Gregory opted for a more solid looking midfield against a Hull side that had been in good form since Phil Brown took over. Royce was in goal behind Kanyuka, Stewart, Mancienne and Bignot. Smith, Lomas, Bircham and Cook were in midfield with Blackstock and Jones up front. New signing Sami Timoska was on the bench following receipt of his international clearance. 

It was pretty clear from the off what sort of game this was going to be as Bircham made his mark with a cynical trip on Dean Marney after the former Spurs man had skipped past him. Both teams seemed nervous and weren’t able to stretch the opposing keepers. Bircham had a long range volley easily held by Myhill before Parkin missed a sitter at the other end having been played in by Barmby. 

Rangers central pairing of Lomas and Bircham was certainly getting the better of their Hull counterparts and The Tigers weren’t able to create much through the middle of the park. Hull did manage to get the ball in the net but the whistle had already gone for offside when Steve McPhee fired low past Royce. Michael Dawson then blazed an effort wide when a goal seemed certain and then McPhee should have done better a minute later when a poor back header from Stewart gifted him a chance that he could only lob wide of the net. 

The game was getting more fractious by the minute now and the ball seemed to spend more time being knocked out of play to let people get treatment than anything else. Bignot had already taken a heavy knock and had some treatment when he got another one that forced him off. Timoska came on for his debut and slotted in at left back, a position in which he never seemed comfortable. 

Then followed some tit for tat bad sportsmanship from either side as Bircham kicked the ball back to Hull to restart with a throw near their corner flag. When it was Hull’s turn to do the same, Parkin responded in kind. Then deep into first half stoppage time, of which there was five minutes, Rangers took the lead. 

Lee Cook danced his way past Sam Ricketts and crossed to the near post where Jones challenged Myhill and the Hull keeper spilled the ball. Blackstock was on hand to poke home from a yard for his eighth of the season and second in two after a long drought. There was still time for some late drama in the half as Parkin hammered Kanyuka after a foul had already been given but received just a yellow card. 

At half time I had been explaining to those around me that Miller was one of those refs that tried to let the game flow and avoid getting the cards out, how wrong I would be proved in the second half as he went absolutely potty! First Hull were the ones getting the cards flashed about as Ashbee and Livermore went into the book in quick succession. The ref had caused Ashbee’s card himself to be honest after giving another baffling decision and the Hull skippers rage boiled over and he tried to hoof the ball out of the stadium! 

Rangers were being forced deeper and deeper into their own half as Hull came out with all guns blazing. Forster had come on for Barmby at the break and he went past Kanyuka before hitting the side netting with a low shot. He wouldn’t get past Kanyuka a few minutes later though as the big centre back took him down at the chest as he burst past him. Incredibly Big Pat didn’t even get booked when many refs would have been looking for a red.  

Form the freekick Dean Marney hit a shot that was deflected and was suddenly spinning more than a Shane Warne googly. The ball swerved past the helpless Royce before hitting the post and falling for Mancienne to hammer it clear. Gregory then made a baffling substitution as Bircham was replaced by Baidoo with Smith moving into the middle. I can only surmise that Gregory wanted to try and use Shabba’s pace to get the ball away from danger with the ball over the top but when Bircham went off Rangers barely saw the ball again. 

Forster forced Royce to tip his low shot past the post after once again ghosting past the out of position Kanyuka. Rangers may have been better served swapping Mancienne and Kanyuka over as Pat was getting done for pace time and again. From the resulting corner Dawson headed Marney’s delivery against the face of the bar as Rangers continued to ride their luck. 

There was a moment of rare respite for Rangers as they managed to break upfield and create a chance for Jones. The big striker shot for the near post and missed the target when he should really have gone across the keeper toward the three supporting players. At the other end Parkin missed a sitter from three yards when it seemed far easier to score. 

Blackstock soon found his way into the book after lunging in on a Hull player that had blatantly felled him seconds before. Had Miller awarded the first freekick he could have saved booking him but he was giving Rangers absolutely nothing now in a display that was bordering on farcical at times. 

With ten minutes left Phil Brown played his final card when Stuart Elliott replaced David Livermore and it would turn out to be a game winning change. Five minutes from time the ball was played into the feet of Parkin and Timoska came tight to stop him turning. Cook tracked the run of Marney on the outside but then stopped as Parkin turned the ball into his path. The former loan Ranger looked up and picked out Elliott coming in from the other wing and he slammed home from five yards to level the scores. 

Far from deflated Rangers went up the other end and should have been given the chance to regain the lead. The ball was played into the feet of Furlong in the box and his shirt was pulled and then his legs taken from under him. It was as blatant a pen as you will see and Miller lifted his whistle to his mouth but then stopped as the ball rolled towards Cook. Cook then lost the ball in the challenge with Marney and was caught in the face by a flailing arm and went to ground, albeit very easily, for what could easily have been a penalty itself. No decision came and an apoplectic Cook chased Miller to the halfway line to offer his views on the matter.  

Miller wasted no time in fishing the cards out and Cook got his second yellow, the first of which had come after a foul following the non award of one against him, sound familiar? As Cook slowly marched off he gave Miller another piece of his mind for good measure. You cannot condone Cook’s actions in this matter but once again it is a case of cause and effect. Had Miller just done his job and given the pen it would never have happened. Similarly if he had penalised the blatant fouls on Blackstock and Cook they would never have lunged in and got booked themselves.  

Then the inevitable happened and Hull snatched a late, late winner to take all three points. A corner from Marney on the left found Elliott who had managed to wriggle between Jones and Stewart and he planted a fine header over Baidoo on the line and in. The stadium erupted as the small band of R’s followers hung their heads after watching the team implode in the final five minutes. 

In the remaining minutes of stoppage time Smith went close but to no avail and Hull City were level on points with the R’s and the bottom of the table had tightened up a notch. The two key moments for me were the Bircham substitution and the non award of the penalty.  

The change in midfield meant that Lomas was tackling on his own and it was too much for him. Baidoo barely touched the ball when he came on, through no fault of his own, as the ball was just getting lumped away aimlessly and coming straight back. The penalty decision was just shocking and Mr Miller should hang his head of he feels that he gave anything like an acceptable performance. To be fair both sides felt the full force of his incompetence but it was that decision that proved more costly. 

Man of the Match – Steve Lomas. After Birch went off he was a one man band in midfield but he never gave up the fight. When Birch was with him the two of them had the midfield pretty well sewn up.

simon@qprnet.com