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Arbroath
Scottish League One
Nov 25, 2013 at 7.45pm UK
 
Rangers logo

0-3

FT(HT: 0-3)
Daly (3'), Donaldson (25' og.), Clark (41')

Live Commentary: Arbroath 0-3 Rangers - as it happened

Relive Sports Mole's coverage of Rangers' Scottish League One clash against Arbroath.
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Rangers travelled north to Arbroath on Monday night looking to extend their winning streak in Scottish League One to 13 games.

Arbroath had been in decent form on home soil, taking seven points from their last three league matches at Gayfield Park.

However, they faced a big test against Ally McCoist's men, who had beaten the Smokies 5-1 at Ibrox in September.

Arbroath were unable to halt the Rangers juggernaut once again, as the visitors recorded a 3-0 win.

Find out how game unfolded by revisiting the action below with Sports Mole's blow-by-blow text updates.


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Hello and thank you for joining Sports Mole for this evening’s clash at Gayfield Park. We will have full team news as soon as possible.

RANGERS STARTING XI: Bell; Faure, McCulloch, Mohsni, Wallace; Aird, Black, Law, MacLeod; Clark, Daly.

RANGERS SUBS: Simonsen, Templeton, Hutton, Peralta, Crawford, Cribari, Smith.

Ally McCoist has made two changes to his team following the 2-0 win over Airdrieonians earlier this month. Fraser Aird and Lewis MacLeod come in for Arnold Peralta and David Templeton, who are both named on the bench.

Nicky Clark continues to partner Jon Daly in attack despite scoring just two goals for the Gers this season.

The 22-year-old, who found the net more than 40 times for Queen of the South at this level last season, is not worried by his recent record and he is confident that the goals will soon flow.

Clark told reporters: "You always want more. I've scored two so far and I would like to score more but I'm not really getting worried about it. I know they will come. I just want to keep playing the way I'm playing just now. I feel as though I'm playing well and the goals will eventually come."

Rangers, who will be captained by Lee McCulloch, have just finished their much-needed warm-up on what is a freezing-cold night at Gayfield Park. Arbroath team news should be in soon.

ARBROATH STARTING XI: Morrison, Banjo, Hamilton, Travis, Donaldson, Scott, Linn, Chisholm, Sheerin, Erwin, Cook.

ARBROATH SUBS: Wilson, Keddie, Smith, Milne, Bayne, Yao, Sibanda.

Arbroath boss Paul Sheerin: "There's no pressure on us tonight. We've been on a bad run, so this is probably a good time to play Rangers because we've got nothing to lose."

Ranger manager McCoist on his two changes: "Arnold [Peralta] had an international match in South America so we thought he could do with a rest, but Aird deserves his chance. MacLeod has trained really well too."

PREDICTION: Rangers seem unstoppable at this level. They have scored 20 goals and conceded just three in their six away games in Scottish League One. Meanwhile, Arbroath have the leakiest defence in the division, having shipped an average of 2.46 goals in their 13 games so far. I don’t expect that figure to improve tonight and I’m predicting an away victory by three goals or more.

KICKOFF! Arbroath get the game underway.

Lee Wallace charges forward and is brought down by David Banjo just outside the box, left of centre.

GOAL! ARBROATH 0-1 RANGERS (JON DALY).

Ian Black delivers an in-swinging free kick and Jon Daly, unmarked, nudges the ball home from close range. He has now scored 13 goals this season.

That early goal has quietened the home fans and it is the away supporters, many of whom have made the 101-mile trip from Glasgow, that are making most of the noise right now.

Robert Linn speeds aways down the left and McCulloch makes a strong challenge to clear behind for the game's first corner.

Linn's corner is a decent one, but Rangers are well organised and the danger is cleared.

Nicky Law leads a quick break for Rangers and then feeds a slick pass wide to MacLeod, whose low cross is well gathered by goalkeeper Scott Morrison.

Black wins Rangers' first corner of the game as his low cross from the byeline is blocked.

Aird's first cross is poor and cleared at the near post, but Law gets the ball back to the 18-year-old, who wins another corner. This time, Aird's delivery is good, finding McCulloch, who heads over from eight yards.

The sides seem to be playing 5-3-1-1 and 4-4-2 respectively. Despite Arbroath's extra man in the centre of midfield, Rangers are dominating possession and the visitors look very dangerous going forward.

Rangers full-back Wallace gets forward again down the left. He tries his luck from 25 yards, but drags a poor effort comfortably wide. Arbroath should be worried by how easily Wallace advanced there.

Wallace is the danger man again, reaching the byline and fizzing in a low cross, which is hacked off the line.

Rangers are playing some lovely football and there is a real zip about their passing. MacLeod crosses towards Daly, but Michael Travis heads behind for a corner.

GOAL! ARBROATH 0-2 RANGERS (BRADLEY DONALDSON OWN GOAL).

Aird's corner is cleared, but Rangers regain possession and MacLeod cuts in from the left, before shooting low across goal. His effort is off target, but it takes two deflections and finds the net.

Aird's corner is cleared, but Rangers regain possession and MacLeod cuts in from the left, before shooting low across goal. His effort is off target, but it takes two deflections and finds the net.

Rangers come close to adding a third goal from another corner. Aird's inswinger finds the head of Sebastien Faure, who directs a powerful effort over the bar.

Law embarks on a terrific jinking run through the middle and then slips the ball right to Clark, who slices wide from 18 yards.

Banjo does well to clear the ball off the head of Daly for another Rangers corner. It is taken short by MacLeod to Wallace, whose whipped delivery is just too high for Clark.

BOOKING! Arbroath come forward down the right and Lee Erwin beats Bilel Mohsni for pace. The Frenchman brings Erwin down just outside the penalty area and referee Iain Brines issues a yellow card to the Rangers defender.

It's a difficult angle, but Sheerin shoots from the free kick, sending his curling effort just over Cammy Bell's crossbar.

GOAL! ARBROATH 0-3 RANGERS (NICKY CLARK).

Rangers have their 50th league goal of the season as Wallace drifts in a cross from the right and finds Clark, who flicks the ball into the far corner.

HALF TIME: ARBROATH 0-3 RANGERS

Rangers are cruising at the break. They have had 67% of possession and recorded seven shots, compared to Arbroath's one.

The Gers have had seven of the game's eight corners and committed three of the game's eight fouls.

Rangers boss McCoist: "I'm absolutely delighted with that half. We've bossed the game and have been pretty clinical too."

SECOND HALF KICKS OFF! Rangers get the game back underway. Neither side have made any substitutions during the break.

Arbroath have not made any personnel changes, but they have switched formation. They begin the second half operating with a 4-4-2 system.

The hosts come close as Linn skins Mohsni down the left before firing in a low cross, which just evades the stretching Erwin in the middle.

Up the other end, MacLeod shoots from long range, but his effort catches a deflection, which sees the ball trickle through to the keeper.

BOOKING! Rangers midfielder Black is shown a yellow card for tugging Alan Cook to the floor midway inside the Gers half.

BOOKING! Travis joins Black on a yellow following a foul on Daly.

More attacking intent from the hosts. A nice run and pass from Linn finds Erwin, who is dispossessed on the edge of the area by Mohsni's well-timed tackle.

WOODWORK! Black finds Daly with a brilliant defence-splitting pass and the Rangers frontman places his low shot towards the bottom corner of Morrison's net. However, the Arbroath keeper gets the faintest of fingertips to the shot, deflecting the ball onto the post and clear.

It should be 4-0, but Law, one-on-one with Morrison, lifts his effort over the bar from six yards.

Black runs forward and, as the Arbroath defenders continue to back off, he accepts the invitation to shoot from 25 yards. His low drive is blocked and falls into the path of Daly, who balloons over from close range.

WOODWORK! Arbroath come close to pulling one back. Erwin slides a pass through to Linn, who, from the right corner of the six-yard box, sidefoots a shot onto the outside of the near post.

SUB: Rangers make the first change of the game, as Kyle Hutton replaces the lively Aird.

SUB: McCoist tinkers some more, bringing Robert Crawford on in place of Black.

SUBS: The hosts make two changes, as Darren Smith and Graham Bayne come on for Sheerin and Christopher Scott.

Clark shoots narrowly wide of goal from 25 yards.

SUB: Arbroath make their final alteration of the night, as Erwin is replaced by Steven Milne.

Wallace overlaps down the left and gets in behind the Arbroath defence. He should score, but, with the outside of his preferred foot, he fires two yards wide of the far post.

Tonight's official attendance is 3,912. The Rangers fans among the crowd are making all of the noise and have just provided us with a lovely chorus of 'God Save the Queen'.

Travis concedes a corner, which is swung in to Mohsni, who heads over from six yards out.

Rangers look like they are happy just to keep the ball right now. Ally McCoist's men want their 14th clean sheet of the season (in all competitions). And it looks likely that they will get it.

FULL TIME: ARBROATH 0-3 RANGERS

Magic number: Rangers record their 13th straight league win of the season, as leading marksman Daly nets his 13th goal of the campaign.

Arbroath improved in the second half. Their switch to 4-4-2 meant that they were able to pressurise Rangers higher up the pitch. However, the champions-elect should have added to their lead, with Wallace, Daly and Law all wasting good chances.

Winning manager McCoist: "I was really pleased, particularly with the first half. We started well and everything about our first-half display was good. I said at half time that I thought we could have been more clinical and that was certainly the case in the second half. But, all in all, this is a great result."

Arbroath player-manager Sheerin: "Tonight was very frustrating. We didn't give ourselves a chance. I tried to set us up to try to stay in game for as long as possible, but then we concede in the second minute. I thought we let ourselves down in the first half. We improved after half time, but it was a very frustrating night all round."

STATS:

SHOTS (ON TARGET):
Arbroath: 4 (1)
Rangers: 17 (3)

CORNERS:
Arbroath: 2
Rangers: 10

POSSESSION:
Arbroath: 38%
Rangers: 62%

FOULS:
Arbroath: 8
Rangers: 5


That concludes our coverage of tonight's match at Gayfield Park. Thanks again for joining Sports Mole. Goodnight.

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Rangers manager Ally McCoist looks on from the stand during the pre season friendly match between Rangers and Newcastle United at Ibrox Stadium on August 06, 2013
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