Rangers 2, Aberdeen 0.

LET no one be in any doubt. Aberdeen messed up badly at Ibrox last

night, and not for the first time either.

Yet they had arrived in Glasgow this time buoyed by a 4-0 destruction

of Hibernian in their previous game and believed they could beat Rangers

and move to the top of the premier division. They started in stirring

fashion, dominating the first 20 minutes or so, but they were

profligate. Wasteful.

Chances were created and squandered, and then Aberdeen were taught

that the defending champions often feed off the deficiencies of others.

Mark Hateley took it upon himself to teach a lesson, and it will be some

time before Aberdeen's stand-in keeper, Michael Watt, will forget.

He was put between the sticks because Theo Snelders had flu, and after

a prmising start when he did well to block a fierce Gordon Durie drive,

Watt came off second best in two challenges with the human piledriver,

Hateley. Both times the keeper was left wondering what had happened

while Hateley was off saluting his fifteenth and sixteenth goals which

took Rangers back to the top of the division on goal difference.

Their match against Motherwell, who also have 25 points, assumes great

significance and most of the 45,182 customers left the ground believing

Rangers, who have now gone seven matches without defeat, are putting

together the sort of run which can win the main prize. With Hateley in

such rampaging form, it is easy to accept this attitude. He remains the

best, and the most feared striker in the country.

After Rangers had taken time to settle to their task and Aberdeen had

been forced to reshuffle at the back with the departure of Stewart

McKimmie, who hurt an ankle and was replaced with Lee Richardson, in 26

minutes Hateley went to work. A long ball from Richard Gough bounced in

front of Watt and dropped to Hateley, who didn't hang around to

commiserate.

''I think the lad took his eye off the ball. He may have glanced at

me,'' Hateley said afterwards. If Watt did in fact look at the striker

bearing down, who could blame him.

That goal, in 28 minutes, stunned Aberdeen and before they could

stagger to the interval, Hateley struck again. This time, three minutes

from the break, David Robertson's high ball fell between Hateley and the

keeper and there could only be one winner. Hateley said he sensed Watt

was expecting him to head the ball so he decided to take it on his chest

instead.

He did, but cleared Watt out of the way also, and again Hateley had a

gaping goal at his mercy. This is normally where us hacks would write

''he doesn't miss chances like that,'' and while he did score, he did

miss a chance like that later in the match. Somehow, the Englishman

managed to sidefoot the ball wide of the goal from only a few yards out,

but by then it didn't matter.

Aberdeen were well beaten and failed miserably to stretch Rangers'

hastily restructured defence after both central defenders, Gough and

John Brown, had retired injured. Gough (groin) did not return after the

break and Brown (calf) lasted only a couple of minutes of the second

half. Stephen Pressley and Ian Durrant took over.

Eoin Jess was strangely subdued and Duncan Shearer could not get much

change out of those opposing him while Rangers were cutting deeply into

Aberdeen's defences. Durie, who was making his home debut, and Hateley

always looked dangerous and in the end, Aberdeen were fortunate not to

concede more than two goals.

Hateley's no-nonsense style is the stuff to bring people to their

feet. He is Rangers' modern-day hero and one of the club's former

greats, Jock Wallace, was among those who applauded his killing

contributions. Wallace, who suffers from Parkinson's disease, was

re-introduced to the faithful before the kick off, and as you would

expect he was all about clenched fist salutes.

The fans loved it, and had it not been for the current Hateley, the

former manager would have been a hard act to follow.

RANGERS -- Maxwell, McCall, Robertson, Gough, McPherson, Brown,

Steven, Ferguson, Durie, Hateley, Murray. Substitutes -- Durrant,

Pressley, Scott.

ABERDEEN -- Watt, McKimmie, Wright, Kane, McLeish, Irvine, Miller,

Grant, Jess, Shearer, Connor. Substitutes -- Paatelainen, Richardson,

Stillie.

Referee -- D McVicar (Carluke).