2pm

Yesterday's result: Rangers 2, Motherwell 0.

Managed to wangle a corporate hospitality seat in the Club Deck at Ibrox (don't ask) for the game yesterday. While the result was disappointing, if not unexpected, the complimentary post-match bar more than made up for it.

There were two changes to the team which beat Livingston last week, with Martyn Corrigan deputising for the ineligible Brian McLean at right-back and Jim Paterson replacing the presumably injured (again!) Phil O'Donnell in midfield. There was also a change to the formation, with Terry Butcher opting for a 4-5-1 lineup which saw David Clarkson as the solitary striker while Scott McDonald occupied a deeper role.

We got off to the worse possible start (doesn't that sound familiar when playing Rangers?) when we conceded a goal inside the first 30 secs. I had just settled into my padded seat when Prso outmuscled Corrigan on the flank and crossed for an unmarked Burke to fire home at the back post. Not surprisingly I feared the worse at this point, but fortunately we settled and could have equalised not long afterwards when McDonald curled a shot inches wide. We saw plenty of the ball in the first half, indeed it's probably the most possession I have seen us enjoy at Ibrox in recent years, but carried little threat upfront. The home side had opportunities to add to their lead, with Fagan clearing the ball off the line following a corner and Prso having a goal disallowed for offside. We went in at the break 1-0 down but still very much in the game.

The second half was a bit of a nonevent, with an early Clarkson effort about the only thing that could be described as a Motherwell chance. Again there was little between the teams in terms of possession, but there was only one team which looked like scoring and we got lucky when a Lovenkrands effort rebounded off the post and into the arms of Graeme Smith. However the killer second goal finally came 20 mins from the end, when Prso drew Smith off his line (unnecessarily I thought) before squaring to Lovenkrands for a simple tap-in. Hamilton replaced Clarkson in attack shortly afterwards, but we never looked like getting back into the game.

Given that it's been eight years since we won at Ibrox I wasn't really expecting much from the game yesterday, so I suppose I am not too disappointed at the way we played and the amount of possession we enjoyed. Kinniburgh and Craigan never really got to grips with Prso, and Foran contributed little in midfield, but apart from that I thought we did okay. Had we not lost the early goal then perhaps things might have been different, but Waterreus in the Rangers goal was never really tested and we could have played all day without scoring.

Team (4-5-1): Smith, Corrrigan, Kinniburgh, Craigan, Hammell, Fagan, Kerr, McDonald, Foran, Paterson (Fitzpatrick 58), Clarkson (Hamilton 78).
Subs not used: Marshall, Steve McDonald, Paul Quinn, Connolly, Darren Lee Smith.

Bookings: none.

Attendance: 49,215.