Rangers 3 East Stirlingshire 1: Reward for Little efforts

Richard Wilson

Sports writer

Sunday 3 March 2013

Rangers could only savour the result against East Stirling yesterday.

The East Stirling defence close out Rangers' David Templeton inside the box Photograph: SNS

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Richard Wilson

The victory was welcome, but too many aspects of the performance fell short of the standards of a team that aspires towards a higher level.

There was even the affront of falling a goal behind just before the interval, although there was some comfort in the scoreline by the time the Rangers supporters began their 54th-minute celebration of 54 titles won, in the week when they learned that figure would not be eroded.

Andy Little's equaliser was the result of perseverance rather than ability, with Anestis Argyriou forcing his way into the penalty area before misdirecting a shot that Little bundled over the line.A second goal from the Northern Irishman, after one from Lee McCulloch, secured the points but the home side's faults were evident, and it was telling that the player most comfortable on the ball, and most adept at turning possession into attack, was East Stirling's scorer, Andy Stirling.He was seldom overwhelmed, and brought dynamism to the visitors' midfield. It was fitting then that, after a slick one-two that was the most incisive passage of play in the opening half, it was Stirling who finished confidently past Neil Alexander. The opening period had been characterised by the home side's pedestrian display – the tempo was sluggish and much of the passing lacked decisiveness or ambition – yet Rangers still accumulated chances, and Little tended to be at the forefront.He missed with two headers, then steered a good chance wide after a quick counter-attack involving David Templeton and Kyle Hutton. East Stirling were confident enough to pass the ball through Rangers at times, only to lack composure in the final third. The same was true of Rangers, though.Chris Hegarty could only awkwardly direct the ball over from close range after McCulloch's free kick was parried by visiting goalkeeper Grant Hay. "We knew there was a storm coming in the second half because they wouldn't be happy at being a goal down to the Shire," said East Stirling manager John Coughlin. "We were excellent, We proved we could play here and showed we could pass the ball about, which is the way to go for this club."Things improved for Rangers after a tactical change – McCoist gave the credit to his assistant Kenny McDowall – which worked in the sense that they were soon in command of the scoreline.Templeton moved into the centre and Little out the left wing and it was the former's spin and pass that released McCulloch to round Hay and put Rangers in front.Two minutes later, Little ambled infield and hit a shot that bundled through the diving Hay. It was a day of satisfaction rather than glory for Rangers, but the match marked the return of Sandy Jardine to Ibrox for the first time since he was diagnosed with cancer, and he addressed the crowd before kick-off."The first 45 minutes weren't good at all, but it's been a great day," McCoist said. "Seeing Sandy back was a massive boost for everybody."Charles Green, meanwhile, revealed to a supporters' meeting beforehand that Rangers legends will play Manchester United legends in a charity match for Unicef at Ibrox in May.

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Rangers 3 East Stirlingshire 1: Reward for Little efforts

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