After the Ipswich defeat there were changes to the starting XI. Camp remained in goal behind a back four of Mancienne, Cullip, Stewart and Bignot. Rowlands, new loan signing Idiakez, Bolder and Cook were in midfield with Blackstock and Furlong partnered up front. 

Rangers started like a house on fire and Wednesday were pressed back into their own half immediately. The pressure eventually resulted in Blackstock connecting with a Cook cross and forcing on loan Everton keeper Iain Turner into a fine save, tipping the ball over the top. The returning Blackstock was close to getting on the end of a Bignot cross also before Lee Cook was foiled by the woodwork. 

Cookie picked the ball up in midfield and unleashed a superb effort from fully thirty yards that crashed against the face of the bar. Quite what Turner in goal was up to I’m not sure; it looked like he made a horrendous misjudgement and left himself powerless to intervene. Mind you, an inch lower and no keeper in the world would have gotten anywhere near it. 

Cook was tearing Frankie Simek to ribbons and the former Gunner and Rangers loanee was taking drastic steps to stop him. With no answer to Cook’s pace and trickery he just kicked him every time he got within swinging distance. A stronger referee might have done something about it earlier; Simek would eventually be booked for possibly his seventh or eighth foul on the same player. Referee Woolmer turned in the most incompetent display in a season where the standard of officiating has sunk to an all time low. 

Blackstock forced Turner into another save before the Spanish stroller got in on the act. Inigo Idiakez had shown some decent touches and always wanted to get on the ball but as soon as there was a chance for a free kick his eyes lit up. After Cook had been dumped on his arse yet again Idiakez bent a shot round the wall and forced Turner to tip it wide. 

Furlong then shot wide on his right foot after working space well from Rowlands’ pass. Idiakez then produced a carbon copy free kick which in turn produced a carbon copy save from Turner. Half time came and it was incredible that Rangers hadn’t managed to get at least one having battered Wednesday for the entire half. 

The half time break saw some of the 1967 League Cup winning side on the pitch to celebrate the 40^th anniversary of the only time Rangers have won a piece of meaningful silverware (I’m not sure the Copa Ibiza is quite in that category!) Rangers were in the third tier of English football when they won the cup and with a team missing chance after chance there is a strong likelihood that they will be back in the third tier next season. 

After the break the inevitable happened and the visitors took the lead with their first shot in anger. Simek took a long throw and Damion Stewart failed to make a meaningful challenge and the ball was flicked on to the far post. Mancienne had gone to sleep back there and Chris Brunt was allowed to wander past to ram home from six yards. Mancienne has been superb at centre back in his time at Rangers and pretty poor at right back; it seems ridiculous that he is being played out there as he is clearly the best defender this club has had in years. 

Shortly after the goal Blackstock picked up a knock and went off to be replaced by Marc Nygaard. A few minutes later there was another change as Idiakez went off to be replaced by Ainsworth. The big Spaniard had shown some neat touches in a promising debut but is clearly lacking fitness after spending a large chunk of the season injured. He will improve that and his understanding with those around him will improve after more than one training session. 

Rangers were huffing and puffing a bit now. Cook continued to terrorise Simek and Simek continued to tenderise Cook! Rangers’ Player of the Season elect was still getting cross after cross into the box but it would be a combination between the two front men that would get Rangers back into the game. 

Nygaard played the ball to Furlong and then set off into the box to collect the return pass. As he jumped to control it Richard Wood got hold of his arm and hauled him to the floor for a blatant pen that not even the criminally inept Woolmer could fail to miss. Wood somehow escaped without a card of any variety; perhaps Woolmer had seen Nygaard play before and decided that him in front of goal six yards out doesn’t really constitute a goal scoring opportunity! 

Rowlands was charged with the responsibility of converting the kick and he did so with aplomb, sending the ball low to Turner’s right. Rowlands had turned in a poor showing for much of the afternoon but everyone was thankful for his ice cool approach to penalty kicks. 

Rangers almost gave away another ridiculous goal soon after when Bignot seemed to call Bolder to leave the ball and then failed to deal with it himself as it bounced in the box. Tudgay fed the ball into Brunt who turned Stewart and pulled a magnificent save out of Camp. Camp managed to get down low to his right to turn the shot past the post which is no mean feat when you consider what a clean striker of the ball the ever impressive Brunt is. After the game Brian Laws reckoned that Premiership clubs would soon be sniffing about, to be honest I am surprised they haven’t been already and the bloke has looked top class every time I have seen him play. 

Cook produced another piece of sublime skill to create a gilt edged chance for Rangers. He skipped his way past several lunging challenges before cutting the ball back for a Nygaard tap in but somehow the giant Dane allowed the ball to go through his legs, it was reminiscent of his awful miss at Palace earlier in the season. In injury time Furlong was denied by Turner as his two yards trundler was easily gathered. 

This was a game that Rangers should have won at a canter. With Leeds, Southend and Hull all picking up three points this was a real missed opportunity. The chronic failure to take our chances had hindered us for the bulk of the season except for that spell shortly after Gregory came when everything we hit seemed to go in. It seems baffling to me that we haven’t moved to bring a striker in on loan as we are desperately short in that area as yesterday proved once again. 

Two tough away games this week are not likely to yield anything in the way of points and if the teams around us pick up points again we could be bottom of the shop, albeit in a very tight six team mini league. To go bottom could shatter any last remnants of confidence and belief in this squad. I think that it still might go to the last day of the season with six teams not knowing what division they will be in next year, two or three wins on the spin now would almost guarantee safety. Can’t say I’m too hopeful you know… 

Man of the Match – Lee Cook. Contended with the roughhouse attentions of the Wednesday players to turn in another breathtaking display.

simon@qprnet.com