Patience pays off as Rangers go nap

but the inevitable did occur, eventually, at Hampden Park last night

when the Ibrox side eased Dumbarton aside and moved closer to making a

return to the national stadium for the Skol Cup final, a competition

which has been kind to them in recent times.

Rangers did not have to be at their best to deal with the team from

the first division, and performed well within themselves, although it

would be churlish to pick over the bones of this match and be critical

of a team which disturbs the opposition's net five times.

Had they finished off more of their chances properly they would have

left Dumbarton's confidence levels dangerously low for their real

challenge, which centres around league business.

They played well enough at the back for most of the first half and at

times played the ball around smartly in the middle. However, the truth

is they were never going to win a place in the third round of the cup.

The premier-division champions required 40 minutes of the first half

to manufacture the all-important opening goal, scored by Ian Durrant,

who appeared lively and eager, and one always sensed that as soon as

Dumbarton's net was disturbed other goals would follow.

That was the case, with Dale Gordon scoring and sending his team into

the interval two ahead. In the second half, Mark Hateley, Ally McCoist,

and Alexei Mikhailichenko found the net.

McCoist was taken off in the second half, but afterwards the manager,

Walter Smith, defended his striker against a suggestion that perhaps he

is not as sharp as he ought to be. ''If anyone wants to lay a bet that

McCoist will finish Rangers top scorer at the end of this season they

are welcome,'' he said.

McCoist, it should be said, must operate in the most difficult zone,

in the front line, and Smith is correct when he says strikers at the top

level are denied space in which to manoeuvre. John Spencer, for so long

McCoist's understudy at Ibrox, is about to discover that for himself now

that he has completed his #500,000 transfer to Chelsea.

The 22-year-old, who agreed personal terms with the London

premier-division club yesterday and signed a three-year contract, would

have been involved at some stage in last night's tie, but his services

were not required.

Neither was the subtlety of Trevor Steven, who injured a toe against

Hibernian on Saturday. The midfield player was left out, but he will be

fit for the game against Dundee at Dens Park, as will Andy Goram, who

has a thigh stain and needed a night off.

This meant Ally Maxwell was able to play in his first first

competitive match since the Scottish Cup final 15 months ago, and he

dealt competently with what little Dumbarton sent his way. Last time he

was at Hampden he played in front of many more than the 11,091 inside a

structure which still does not deserve to be called the national

stadium.

Rangers ought to have scored in the opening minute following a slick

move involving three players, Mikhailichenko, Gordon, and Durrant who

surged into he box only to knock the ball against against the keeper,

Ian McFarlane. Durrant, however, was about to get it right.

Hateley's ball played back into the goal area from the left eventually

was touched into Dumbarton's net by the midfield player, after McCoist

and Gordon had failed and if that goal was scrappy the second made up

for it.

Gordon weaved into Dumbarton's box, beating a couple of players before

thumping the ball into the roof of the net.

The Sons made a change during the break, but they didn't send on

another defender to help keep the scoreline respectable. Instead, they

took off Jim Cowell and sent on the diminutive Andy Willock up front.

Dumbarton's defenders were mesmerised in 47 minutes when Durrant and

McCoist worked the ball through the lines, and Hateley was left with the

straightforward task of hooking the delivery into the net with the

McFarlane caught out of position.

McCoist had McFarlane diving in vain six minutes later as Rangers

claimed their fourth goal. Mikhailichenko took a smart free kick after

David Robertson had been pulled down in the midfield zone, and McCoist

hit the ball on the turn. Mikhailichenko added a fifth.

Dumbarton finally caused a degree of anxiety in Rangers' box when Jim

Marsland's long ball found Gibson and his header flew narrowly wide.

DUMBARTON -- McFarlane, Marsland, Boyd, Gow, Martin, Melvin, McQuade,

Nelson, Gibson, McConville, Cowell. Substitutes -- Meechan, Willock.

RANGERS -- Maxwell, Nisbet, Robertson, Gough, McPherson, Durrant,

Gordon, McCall, McCoist, Hateley, Mikhailichenko. Substitutes -- Brown,

Rideout.

Referee -- W Morrison (Carluke).