Jordan Smith (c) Rob DazellA match report from Trust board member David Cook
If new manager Michael Renwick needed reminding of the size of the task facing him at Shielfield Park,he got it in spades after Rangers suffered a crushing defeat at New Broomfield against a resurgent Airdrie United side on Saturday.Only Gary O'Connor's one-man show of defiance kept the score within reasonable limits,but the sad fact is that Rangers have lost all six fixtures on the road this season and are haemorrhaging more than three goals per game on their travels.Make no bones about it,that's relegation form,and the chairman's promise of desperately needed new blood in the January transfer window could come too late to save Rangers unless they experience a sudden upturn in form.
Despite their 2-0 defeat at Shielfield earlier in the season,Airdrie looked a decent outfit and their recent lack of form and the resultant pressure on manager Kenny Black seemed at odds with the quality of their playing staff.Bent on confounding their critics,the Diamonds were quickly out of the blocks and Stuart Noble forced Gary O'Connor into the first of a series of excellent saves after catching the Gers defence cold in the 4th minute.Two minutes later,Russell played in Noble again but O'Connor was once more equal to the task.Gemmell relieved the early pressure by using his pace to scare an occasionally leaden-footed home rearguard,but Smyth rescued the situation with a textbook tackle.With 17 minutes gone,Rangers cracked,Russell heading home Waddell's pinpoint cross.Gemmell threatened again a minute later,but normal service was quickly resumed and O'Connor denied Russell again and McDonald in quick succession.
With Rangers back four of Lennox,Horn (replaced by Bolo in the 25th minute),Smith and Noble under constant pressure and their midfield unable to retain possession for long enough to relieve the siege,there was a certain inevitability about Airdrie adding to their lead,which they duly did in the 34th minute.Waddell deftly set up the impressive Noble to execute a sharp turn and killer finish beyond the helpless O'Connor to double Airdrie's advantage.By now the triumvirate of Russell,Noble and Waddell were running riot and when the former was tugged back on another surging break into the box in the 41st minute it gave McKeown the opportunity to bury the resultant penalty beyond O'Connor.Game over,with Rangers' only remaining interest in keeping the score to a relatively respectable level.Their cause was not helped by the early loss of stalwarts Fraser and Horn to injury,but even had they been able to keep their best eleven on the park,Airdrie looked a cut above.
The half-time interval did little to change the flow of the game.One-way traffic continued and O'Connor did his Rorke's Drift thing again in the 53rd minute,clawing Donnelly's flashing header around the post before conceding a fourth goal in the 61st minute,McKeown grabbing a second after the Rangers defence was eviscerated by a brilliant pass from midfield.With Airdrie home and hosed and taking their foot off the gas with less than half an hour remaining,Rangers finally managed to threaten the home goal when sub Bolo's header deflected off Robertson's bar,though Prunty also hit the woodwork for the Diamonds in the 73rd minute after O'Connor blocked a Russell shot.O'Connor denied McKeown a deserved hat-trick minutes before the final whistle.
For Rangers,as a popular silver haired postar warbled a few years back,the only way is up.Michael Renwick needs time to impose his own management style on the team and he will have seen enough on Saturday to know where his priorities lie,but the imminent departure of the talented Danny Swanson will leave big gap to fill and the suspicion has to be that Renwick will find himself preparing for a sharp exit from the Third Division rather than consolidation in the Second.A paltry travelling support of 19 fans,one of the lowest at any away fixture in recent years,made clear what Rangers supporters think about the direction their team is taking.
O'Connor 9;Lennox 5;Horn 4;Smith 4;Noble 4;McLeish 5;Fraser 4;Swanson 5;Diack 4;Gemmell 6;Little 5.
Crowd - 850
If new manager Michael Renwick needed reminding of the size of the task facing him at Shielfield Park,he got it in spades after Rangers suffered a crushing defeat at New Broomfield against a resurgent Airdrie United side on Saturday.Only Gary O'Connor's one-man show of defiance kept the score within reasonable limits,but the sad fact is that Rangers have lost all six fixtures on the road this season and are haemorrhaging more than three goals per game on their travels.Make no bones about it,that's relegation form,and the chairman's promise of desperately needed new blood in the January transfer window could come too late to save Rangers unless they experience a sudden upturn in form.
Despite their 2-0 defeat at Shielfield earlier in the season,Airdrie looked a decent outfit and their recent lack of form and the resultant pressure on manager Kenny Black seemed at odds with the quality of their playing staff.Bent on confounding their critics,the Diamonds were quickly out of the blocks and Stuart Noble forced Gary O'Connor into the first of a series of excellent saves after catching the Gers defence cold in the 4th minute.Two minutes later,Russell played in Noble again but O'Connor was once more equal to the task.Gemmell relieved the early pressure by using his pace to scare an occasionally leaden-footed home rearguard,but Smyth rescued the situation with a textbook tackle.With 17 minutes gone,Rangers cracked,Russell heading home Waddell's pinpoint cross.Gemmell threatened again a minute later,but normal service was quickly resumed and O'Connor denied Russell again and McDonald in quick succession.
With Rangers back four of Lennox,Horn (replaced by Bolo in the 25th minute),Smith and Noble under constant pressure and their midfield unable to retain possession for long enough to relieve the siege,there was a certain inevitability about Airdrie adding to their lead,which they duly did in the 34th minute.Waddell deftly set up the impressive Noble to execute a sharp turn and killer finish beyond the helpless O'Connor to double Airdrie's advantage.By now the triumvirate of Russell,Noble and Waddell were running riot and when the former was tugged back on another surging break into the box in the 41st minute it gave McKeown the opportunity to bury the resultant penalty beyond O'Connor.Game over,with Rangers' only remaining interest in keeping the score to a relatively respectable level.Their cause was not helped by the early loss of stalwarts Fraser and Horn to injury,but even had they been able to keep their best eleven on the park,Airdrie looked a cut above.
The half-time interval did little to change the flow of the game.One-way traffic continued and O'Connor did his Rorke's Drift thing again in the 53rd minute,clawing Donnelly's flashing header around the post before conceding a fourth goal in the 61st minute,McKeown grabbing a second after the Rangers defence was eviscerated by a brilliant pass from midfield.With Airdrie home and hosed and taking their foot off the gas with less than half an hour remaining,Rangers finally managed to threaten the home goal when sub Bolo's header deflected off Robertson's bar,though Prunty also hit the woodwork for the Diamonds in the 73rd minute after O'Connor blocked a Russell shot.O'Connor denied McKeown a deserved hat-trick minutes before the final whistle.
For Rangers,as a popular silver haired postar warbled a few years back,the only way is up.Michael Renwick needs time to impose his own management style on the team and he will have seen enough on Saturday to know where his priorities lie,but the imminent departure of the talented Danny Swanson will leave big gap to fill and the suspicion has to be that Renwick will find himself preparing for a sharp exit from the Third Division rather than consolidation in the Second.A paltry travelling support of 19 fans,one of the lowest at any away fixture in recent years,made clear what Rangers supporters think about the direction their team is taking.
O'Connor 9;Lennox 5;Horn 4;Smith 4;Noble 4;McLeish 5;Fraser 4;Swanson 5;Diack 4;Gemmell 6;Little 5.
Crowd - 850
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