Law tried to play in Shiels with no success then failed to latch on to Mohsni’s long ball upfield the way he will have hoped to.

Calum Gallagher also hung a teasing ball up in the six-yard box after good industry from Law – who went off injured soon after - only for it to sail slightly too high for Aird to connect.

Winger Aird was heavily involved in a lot of Rangers’ early forward play and Shiels set him scampering into the box with an overhead kick but his final touch was too heavy.

Keeper Graeme Smith was able to come out and smother that time but he wasn’t so fortunate after 19 minutes as the visitors forged ahead.

Full-back Jonny Brown, a scorer against the Light Blues when they last came to Glebe Park in October, intercepted Black’s cross-field pass as it bounced off his back.

But he slipped on the awkward surface and that let in Aird, who showed good composure to slot under Smith and give his team a deserved lead.

Jon Daly could have had an opportunity to add a second on the break after a Shiels flick released him but he was flagged offside and it seemed harsh.

That marked a turning point in the first half, with Brechin applying a decent spell of pressure before the break.

Alan Trouten had already had a penalty claim waved away when referee Andrew Dallas had ruled Cammy Bell had got a touch on the ball as he denied him.

Before the midway point, Greg Cameron was wasteful with a shot which landed nearer the corner flag than the target.

But Darren Petrie’s effort was much better as it required a touch over from Bell to keep it out, while Black and Mohsni both made crucial blocks as triggers were pulled.

Those warnings weren’t heeded and four minutes after the restart – more than five months since Rangers last conceded away from home – they were pegged back by City.

Thomson was the scorer as he got away from Mohsni to slot under Bell and make it 1-1 following good work by Cameron on the right.

Gers responded quickly by while Daly was able to get a header on target, it was easily held by Smith.

At the other end, Mohsni slipped after dithering too long on the ball in the corner but Brechin couldn’t make him pay.

Black’s game came to a painful end as he kicked the underside of an opponent’s boot and required treatment before he was carried off.

That was Clark’s cue and after some good build-up play he nodded the Ibrox men in front for a second time when he headed in Daly’s cross after a pass from substitute Sebastien Faure.

Clark could have had another, Gallagher nearly diverted Lee Wallace’s cross in and Aird only just steered wide with a shot he didn’t actually connect with that well.

Lee McCulloch put an Aird free kick a yard too high as well as Rangers finished the game strongest but without adding further to their tally.

BRECHIN CITY: Smith; McLean (Cameron 19), McLauchlan, Jackson, Brown (Ferguson 41); Thomson, Petrie, Molloy, Hay, Barr (Carcary 78); Trouten.

SUBS NOT USED: Nelson, Walker.

SCORER: Thomson 49.

BOOKINGS: Trouten, Hay.

RANGERS: Bell; Foster, McCulloch, Mohsni, Wallace; Gallagher, Black (Clark 65), Law (Faure 25), Aird; Shiels, Daly.

SUBS: Simonsen, Crawford, Smith, Peralta, Telfer.

SCORERS: Aird 19, Clark 66.

REFEREE: Andrew Dallas.

ATTENDANCE: 3,070.

Injuries to Law and Black are concerning

After the match, I remember they were saying that Ian Black's injury wasn't as bad as was at first feared, and later it was announced that there would be an update concering both players' on Tuesday. An update's been posted, but the club are still awaiting results.

Black And Law Injury Update

ALLY MCCOIST is waiting for the results from an X-ray before he knows the full extent of Ian Black’s foot injury sustained in Sunday’s 2-1 away victory over Brechin City.

The combative midfielder had to be carried off on a stretcher in the second half against the Hedgemen after he connected with an opponent’s boot when he went to shoot.

The former Hearts star was still on crutches at Auchenhowie today but McCoist is keeping his fingers crossed the X-ray results are positive albeit he has effectively ruled Black out of playing against Arbroath this weekend.

The manager is also monitoring the progress of Nicky Law after he hurt his back in the first half against Ray McKinnon’s side and was replaced by Seb Faure.

Although the Englishman didn’t train this morning McCoist, who was speaking exclusively to RangersTV, is confident his injury is not serious.

He said: “Wee Blackie is getting an X-ray today. He is certainly feeling better and you know what he’s like, he’s a wee warrior and just wants to be fit and wants to play and train.

“So when you’ve got someone like that you’ve always got a chance. He’s in there this morning telling myself and Kenny it's miles better but we’ll wait until we see the X-ray and hopefully that should be fine.

“We’ll obviously watch his progression towards playing and training again but I would have to say he would be doubtful, very doubtful, to play this weekend.

“Nicky Law is better. He had a back spasm when he made a forward run so we took him off. He hasn’t been training but he’s in a better place and Steve the physio is happier with him.

“In terms of Temps and Andy Little, we’re monitoring them but they look as though they will be more longer term with Andy’s thigh strain and Temps’ ankle.â€

Kyle Hutton meanwhile will come back into his manager’s plans for the trip to Gayfield on Saturday.

Following a long spell out through injury the 23-year-old made a substitute appearance against Dunfermline on March 15 before starting the Scottish Cup quarter final replay against Albion Rovers at New Douglas Park.

Kyle was not included in the 18-man squad at Brechin and McCoist explained his decision to leave him out.

He said: “We just decided to give him a complete rest at the weekend because he came in and did well against Albion Rovers.

“We’re delighted for Kyle and he’ll come back into our thoughts for Arbroath at the weekend.

“Sadly Ross Perry has a hamstring problem and won’t play for the under-20s today which is a big blow.

“Ross seems to have one or two problems longer term, he’s come back but is now picking up hamstrings and things like that which isn’t ideal.â€