Gregory was forced to change the side due to the suspension of Lomas and with the R’s physio department being up to its usual standard the players everyone thought would be back weren’t. Royce was in goal behind Mancienne, Rehman, Stewart and skipper Bignot. Ainsworth, Smith, Bailey and Cook lined up in midfield with Blackstock partnered up front by Nygaard.  

Rangers started in fine fettle with Lee Cook stretching his legs from the off. A typically jinking run was halted in unceremonious style by Kevin Foley. From the freekick Cook sent an effort swerving over the bar without troubling Hatters keeper Brill. 

Stefan Bailey was next to try his luck after some bustling midfield play that would be the hallmark of an excellent afternoons work from the combative teenager. He managed to barrel his way past a couple and the ball bounced up for him to strike. He tried to cut a right footed volley at the top corner but only managed to send it swerving into the R’s fans crammed uncomfortably behind the goal. 

Luton were screaming for a pen when Ahmet Brkovic burst through the middle and was pursued by Damion Stewart. The big Jamaican went shoulder to shoulder with the little Croatian and the wide man threw himself theatrically to the ground. D’Urso waved the protests away and rightly so. Stewart had done nothing apart from be stronger than his opponent. 

Just after the half hour mark Rangers took the lead when they won a freekick in front of the conservatories. Cook came across to send a great ball swinging in toward Brill’s goal. The Luton defence seemed to part and Brill wasn’t decisive and Jimmy Smith didn’t need asking twice. He followed the ball in and bundled home from a yard for his fifth for the club and third in two games.  

Chubby full back Lewis Emanuel hauled himself up the field to fire well wide of the target shortly after and the Kenilworth Road crowd were up for a pen again a minute later when right winger Edwards took his turn to hit the deck in theatrical style. This time the Trinidadian was being pressured by Bignot and collapsed to the turf six yards from goal. The lady lino didn’t give it and her failure to do so provoked a withering attack from Mike Newell after the game that will surely see him hauled to Soho Square in the near future.  

Blackstock should have done better when he was presented with a great chance by Cook. He found plenty of space but only managed to fire high over the bar; the ball did end up in the net but only after bouncing off the roof and then Brill! On the stroke of halftime Rangers surrendered their advantage by conceding two goals in what seemed to be an eternity of stoppage time. 

Firstly Bignot knocked the ball out for a throw near halfway and was caught way out of position as a result. The quick throw found Robinson who had managed to steal in behind the otherwise outstanding Stewart and he bore down on goal. Rehman sold himself too early and slid past the cross before it had even left Robinson’s foot. Adam Boyd, so prolific in his time at Hartlepool, burst into the box, Robinson picked him out and it was 1-1. Rangers were rocking now and as the game was entering the fifth minute of first half stoppage time they allowed Luton to take the lead. 

A corner wasn’t cleared properly and the ball eventually found its way to Rowan Vine. He laid the ball off for David Bell and the former Rushden man sent in a great ball that was attacked by Brkovic. The smallest man on the field timed his leap perfectly and glanced a great header into the corner that left Royce helpless. Quite where D’Urso managed to find all of the injury time from is a mystery, perhaps he thought he should have given the pen and wanted to allow some time to make up for it! As soon as Rangers restarted he blew for the break.

During the fifteen minute interval Gregory appeared to have flicked the switch that Rangers seem to have which sees them rampage forward from all angles in search of the equaliser. Six minutes after the restart the ball was played forward to Ainsworth and he attacked Emanuel. The ball bounced out of play for a corner, although Emanuel thought different, and Cook came across to take the set piece. His ball into the near post caused havoc and Finnish centre back Markus Heikkinen inadvertently turned the ball into his own net. 

Suitably refreshed Rangers poured forward again and this time Bignot won a corner on the left having overlapped Cook. Jimmy Smith came across to take the kick and his low ball to the near post was flicked on by Marc Nygaard and Blackstock walked into the six yard box completely unmarked to side foot home. 

Rangers were playing well now without managing to create much in the way of clear cut chances. Nygaard seemed to have found another gear, a forward one this time, and was having a really good game. He showed lovely quick feet a couple of times to work himself some space and on one occasion pinged a fifty yard cross field ball to Cookie that Glenn Hoddle would have been happy with.  

At the other end the back four was performing as a unit for a change and Stewart and Mancienne in particular were looking as solid as a rock. Mancienne has an ability to head the ball an absolute mile and if Gregory could solve the full back issue then I would like to see him in the middle with Stewart as they could work well together.  

Carlos Edwards did manage to evade the attentions of the R’s back four for a moment following a swift counter attack. Brkovic crossed from the left and Edwards managed to bash his volley into the ground which meant it looped over Royce’s bar. Luton were starting to come on strong now and it was all hands to the pump to repel their advances. 

Nygaard was defending like a man possessed when he came back for corners and freekicks and he and Stewart seemed to be in the way of everything. Anything that fell outside the box was being attacked by Bailey who was producing a brutal display of tackling for a man of such tender years. He cut man mountain Leon Barnett down at the knees with one scything challenge and in the closing stages he produced a block on Warren Feeney that nearly launched the Ulsterman out of the ground. 

Late on in the game the balance of play swung back towards Rangers and Jimmy Smith came within inches of scoring a second having won a freekick on the edge of the box with some lovely quick feet. He stepped up and curled the ball over the wall and a fraction wide with Dean Brill nothing more than a worried spectator. Gallen came on as a late sub for Blackstock but only lasted nine minutes before injury intervened and Ward took his place. 

D’Urso gave another three minutes injury time to add to the farcical five minutes in the first half and in that time the impressive Barnett almost managed to snaffle an equaliser but couldn’t make the contact he needed. The final whistle brought was many considered to be a deserved victory for the R’s. The ever bitter Mike Newell though it was a robbery and then launched his attack on the lady lino and his chairman in an incredible post match rant. John Gregory had no such problems; he was in the car on the way to a Bruce Springsteen concert! 

Rangers played well and although they allowed Luton to score two goals Royce really didn’t have a save to make. Mind you, Rangers did manage to score three with only two shots on target which aint bad! The key to the game was a far more solid defensive display albeit against a side that hadn’t notched in four before this one. The display may not have been as fluent as it was in the second half against Palace but the goals keep coming, the points keep coming and going to watch The Rangers is suddenly a fun way to spend an afternoon again. 

Man of the Match – Damion Stewart. This was Stew Peas’ best display in an R’s shirt by a mile. He was strong in the air, quick across the deck and tenacious in the challenge. He has to carry this on now as the while unit seemed far more assured as a result.

simon@qprnet.com