IF good things do indeed come in threes then expect Rangers to announce they've found the £5m needed to pay off Mike Ashley underneath the Ibrox marble staircase.
On the back of Dave King being found fit and proper by the Scottish Football Association, Stuart McCall and his players did their bit to maintain the growing feelgood factor at the club by chiselling out the victory that enhances their chances of winning promotion to the SPFL Premiership come the end of the play-offs.
A 2-0 victory means the semi-final tie is far from over but it is a result that places the emphasis on Hibernian to show what they are made of in the return leg on Saturday. This was not a particularly impressive performance by Rangers but, in a match they simply had to win before they travel to Easter Road, they found a way to get it done through goals from Nicky Clark and Kenny Miller, while defending stoically at the other end.
In contrast, this proved to be an outcome that will do little to silence those who believe Hibs historically lack the requisite bottle when it comes to the big occasions. Alan Stubbs had himself denied it in the build-up, the Hibs manager pointing to the fact that his side had already won twice at Ibrox this season and were more than capable of doing so again. With the second leg still to come, Stubbs can take some comfort from his team's performance for long spells, but that will largely be overshadowed by the fact that, in their biggest game of the season so far, his players fell somewhat short of what was required. If they can take any crumb of comfort ahead of the return match it is they know from bitter experience - their play-off defeat to Hamilton Academical this time last year -that a 2-0 first-leg lead is not insurmountable.
It was all unsurprisingly tense. Ibrox, in fact, was as nervous as a dog being led into the vet's knowing he isn't there to get a haircut. That sense of angst was most notable among the home support, mainly by dint of their far superior numbers. They had turned out in force, made a ferocious din as the teams came out the tunnel, and on the whole did their best to offer their team encouragement. Nerves, however, betrayed their true feelings. When one Hibs attack led to a brief defensive mix-up between Lee Wallace and Nicky Law, the stadium echoed to the sound of collective groans. This was too important a match for any supporter to tolerate their team's foibles in silence. "This is rubbish, Rangers," shouted an irate voice from the main stand. Barely four minutes had been played. Only once their team had their second goal of the evening past the hour mark could the home fans finally relax a little.
Much had been made of the teams' contrasting build-ups. Hibs hadn't played for 18 days and enjoyed a week in Spain during that spell. This, in contrast, was Rangers' third game in 11 days. Was it better to be well-rested or building momentum? In the end it didn't seem to really matter as adrenaline took hold. It was frenetic stuff for long spells. Only a few seemed to possess the ability to take a step back from the maelstrom and play with a cool head. Scott Allan was one of those, the Hibs playmaker taking his stellar regular season form into the play-offs. Rangers looked to Haris Vuckic and Dean Shiels to make a difference for their team. By and large, however, it was more agricultural than cultural but there were still moments of individual excellence.
Rangers' first goal was the perfect example of that. Forty-four minutes of a first half that was competitive but not exactly dripping with talking points was illuminated by a moment of individual brilliance. Vuckic, as has been so often the case throughout his loan spell from Newcastle United, was the creator, casually flicking a pass to Richard Foster whose cross in turn was thudded past Mark Oxley by Nicky Clark from around six yards out.
Hibs would have felt a bit hard done to as they had been the better of the two teams without creating a huge amount to trouble Cammy Bell in the Rangers goal. Jason Cummings seemed to let an enticing ball from Dominique Malonga run away from him when he seemed certain to score, Malonga had a low shot saved and an early Liam Craig effort fizzed wide. For all Allan's class, Hibs could not put Bell under any great pressure.
Rangers, before their goal, were not reining in shot after shot either. Miller had a low drive easily saved, while Oxley had to be alert to push away a Law free kick from the edge of the box. That aside, it was more about graft than craft until Vuckic found a way to unlock the Hibs defence shortly before half-time. The Slovenian could have scored himself early in the second period, but Oxley got down well to block.
Rangers took advantage of their visitors' lack of cutting edge to extend their lead after 63 minutes. If the build-up was a bit scrappy then the finish from Miller was exquisite, the veteran forward bending his shot beyond Oxley with the outside of his left foot. The roar from the home crowd indicated they sensed it could be a pivotal moment in the tie. Easter Road on Saturday will define whether that is the case or not.
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