Rangers and Bristol City played out a pulsating, action packed 2-2 draw at Ashton Gate as the new Championship season started with a bang. A draw was the least Rangers deserved from the game though as they gave their hosts a stark reminder about the differences between this division and the one below. 

Rangers were dealt a blow before the game when Ben Sahar was taken to hospital with suspect appendicitis. He was probably under the knife as his new team mates were kicking off! Camp was in goal behind a back four of Rehman, Mancienne, Stewart and Curtis. Moore, Bailey, Bolder and Rowlands lined up in midfield with Nardiello and Blackstock up top. There was a place on the bench for Friday’s loan signing from West Ham, Hogan Ephraim. 

The home side were the brighter team in the opening exchanges, which was only to be expected with a noisy, partisan crowd roaring them on. Stewart sliced a clearance that Camp had to gather under his bar before Enoch Showunmi, a former team mate of Stefan Bailey at Willesden Constantine, then headed an effort at goal that Camp took easily. Stewart then had to be alert to block a Lee Trundle effort after the million pound man had turned well. 

Rangers were struggling to clear their lines but when they did Nardiello served notice of what he is all about. Collecting the ball outside the box he worked space for himself before sending a deft chip onto the roof of the net. The Robins then went close again when former Millwall midfielder Marvin Elliot drove wide of Camp’s goal. 

Home keeper and former R’s trialist Adriano Basso was called into his first real action shortly before the half hour when Rangers won a free kick in a central position. Rowlands stepped up and curled a brilliant effort toward the top corner only to see the Brazilian keeper claw the ball to safety. Rangers were enjoying their best spell of the game now with plenty of possession and runners from midfield. Bailey had burst into the box a couple of times and Moore on the right flank was working tirelessly, ably assisted by Rehman. It was something of a surprise therefore when Bristol City hit the front against the run of play. 

Lee Johnson collected the ball in midfield and wasn’t closed down quickly enough and moved toward the edge of the area. He let fly with a right footed effort that Camp seemed to have covered but the power in the strike got the better of him and he let the ball through him and in via the post. Ashton Gate erupted and Camp was clearly furious with himself and rightly so, it was a bad error. 

At this point it could have been easy for Rangers to get steamrollered and I fancy the Gary Waddock version of this side might have, but the John Gregory version has got a bit of dog about it! Barely ninety seconds had passed since the opening goal before Rangers were back on terms. 

A hopeful long pass caused indecision in the Bristol City back line and the hopeless Hungarian Vasko left Basso to deal with the bouncing ball. Blackstock was onto it in a flash and bravely challenged the onrushing keeper and toed the ball over him and into the gaping net. The away end went mad whilst Basso was left in a crumpled heap on the deck. Basso struggled through to the break but wouldn’t reappear for the second half. 

Rangers came within a whisker of taking the lead when Rehman delivered a quality cross to the near post where the diving Moore was centimetres away from diverting it past Basso. At the other end Trundle crashed a ball into the side netting to get one side of the ground making fools of themselves before a Rehman clearance cannoned off Mancienne’s head and flew over the bar.

Deep into first half injury time Rangers were screaming for a pen after the ball bounced up and struck City skipper Louis Carey on the edge of the six yard box. It was impossible to tell what it had hit from behind the goal but Nardiello went spare at the ref and eventually talked his way into the book as the teams left the pitch at the break. 

Johnson made a double change at the break with Stephen Henderson replacing Basso and Liam Fontaine replacing Tamas Vasko who looked completely out of his depth against Blackstock. Trundle tested the R’s resolve with a shot that seemed to have beaten Camp only for Stewart to appear and clear the ball from beside the post. 

Play switched to the other end and Rowlands cut in from the left flank and dribbled across the face of the box. An opening suddenly appeared and he struck his shot well only to see it come back off the base of Henderson’s right hand upright. 

Ephraim was thrown on in place of Nardiello as Gregory tried to inject a bit more pace into the R’s attack. Ephraim went up front alongside Blackstock but he might be more likely to be deployed in a wide area in future games. Blackstock was off soon after though as he seemed to have taken a knock. Nygaard was sent on in his place. 

Rowlands and Ephraim linked up well only for the former to fire his shot wide of the post. Rowlands and Moore switched wings shortly after and from his place on the right Rowlands found himself denied by the woodwork for the second time in the half. Having breezed inside a defender Rowlands curled a left footer goalward that defeated Henderson only to crash down off the underside of the bar and away to safety. 

Rangers were dominating the game now and they were taking advantage of the home side susceptibility to the high ball from wide areas. From a corner the home side failed to deal with the cross and Rehman was denied by Henderson at the far post. The sub keeper and Joey Woodwork had been The Robins’ two best players in the half so far.  

Rowlands and Henderson were at it again soon after when Rowlands produced some brilliant close control to weave past three players only to see Henderson deny him from point blank range with a brilliant block. Then as the game entered second half injury time Bristol City looked to have won it thanks to a fabulous Scott Murray goal. 

Murray had been sent on for the largely ineffective Trundle and when he collected the ball twenty five yards from goal you almost knew what was coming. Murray has scored some stunners in his career with The Robins and this was no different. He turned tight and sent a curler looping over Camp into the top corner and then went steaming off round the pitch like they had just won the league! Gary Johnson was on the pitch celebrating and it seemed for all the world as though Rangers had thrown it away. 

Not this side though. Rangers went straight on the attack and won a free kick on the right. Rowlands aimed yet another high ball to the back post and Nygaard met it with a towering header and planted it into the six yard box. Bristol City had knocked off and both Bailey and Stewart were completely unmarked as the big Jamaican defender nodded home unopposed from five yards. For the second time in the game Rangers had taken advantage of a lack of concentration at the back for the home side to get back on level terms immediately.

The drama wasn’t finished though and the home side could still have won the game. A corner into the box fell at the feet of Marvin Elliott and he got a sweet strike away only to see Camp produce a stunning save diving to his right to palm the ball away. It was the sort of save that Camp has made his trademark in his loan spells at Rangers and it make his aberration for the first goal even more difficult to fathom. 

Referee Stroud brought a hugely entertaining game to a close and both sets of fans gave the teams a rousing send off. This was a great advert for The Championship with both sides going at it hammer and tongs for ninety minutes. The home side will probably think it was a fair result but when you have hit the woodwork twice away from home as well as scoring twice you can’t help but think you should have won it. 

For The Robins it served as a good indication of the difference between League One and The Championship. They would have won this game last season but now you simply cannot afford to lose concentration. The teams are better, the players are better and you will get punished. I am sure this is something that Johnson will be emphasising to his players in the coming weeks.

For Rangers there was plenty to be pleased with. The back four looked pretty solid, Mancienne in particular was outstanding. In midfield Bolder and Bailey got their foot in all afternoon and Bailey got forward more than I have ever seen him do. Rowlands was the best player on the park by a distance. Up top Blackstock and Nardiello linked well, Blackstock to his goal expertly and both subs caused problems when they were on. 

A game against Leyton Orient in the Carling Cup is up next and there might be the odd change. Blackstock may sit it out with a thigh knock and Ephraim might be in line for a run out along with the likes of unused subs Cullip and Bignot. The main focus though should be Cardiff next Saturday. They will have been stung by an opening day defeat and we will need to be bang at it to take the three points. 

Man of the Match – Martin Rowlands. On another day Rowly could have scored five goals. He dragged one wide, was denied twice by excellent saves and twice rattled the woodwork. Keep it going!

simon@qprnet.com