20th Aug 1994 Partick Thistle 0 Rangers 2 (SFL Premier Division - game 2)

matches:1994-95: ← 05game 0607 →

53y, 5m, 18d	John Lambie	Walter Smith

Albert Craig
Tom Smith

		David Byrne (0-1, og 8 mins); Mark Hately (0-2, 77 mins)

Albert Craig (Tom Smith, 76 mins); Isaac English (Ian Cameron [i], 78 mins)

23y, 2m, 23d	Craig Nelson	Andy Goram
33y, 5m, 15d	David Byrne	Stuart McCall
28y, 7m, 27d	Bobby Law	John Brown
31y, 3m, 24d	Willie Jamieson	Richard Gough
32y, 10m, 9d	Grant Tierney	Basile Boli
28y, 7m, 4d	Derek McWilliams	Dave McPherson
32y, 2m, 7d	Alex Taylor	Craig Moore
32y, 7m, 17d	Albert Craig	Ian Ferguson
27y, 11m, 4d	Roddy Grant	Duncan Ferguson
22y, 9m, 8d	Isaac English	Mark Hateley
31y, 2m, 9d	Chic Charnley	Brian Laudrup

29y, 6m, 11d

19y, 11m, 4d	Kevin Budinauckas	Ally Maxwell
27y, 11m, 27d	Ian Cameron [i]	Ian Durrant
20y, 10m, 8d	Tom Smith	Gordon Durie

TTA report

“Gorham plugs the holes in a rocky Rangers defence” (GH). An OG by Byrne (8) set up Rangers who were not at their best. Better luck might have made a difference but Taylor hit the bar just on half-time and magnificent saves to deny him and English meant it was Rangers' day. A header killed off Thistle's challenge (77).

Media report

22-Aug-1994, Glasgow Herald

IF ANY single player is likely to inspire Rangers to a memorable, even historic, win over AEK Athens on Wednesday, Andy Goram is favourite. The Scotland international keeper confirmed his magnificent current form against Partick Thistle in the 2-0 win at Firhill with two great saves and one that came into the incredible category. In this mood, it will take something special from the Greeks to beat him. Like all goalies when they are in form, Goram is carrying some good fortune. Alex Taylor would be the first to back that statement. He hit one of the best shots all afternoon, bending it with the side of his foot so successfully that it left Goram stranded on his line before hitting the bar and bouncing away. There is nothing you can do to cope with the predestined. But his team-mate, Isaac English, thought he had managed a genuine moment of defiance when he attempted to nullify the unfortunate own goal of his colleague David Byrne in the first half. The chance had come to him after a Richard Gough clearance was knocked straight back into the penalty area and bounced off a defender to him. English turned and hit the ball to the left of Goram, who was only a few yards away. Remarkably, the goalkeeper instinctively threw his right arm down and managed to get a hand to the ball, pushing it out of danger. It was a save that left English devastated and the rest of us flabbergasted.

The keeper, Brian Laudrup and Mark Hateley were all major contributors to a win that was only just earned against a Thistle side which might have come up with a surprise if they had been a little more fortunate and Goram had been elsewhere. Laudrup was well subdued in the first half, but he made some telling interventions after the break, in particular the run which ended with a chip to the far post for the Hateley goal which secured the three points. But the most influential Ibrox player was Stuart McCall, who is beginning to recapture the form that has won him so many admirers. In the kind of game that is the norm when one of the Old Firm is challenged at Firhill, his energy and ability to match physical strength with intelligent running are invaluable. But even in the different kind of contest that will ensue at Ibrox against the Greeks his style will be important. If Rangers lack a Ray Wilkins or Trevor Steven, unless he recovers in time, the midfield has to be compensated with energy and skill of the type McCall provides. His youthful aide, Craig Moore, is made of similar stuff but, as an Australian, is likely to miss the European tie because of the three-foreigner rule.

Thistle do not have any of these elite concerns, but they gave their fans a worthy afternoon’s work, with Derek McWilliams and Chic Charnley major players for them in different ways. Overall, though, it was teamwork and determination which served manager John Lambie well, even if he felt disappointed at the outcome. “I felt Rangers were there for the taking and we didn’t do it,” he said. “We opened them up so many times it wasn’t true.” That may have been a slight exaggeration, but there was no doubt the Ibrox defence looked oddly uncomfortable at times. Gough had a lot of work to do to maintain a steady line, but the problem may be the unusual style of his new colleague, Basile Boli. The Frenchman is a great player and will no doubt prove that in his time in Scotland, but for the moment he seems at times to be playing to the gallery, rather than concentrating on the job in hand. The game can do with all the characters it can find, but maybe Basile needs to learn the Scottish game first before he indulges himself. He suffered his first yellow card since coming to Glasgow after a lunging tackle on Roddy Grant early on but, to his credit, retained his sense of perspective and did not let himself down again. Grant said later that he felt Boli, like Paul Elliot when he came to Celtic, would suffer a lot of bookings in his first season before settling down. He is certain to be a favourite with the fans and he has some endearing touches. For example, he waved the Thistle trainer on to attend to an injured player before the referee had reached the scene. Basile rules, okay. Rangers took the lead after only eight minutes when a Moore throw-in was volleyed across goal, where Byrne instinctively stuck out a leg and steered it over his own line. That stayed the situation until Laudrup, who had already brought out a fine save from Craig Nelson, went on a meandering run before crossing from the right to the ubiquitous Hateley. That ended a gallant stand by the Jags, but they still look capable of testing any side in this league.

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