1st Nov 2003 Rangers 3 Partick Thistle 1 (Scottish Premier League - game 11)

matches:2003-04: ← 17game 1819 →

	Alex McLeish	Gerry Collins	48y, 7m, 20d

		John Paul McBride; James Grady; Derek Fleming; Ricky Waddell
		Stephane Bonnes; Stuart Taylor; Andy Thomson; Adrian Madaschi

Mikel Arteta (0-1, 8 mins); Michael Mols (0-2, 40 mins); Mikel Arteta (0-3, pen 77 mins)		James Grady (1-3, 82 mins)
Craig Moore; Michael Ball		Kenny Arthur; David Lilley; Grant Murray; Jamie Mitchell; Derek Fleming

Fernando Ricksen (Zurab Khizanishvili, 19 mins); Egil Ostenstad (Shota Arveladze, 36 mins); Christian Nerlinger (Stephen Hughes, HT)		Derek Fleming (Andy Ross, 62 mins); John Paul McBride (John Gemmell, 70 mins); David Lilley (Jean-Yves Anis, 74 mins)

	Stefan Klos	Kenny Arthur	24y, 10m, 25d
	Henning Berg	David Lilley	26y, 0m, 1d
	Fernando Ricksen	Derek Whyte	35y, 2m, 1d
	Craig Moore	Grant Murray	28y, 2m, 3d
	Michael Ball	Kenny Milne	24y, 2m, 6d
	Mikel Arteta	Jamie Mitchell	26y, 11m, 26d
	Christian Nerlinger	David Rowson	27y, 1m, 18d
	Nuno Fernando Gonçalves Da Rocha	John Paul McBride	24y, 11m, 4d
	Michael Mols	James Grady	32y, 7m, 18d
	Peter Lovenkrands	Derek Fleming	29y, 10m, 27d
	Egil Ostenstad	Ricky Waddell	22y, 8m, 28d

			27y, 6m, 9d

	Allan McGregor	Jákup Mikkelsen	33y, 2m, 18d
	Zurab Khizanishvili	Jean-Yves Anis	22y, 11m, 2d
	Paolo Vanoli	Adrian Madaschi	21y, 3m, 21d
	Stephen Hughes	John Gemmell	19y, 1m, 26d
	Shota Arveladze	Andy Ross	21y, 1m, 14d

TTA report

Injury-hit Thistle performed better than the score suggests. A goal down (8) following a Rangers free-kick, They dominated for long spells. Mitchell and Grady went close but Rangers made it 2-0 just on half-time. A penalty gave them a 3rd (foul by Anis, 77). Grady scored late on after good work by Ross (A).

Media report

01-Nov-2003, bbc.com

RANGERS STRUGGLE TO BEAT THISTLE. Rangers huffed and puffed their way to an unconvincing victory over the league's bottom club, who more than matched their opponents for much of the game. They were given the perfect start by Mikel Arteta who curled home a free kick early on. But Thistle went on to dominate the first half and were unlucky not to equalise. Michael Mols hit a superb second for Rangers and Arteta added a third from the penalty spot before James Grady pulled a late goal back for the Jags.

Rangers enjoyed most of the early possession and an early charge by Peter Lovenkrands was halted by illegal means, giving the home side a free kick just outside the box, despite fierce protests for offside against Mols by the Thistle defence. From the set-piece, Arteta curled a beautiful effort over the wall and in off the underside of Kenny Arthur's bar to give Rangers an eighth-minute lead. After 19 minutes, Thistle passed up an excellent chance of an equaliser when Jamie Mitchell burst through on goal, but his attempt was touched wide by Stefan Klos, although referee John Rowbotham gave a goal kick. John Paul McBride fired a free kick over the bar as Thistle stepped up the pressure, and on 27 minutes James Grady had a shot from 22 yards turned round the post by Klos. Six minutes later, Grady watched his glancing header creep narrowly wide of Klos' post as the frustration of the Rangers support grew as they watched their side out-played by the team at the bottom of the league. Alex McLeish was clearly not impressed either as he brought Shota Arveladze on for Egil Ostenstad with eight minutes left in the first half. However, Rangers' ineptitude was forgotten in the 40th minute when Michael Ball picked out the run of Mols and the Dutchman took a touch before lashing a left-foot volley past Arthur and into the net. Christian Nerlinger should have made it three four minutes later when Zurab Khizanishvili found Mols who cut the ball back into the path of the German, but with his weaker right foot, he sliced the ball high and wide. Nerlinger was forced to exit the play on the stroke of half time, with Stephen Hughes coming on, meaning Rangers had used all their subs after Khizanishvili had earlier replaced the injured Fernando Ricksen.

The second half started uneventfully. Arteta attempted a repeat of his earlier success from a dead-ball situation just outside the Thistle box after 71 minutes, but on this occasion his effort was marginally too high. Rangers won a penalty when Lovenkrands went down in the area under Jean-Yves Anis' challenge, although the Dane appeared to make the most of it as the Thistle defence were quick to point out, but Arteta showed them no sympathy in adding his second goal of the day. Grady grabbed a deserved consolation goal with eight minutes remaining when he turned Hughes in the box before prodding the ball beyond Klos. Khizanishvili flashed a shot across goal and narrowly wide but any further goals would have been rough justice for Thistle.

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