Stumble to the finish line...but last lap bell has finally sounded for Gers journeymen
IT IS said that a title race is a marathon and not a sprint. The finishing line has been in sight for some time now, but Rangers are limping towards it rather than getting set to burst through the tape.
The champagne remains on ice at Ibrox, but it shouldn’t be long before the Light Blue legions can get their celebrations started. When it comes, it will be worth the wait for Rangers.
For several weeks, it has been a matter of when, not if, Mark Warburton and his players would be able to toast title glory.
They were seconds away from a Championship coronation on Saturday before Raith Rovers crashed the party.
Now, having let one opportunity slip through their grasps, Rangers will be determined to make the most of their second when Dumbarton visit Ibrox tomorrow evening.
The end-to-end, actionpacked encounter in Kirkcaldy had all the ingredients of a last day title decider but the destination of the silverware is still not in doubt.
Come the end of a six goal thriller, there was frustration and disappointment for Warburton’s side and the several thousand strong Gers travelling support.
But there was comfort in the knowledge they don’t have to wait long for another chance to finish the job.
The goals from Harry Forrester, Michael O’Halloran and Kenny Miller were celebrated wildly, as were the two in Paisley as news filtered through that St Mirren had come from behind to lead Hibernian. The equaliser for Alan Stubbs’ side doesn’t change Rangers’ goal against the Sons, however.
Three strikes weren’t enough to secure the three points that Warburton’s side needed. A familiar failing cost them when it mattered most this term.
There was little keeper Wes Foderingham could have done to stop Louis Longridge’s spectacular opener but, like the defence in front of him, he was culpable for Rovers’ second as James Craigen brought Ray MacKinnon’s side level.
After the break, Rangers were cut open too easily on a couple of occasions, Foderingham saving well from Harry Panayiotou before a superb stop from the striker’s penalty looked to have won the game, and the title.
Just seconds later, Rangers failed to clear their lines, Panayiotou scrambled the ball over the line and the party was cancelled.
After throwing away victory at Falkirk with a late collapse and shipping three against Queen of the South, it was an unwanted hat-trick for Rangers as the spotlight once again fell on their defensive capabilities.
“I am not going to turn round and say conceding three goals is good for us, but, at the same time, we have got to learn from it,” Warburton said.
“The first goal was a wonder strike, left foot on the fall, great strike. The second goal was sloppy, we didn’t get out to the ball and the third goal, we felt that things happened before that. We will look at it and see what we can learn.”
It could, of course, all have been so different for Rangers and Warburton was unhappy with the decision that chalked off a Miller strike for offside in the penultimate minute.
But the Light Blues made mistakes of their own, especially when Jason Holt ballooned a shot into the stand