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).
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