If a week is a long time in politics, four minutes can feel like an age in football. Had Bojan Miovski not rescued Rangers with a neat finish at home to St Mirren as the match entered stoppage time, the post-match talk would have been about the boos ringing round Ibrox. Hundreds of home fans had already headed for the exits in frustration at a disjointed second-half display.
Instead, after the remaining 270 seconds passed without a St Mirren response, Rangers players and staff flew into the kind of scenes of wild celebrations that normally greet a cup final victory. Their sails were filled with massive sighs of relief, but where does it really leave Derek McInnes' side heading into two games against city rivals Celtic that could help define their season? Miovski sparks wild celebrations as Rangers scrape past St Mirren Rangers winger Yokota suffers 'significant' groin injury The significance of Miovski's goal cannot be downplayed.
With Celtic beating St Johnstone by the same scoreline in Perth to maintain their own 100% league record, Rangers were so close to falling seven points adrift of the reigning champions only six games into the season. The wind would have been taken firmly out those sails as they prepare to face Martin O'Neill's men in Sunday's Premier Sports Cup quarter-final before visiting Celtic Park in the Premiership a week later. As it is, Rangers are now unbeaten in five home games, winning the latest four since losing to Hibernian last month in a game that piled early pressure on McInnes amid his side's exit from European competition.
"If you strip it back, six wins out of seven, four straight wins," the former Heart of Midlothian head coach could rightfully point out. "We have not lost a goal apart from an own goal." However, since their 5-1 thrashing of holders St Mirren on their last visit to Ibrox a month ago in the League Cup, their four wins have been by a single goal and McInnes recognises that his rebuilt squad are still a work in progress. "I thought we got what we deserved, granted St Mirren had a 20-minute period in the second half when they were better than us," he told BBC Scotland.
"They played with a bit more belief and came after us and we were guilty of so many poor decisions. "But I thought the performance for the first hour was really strong, particularly the first half, where we absolutely battered St Mirren. "I was really pleased with the performance, but at 0-0, as an opposition manager, when you've been put through the ringer and you know you haven't been punished for it, it does give you power and belief that you can get something from it." McInnes defended the celebrations as understandable in the circumstances.
"Last-minute winners are great for players, coaches and fans," he said. "We'd rather not be in that position, but credit to the players for keeping going. "There are obviously loads we have to improve on, but we have to meanwhile keep winning and we have to keep improving if we are to achieve anything this season." Celtic lead way from Rangers after narrow wins Former Rangers midfielder Andy Halliday believes positive signs are there.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
