Hateley's hundred leads to a seaside stroll for Rangers

with a few spirited moments of defiance from the third division side --

but it will be specially memorable for Mark Hateley, who reached his

century of goals for the club in the picturesque setting of Gayfield by

the sea.

It was not a bad night, either, for his frontline colleague, Duncan

Ferguson, who earned himself #500 from the sponsors, Coca-Cola, for a

hat trick, his first for the club.

Hateley, who has collected his 100 goals in four years at Glasgow, hit

number 99 before a minute had gone and when Ferguson made it two in 19

minutes, the way seemed clear for a first-half avalanche.

But the local lads had the audacity to reduce the deficit through

Colin McKinnon a minute later.

However, Stuart McCall and then Hateley again, made certain there was

to be no further alarm in the Ibrox dugout, from which manager Walter

Smith was missing.

He was watching Denmark defeat Finland 2-1 in Copenhagen, with a

special interest in Danish defender Marc Reiper, whose contract with

Brondby ends in October.

Rangers had bid #800,000 for him earlier in the summer. The Danes

wanted around #1.2m. Smith also watched one of his top players, Brian

Laudrup, score the first goal for Denmark, and lay on the second for

another Dane who plies his trade in Scotland, Morten Wieghorst, of

Dundee.

Back at the seaside, there were weary Arbroath men in the closing

stages, but they did not let themselves down, even if they failed to

prevent Ferguson adding two more for his hat trick.

The shadows on the sunlit Gayfield turf had not even begun to lengthen

when Rangers and Hateley struck.

In fact, only 44 seconds had gone by when Ian Durrant's cross went

over the home defence to Hateley who placed his header well out of the

keeper's reach.

Arbroath recovered, and held out for another 18 minutes before they

lost a second goal -- but they then gave their fans a memorable moment

by scoring.

First came Duncan Ferguson's strike after he was put through by

namesake, Ian.

But we had barely taken a note of that when Arbroath sped to the other

end and forced a corner. When it came over, Ally Maxwell failed to clear

and McKinnon smacked the ball over the line.

Rangers emerged from that unexpected spell of pressure to force a good

save from Jackson from John Brown, but Davie McPherson did not

appreciate a reckless tackle from Rae which flattened him on the

bye-line. Rae later was booked.

Three minutes before the break, Rangers restored order when a

McPherson cross was headed down by Duncan Ferguson and McCall steered it

away from Jackson.

Basile Boli was first to try his luck in the second half with a shot

that was a little too high. Ian Ferguson and Durrant followed this with

shots of their own, but a sudden Arbroath raid almost brought a goal. A

Tosh header was saved on the line by Maxwell.

Rangers raced upfield and when Craig Moore's cross came over Hateley

was there to head in his second goal, his 100th for the club. Tosh hit

the bar to show that there was still life in the Gayfield side.

Arbroath used one substitute, John Brock, for Reilly, and in 73

minutes Rangers made a change as well, Neil Murray coming on for

Durrant. And a minute later McCall split the Arbroath defence to leave

Duncan Ferguson with an easy chance to make it five.

Arbroath put on Finlay for Downie as their part-time legs began to

give way but they could do little to prevent Duncan Ferguson heading in

his hat trick from a Moore cross with six minutes left.

ARBROATH -- Jackson, Mitchell, Rae, Farnan, Elder, Murray, Downie,

McKinnon, Reilly, Tosh, McGovern. Substitutes -- Brock, Finlay, Duncan.

RANGERS -- Maxwell, McCall, Brown, Gough, Boli, McPherson, Moore, I

Ferguson, D Ferguson, Hateley, Durrant. Substitutes -- Pressley, Murray,

Thomson.

Referee -- S Dougal (Burnside).