Big crowd, Little hero

Sports Writer

Sunday 19 August 2012

RANGERS fans have learned to be thankful for Little mercies.

Andrew Little celebrates his second goal in front of nearly 50,000 fans, who were surprised by East Stirlingshire's early strike Photograph: SNS

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Stewart Fisher

Sold-out Saturday lived up to its billing yesterday as 49,118 people thronged Ibrox for their home Third Division opener. Thankfully, this encounter didn't also set a new mark for the most futile sporting exercise ever. Although East Stirlingshire were on their knees for the last half an hour of this match, the worst team in Scotland last year had the temerity to take a third-minute lead courtesy of Paul Quinn's penalty, before Andy Little's first senior hat-trick and goals from Francisco Sandaza and Lee McCulloch secured Rangers' first SFL win since the formation of the SPL in 1998.

Things were hard enough for their manger John Coughlin and his motley band of part-timers without what transpired in the away dressing room at half-time. Their squad was littered with stories – goalkeeper Grant Hay and defender Michael Hunter had missed out because they were away on holiday – but there was tragedy when David Greenhill, who was a fine performer during the first 45 minutes, had to be persuaded to return to his native Edinburgh in order to tend his grievously ill father. "I told him there is no decision to make, your family comes first," Coughlin said. "But my collection of brickies, joiners and van drivers did OK over the piece."There was a bizarre counterpoint between the respective directors boxes as kick-off approached. While Charles Green glad-handed punters in the stands, clad in East Stirlingshire's colours for the day was lifelong fan Charles McLaughlin, who won the privilege in a charity auction run by their real chairman Tony Ford, a sufferer of Parkinson's disease.As the action began it was as if the last six months of stress and worry here hadn't happened. A new song was aired, there was a chorus of Bob Marley, and soon Green was whipping the crowd into a frenzy, saying his sold-out Saturday had trumped the SPL's so-called 'sell-out' Saturday. The din hardly subsided when, three minutes in, the visitors notched their first goal against the Ibrox side since 1964. Winger Michael Herd latched on to a Greenhill pass, surprised Carlos Bocanegra with a turn of pace, and the USA captain responded by barging him in the box. Quinn, the club's somewhat portly No 10, held his nerve from the spot. "To be honest I wasn't intimidated at all," he said. "I knew where I was putting it and I wasn't changing."Things could have got worse for the home side, as first Scott Maxwell fired a shot across goal, then Quinn spurned a great chance to double his money when clean through. But inevitably, a trickle of chances at the other end soon became a torrent, even after Dean Shiels left the action with a dead leg, leading to a devastating cameo from the rather unfairly dropped Barrie McKay. There were no boos for Ian Black when he hit the crossbar, a ring rusty Francisco Sandaza on his first start spurned two great openings, before Little rode to his side's rescue, just as he had against Peterhead.Visitors' keeper Ryan McWilliams was up to the Northern Irishman's first effort but he was given a second chance from Sandaza's pass and his low finish was true. Before half time he had his second of the day with a neat downward header from Kirk Broadfoot's cross. Sandaza eventually got his first for the club, smashing in after a stramash, before Little completed his first hat-trick in Rangers colours after McWilliams had made a great save from Sandaza. "I should probably have had another hat-trick too," he said ruefully afterwards.In addition, there was a debut bow for Emilson Cribari and a customary booking for Black. Lee McCulloch completed the scoring, running on to an excellent McKay pass to fire in. But by and large it was the crowd that stole the show. "It was quite unbelievable really," McCoist said. "It is a statement. If you get support like that from the fans you can only go one way."

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