After the good point at Derby in the week Gregory made changes to the side. Camp returned in goal behind a back four of Mancienne, Cullip, Stewart and Bignot. Ainsworth, Idiakez, Bolder and Cook lined up in midfield with Nygaard and Furlong up front. 

The home side were quick out of the blocks and looked keen to keep the ball and knock it about as much as they could. Camp was called into action within the first two minutes when Iain Hume found space in the box and forced him into a smart save. Jarrett then had a poke from fully thirty yards but once again found the England Under 21 keeper equal to the effort. 

Rangers were struggling to get anything going and certainly weren’t being helped by the incredibly fussy referee. Mr Swarbrick was penalising Furlong and Nygaard every time they went for a ball and as a result it was impossible to build anything. Leicester weren’t having such problems though as their more technical approach through midfield meant that they were getting into shooting range often. 

A solitary header wide from Furlong was all Rangers had to show in response to the Foxes bombardment. Full back Maybury was next to have a poke and once again Camp saved with aplomb. Swarbrick was flexing the cards now and Stewart went into the book for a foul on Hume that didn’t really seem worthy of the pencil lead. 

Just after the half hour Danny Cullip found himself in the book in the most ridiculous caution of the day. Horsfield was all over him and Cullip stayed strong to win the header. The referee saw nothing but the lino, fully forty five yards away, did and flagged for the free kick. Swarbrick pulled out his card immediately and booked Cullip, despite seeing no offence himself and not being in contact with the lino! Awful decision! From the free kick Camp once again produced a splendid save to deny Hume. 

Still Rangers offered nothing going forward and Camp was in the action again as the blonde haired Stephen Hughes had a crack from range and once again forced the young custodian into an excellent save. It really was Camp against the rest at this point and fortunately for Rangers he was up to the task. 

On the stroke of half time the R’s fans were made to look daft by an incredible miss from Nygaard. The ball had somehow broken to the giant Dane in the box and he turned to face the goal a little more than six yards out. His effort had beaten keeper Henderson but he contrived to knock it past the post with the noisy Rangers fans already up celebrating. 

The half time talk centred around where we were going to find a goal from in this game and how long it would take for Gregory to haul Nygaard off! There was certainly some humble pie being eaten by the final whistle and your intrepid reporter was enjoying a hearty slice! The teams kicked off the second half and it was clear that the manager had rattled into the players as they were like a team possessed. 

Cook was felled as he tried to jink away from his man and Rangers sent men into the box for the free kick. Bignot launched the ball toward Nygaard at the far post and he headed back across the box where Inigo Idiakez was waiting and he planted a superb header out of the reach of Henderson and into the far corner to give Rangers the lead. 

This was the ultimate slap in the chops for the home side who must have had almost 75% possession in the first half and been able to do nothing with it. The Spaniard had again shown some nice touches but failed to get going until this point. It was a pinpoint header though and not exactly the type of goal you would associate with him. 

The R’s fans cranked up the noise and five minutes later the chance came for a second goal as Leicester conceded a criminally soft penalty. A corner wasn’t cleared properly and looped high into the air and Furlong moved to get under it. As he locked his eyes on the ball he was bumped in the back right under the nose of fusspot Swarbrick and he didn’t hesitate in pointing the spot.  

Idiakez picked up the ball and then shocked everyone when he threw it straight to Nygaard! The Dane had tucked a nice pen at home against Watford last season but nobody thought he would be taking this. He stepped up and sent the keeper the wrong way as he sent the ball into the bottom left hand corner as he looked at it. 

This was the stuff of dreams and the first time this season that Rangers had managed to open up a two goal lead away from home! The game settled down now with Rangers happy to keep the ball and feed off of Nygaard and Furlong as the hosts huffed and puffed. Cullip and Stewart were all over Horsfield and Hume now and they were getting no joy at all. 

Just after the hour mark both sides made a change, Elvis Hammond came on for Horsfield for the home side and Gregory threw on Lomas for Idiakez to try and make the midfield a touch more combative. The Spaniard is still searching for fitness and having played the full ninety at Derby he was only likely to stay on if Rangers were in a bit of strife. 

As the game approached then final twenty minutes Rangers wrapped up the points with what will win the clubs goal of the season competition at a canter! A long ball up field was flicked on by Furlong into the path of Nygaard who seemed to have taken up station on the right flank. As the ball headed toward him the Danish striker started to measure his stride and you just knew he was hitting it. He made the sweetest contact on the volley from wide on the right and the ball screamed over the head of the bewildered Henderson and in! It was a stunning effort and not really what we have come to expect from Nygaard who has been incredibly frustrating for the large part of this season. No excuses now though, we all know what you’ve got in your locker! 

The home side responded by bringing on Danny Tiatto and he didn’t take long to make his mark by raking his studs down Nygaard’s leg after the striker had slid in to rob him of the ball. As usual referee Swarbrick thought little of it but showed he was happy to book players for the most innocuous looking incidents. 

Leicester were trying to respond as Rangers understandably started to sit back on their comfortable lead. Shaun Newton launched an effort a mile over the bar before Cook came to Rangers rescue from a corner. Patrick Kisnorbo made a good connection from the ball in and Cook maintained his station on the post to head off the line. Camp was then called into action to bravely save from Newton after a half in which he had to do very little other than make sure the swirling wind didn’t mess his hair up!

As the game entered four minutes injury time the home side were awarded a penalty for an apparent hand ball by Cullip. A cross from the right certainly struck the burly centre back on the hand but from our vantage point in the opposite corner of the stadium it looked outside the box. The players clearly thought it was outside the box as they surrounded the referee to complain about it. Iain Hume stepped up and lashed the ball down the middle. In truth it was probably the best plan as if he had gone for a corner the inspirational Camp would have had a bloody good go at saving it. 

There was no more drama though and the final whistle brought great celebrations from the R’s fans. This was an excellent second half display and whilst there weren’t many chances to speak of the ones that presented themselves were finished clinically. Nygaard’s goal was an incredible effort and it may be the one that finally endears him to the fans after a terrible season so far. 

The two week break should allow Blackstock and Rowlands the chance to recover from their hamstring injuries to play in the two tough home games against West Brom and Preston. We have to take at least four points from these two and if we manage it then it is game on! 

Man of the Match – Lee Camp. This game could have been over by half time had it not been for Camp’s heroics. He made save after save as Leicester poured forward and gave Rangers the platform to win it in the second half.

simon@qprnet.com