Russell Martin at last enjoyed some positivity as Rangers manager with a 2-0 Premier Sports Cup quarter-final win over Hibernian on a day of fans protest against him at Ibrox.
Chairman Andrew Cavenagh had flown in from the United States amid a growing sense of crisis at the club, with disgruntled fans protesting against Martin and chief executive Patrick Stewart outside the stadium before the game and also at the start of the match. The turning point came when Hibs captain Martin Boyle had a goal ruled out in the 19th minute for handball, with frustrated Light Blues supporters ready to explode in anger again.
Returning Rangers midfielder Nico Raskin headed in a James Tavernier corner in the 42nd minute before striker Bojan Miovski added a second in added time with his first goal for the Govan side since signing from Girona. It took Rangers into the semi-final draw along with St Mirren, Motherwell and the winners of Sunday’s tie between Partick Thistle and Celtic at Firhill.
However, many Rangers fans had voted with their feet and stayed away but none who follow the Light Blues can ignore the fact that Rangers are second bottom of the Scottish Premiership table, nine points behind Celtic and Hearts but that concern is for another day.
Rangers fans were pleased Raskin, a favourite of the supporters, was back in the side after being left out of the squad completely by Martin for the previous two games against Hearts and Celtic due to an unknown issue between the two men.
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-Regan Charles-Cook scored a memorable first goal for Motherwell to take their early promise under Jens Berthel Askou up a notch and book a trip to Hampden following a 1-0 win at Aberdeen.
Charles-Cook’s swerving long-range strike in the second half at Pittodrie proved enough to earn a Premier Sports Cup semi-final place and continue Aberdeen’s miserable start to the season.
The Scottish Cup holders were looking for a break from their league form, which leaves them bottom of the Scottish Premiership without a goal.
But, despite making a decent start and hitting the bar twice, they suffered a fifth defeat of the season to leave manager Jimmy Thelin under pressure.
In Friday’s quarter-final, St Mirren‘s penalty shootout triumph at Kilmarnock sparked a pitch invasion from the travelling fans at Rugby Park. Saints sealed a 5-3 win on penalties after an entertaining 2-2 draw and dozens of the Buddies fans spilled out of a packed away stand. Shamal George saved from the former Saints midfielder Kyle Magennis before Malik Dijksteel netted the clinching penalty to seal St Mirren’s first trip to Hampden since 2021.
Stephen Robinson, whose team led twice through impressive goals from Mikael Mandron and Jayden Richardson, said: “We had a couple of really good chances to win the game before penalties but, if someone told you you’d win after penalties, you’d take it. It’s just not the easiest thing on your heart sometimes. But it’s a brilliant way to win and fantastic that the boys got to celebrate with the fans at the end.”
In the Premiership on Saturday, Dundee‘s Simon Murray, Joe Westley and Callum Jones scored in their 3-2 win over Livingston at Dens Park.
Livi came storming back from 2-0 down thanks to a Clark Robertson own goal and a Jeremy Bokila penalty. But, deep in stoppage time, referee Ross Hardie awarded another spot-kick to Dundee when he adjudged Danny Wilson had brought down home substitute Charlie Reilly. The official was then called over to the pitchside monitor by VAR, but he stuck with his original decision as Jones slotted home the spot-kick to secure a dramatic win for Dundee. PA Media
There were over 2,000 noisy Hibs fans inside Ibrox, which had thousands of empty blue seats with the official attendance of 34,682 later released.
The Union Bears, the Ultras-style supporters group, had led the pre-match protest outside and inside the stadium, holding aloft posters showing a red diagonal line through photographs of both Martin and Stewart, which were present in all four stands. There were also ‘Martin Out’ and ‘Stewart Out’ banners unfurled in the Broomloan Stand and in the 11th minute play was stopped after hundreds of coloured balls were thrown from the Copland Stand into Rangers goalkeeper Jack Butland’s penalty area.
The Union Bears then held up a banner reading: ‘Delaying the inevitable – Martin must go’ before anti-Martin chants erupted again.
Amidst the chaos, Rangers had started brightly enough, but in the 16th minute Boyle flashed a shot from 16 yards over the crossbar.
Three minutes later, the Hibs striker had the ball in the Rangers net after latching on to a long ball, but a VAR check confirmed handball when he controlled the ball. It was the let-off Martin and Rangers desperately needed and they capitalised when they took the lead from a corner, Raskin glancing in a header from Tavernier’s delivery, although Boyle missed another chance moments later when he headed a cross from Nicky Cadden past a post.
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As the first half entered four added minutes, Miovski was handily placed to knock the ball into the net from close range after a Mikey Moore shot was deflected into his path.
Five minutes into the second half, the Union Bears held up another set of banners which read: “Quick to blame fans, slow to admit failure, Stewart out’.
Ibrox wide-man Djeidi Gassama clipped the bar with a shot and Miovski then had a shot cleared off the line by Hibs defender Grant Hanley.
In the 67th minute Miovski flicked the ball in from two yards out, only to be ruled offside and Moore drove just wide from distance. Light Blues substitute Youssef Chermiti broke clear with two minutes remaining but had a shot blocked by the feet of Hibs keeper Raphael Sallinger as Martin got the win he desperately needed.
