| Who Put The Ball In The Rangers Net? |
by William Sheridan
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 DAMON GRAY19.03.2008 Rangers [a] D1-1 (Scottish Cup Quarter Final) With Walter Smith’s all-conquering side gunning for an unprecedented quadruple, Thistle’s run in the 2007-08 Scottish Cup looked set to end at the Quarter Final stage when we were drawn to play at Ibrox. On the night of Wednesday, 19th March, 2008 Ian McCall’s side proved to be stubborn opponents, eventually being disappointed in only coming away with a 1-1 draw and a replay. For a brief moment midway through the second half, a dream run to Hampden seemed like a very real possibility, courtesy of our tricky wee on-loan Geordie from Hibernian. Just 11 months earlier, he had made his Hibs debut in a Scottish Cup semi-final tie against Dunfermline at Hampden Park, and he did his utmost to make it a memorable double…  With the deadlock unbroken in the 67th minute, Gary Harkins played a clever ball down the right-hand side of the box, and a perfectly-timed run by Damon Gray gave him a one-on-one opportunity against Allan McGregor in the Rangers goal. With vison and skill, Damon lifted the ball from a tight angle in precisely the right way to evade the best efforts of the advancing ‘keeper, and the ball nestled in the back of the Rangers net, sparking wild scenes of celebration amongst the huge Thistle contingent behind the goal, matched equally by virtually the entire Thistle team who moved in, themselves ecstatic to be received in a mass of red n yellow adulation. Referee Iain Brines also got into the spirit by waving a yellow card at Damon in celebration. What a guy. From that night onwards, every Thistle fan can instantly visualise the “Damon Gray end” in conversations relating to Ibrox. Unforgettable!
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