Rangers continued their Scottish League One campaign against Stranraer this afternoon, hoping to make it back-to-back wins in the third tier.
Ally McCoist's side were quick to take control at Stair Park, with Iain Black's deflected drive breaking the deadlock after five minutes.
Lewis Macleod doubled the visitor's advantage soon after, with captain Lee McCulloch putting the result beyond doubt before the break with a free header.
Look back at a professional display from the Gers with Sports Mole's minute-by-minute commentary below.
Afternoon Rangers fans. Just time to give you the team news before we bring you bang up to date with events at Stair Park, with Ally McCoist making three changes to his statrting XI.
Rangers: Gallacher; McAusland, Faure, McCulloch, Wallace, Little, Black, Law, Macleod, Shiels, Daly
Stranraer: Mitchell, MacGregor, Docherty, Robertson, McKeown, Aitken, Winter, Gallagher, Grehan, Longworth, Corcoran
A notable inclusion for Rangers today is the return fo Lee McCulloch, who returns to skipper the side in central defence. Dean Sheils also get a first start since March after scoring last week, but Chris Hegarty misses out with an ankle injury.
Here we go then at Stair Park, but almost immediately the match is delayed by a few stray rolls of toilet paper emerging on the field from the away end. Rangers are in a changed white strip, with the hosts in their usual all-blue kit as Winter launches a long throw into the penalty area.
A strong wind is notable early on as Aitken smashes high over the crossbar with a speculative half-vollet from range for Stranraer. Rangers then launch their first counter at the other end, with Wallace's cross just evading Daly at the far post.
GOAL! Stranraer 0-1 (Black)
Just moments after Daly's low stike comes back off the post Rangers are ahead. The midfielder reacted quickest as Rangers recycled possession. His fierce drive took a deflection before finding the far corner, giving the visitors a perfect start to a tricky away fixture.
The Gers look confident and have settled in possession following that early goal, with Sheils just denied outside the penalty area by a firm block from Docherty.
Stranraer win a free kick around 20 yards from goal after Macleod's late challenge just outside the box. Aitken takes for the hosts but fails to test Gallacher, with his curling drive clearing the crossbar by at least five yards.
Black is down and requires treatment aftet taking a nasty knock to his knee in a 50/50 challenge. The midfielder limps to the touchline but wants to continue and soon returns.
Corcoran shows pace to beat McCulloch to the ball out wide, but is quickyl flagged for offside. Black is back on the field but seems to be struggling, with McCoist now considering a change on the touchline.
Docherty is penalised for a late tackle on the halfway line, but Stranraer are quick to regain possesion and look for Corcoran again out wide. At the other a long ball looking for MacLeod is headed to safety, with both sides clearly preferring a direct approach early on.
Sheils combines with Black as Rangers build in central midfield, but the latter's ambitious effort from range is always rising and ends up clearing the crowd stood behind the goal.
GOAL! Stranraer 0-2 Rangers (MacLoed)
A clever pass from Andy Little has created a goal for Rangers to extned their advantage. His chipped pass evaded Daly but MacLeod picked up the pieces, producing a composed finish into the corner under pressure from an onrushing goalkeeper.
Rangers look in the mood to complete a comprehensive victory this afternoon, with Stranraer stuggling to keep possession for any period of time. The hosts then use a free kick to create their first shot in anger at Gallacher's goal, with the offside flag raised as Longworth smashes over.
GOAL! Stranraer 0-3 Rangers (McCulloch)
Rangers skipper McCulloch take advantage of poor marking to put his side further ahead, finding the far corner with an assured header. This could get embarassing quickly for Stranraer, who are struggling as Law's cross is turned behind for a corner kick, which is this time gatherered cleanly by Mitchell.
SAVE! For the third time so far today Rangers concede a free kick right on the edge of their own penalty area, with McCulloch guilty of a needless lunge. A drilled effort from Aitken looks destined for the top corner, but Gallacher gets his fingertips on the ball to guide over with a fine reflex stop.
OFF THE BAR! Another teasing cross from Law has Stranraer floundering at the back, with MacLeod hitting the bar with his delivery on the follow-up. That was definitely a cross for the youngster, but came within inches of finding the top corner.
YELLOW CARD! Stranraer full-back MacGregor picks up a silly booking for deliberate handball after being caught out in central midfield. His defence holds firm from the following free kick, with their aim now to steady the ship until the break.
Corcoran nearly takes advantage as Rangers switch off the first time in central defence, with his low shot bloked away by Faure. At the other end Wallace shows trickery to beat two defenders and drive to the byline, but Daly just fails to keep up with play and meet the eventual cut-back.
HALF-TIME Stranraer 0-3 Rangers
Rangers have been in complete control of this first away game of the campaign from the outset, with the visitors well worth their three-goal advantage.
Stranraer must be disappointed with the ease at which Rangers have found the target this afternoon, with their defending from set pieces all but anonymous. Rangers have an embarrssment of riches in terms of creative influence in midfield, with Black, Little and MacLeod all enjoying themselves at Stair Park.
58pm Lone striker Daly will be desperate to get on the scoresheet today has continues to work towards full fitness. The forward has looked slightly frustrated at times, failing to keep up with some slick play in the final third. Expect the former Dundee United man to work hard after the break, with the fight for a starting spot still at Ibrox still very much on.
Both sides are back out and look ready to get this match back underway. It will be interesting to see how just hard Rangers push after the break, with Stranraer up against it and looking for a positive response to this uphill task.
Stranraer get the second half underway after a slight delay, immediately looking for Corcoran with a long diagonal pass. Daly wastes no time in registering a first shot on goal, with his quick touch and flick finish turned wide of the bottom corner by Mitchell.
Faure is called into action as Stranraer flash a cross into the penalty area, with the defender smashing clear after a heavy first touch from Aitken. Rangers are yet to find their rhytym in possession since the break, with the visitors preferring a direct route so far.
MacLeod's drive into the penalty area with purpose has Rangers on the attack, with his cross towards the back post just too strong for Little. Dean Shiels is then presented with a free strike from 12 yards, but blasts over after getting under a powerful strike.
A quick free kick from Black once again catches Stranraer static at the back, with Sheils seeing an instinctive volley deflected wide for a corner kick.
Wallace combines with Sheils in a clever exchange on the left wing, with Robertson just able to scramble the eventual cross clear at the second time of asking.
SUBSTITUTION: With the three points secured Rangers decide to give Templeton half-hour to impress in place of Sheils. The former Hearts playmaker will play in an advanced role just behind Daly for the remainder.
SUBSTITUTION: Stranraer repsond with a change of their own, swapping Winter for Morris in midfield. When play resumes Templeton is brought down by Aitken, which earns the Stranraer man a booking.
MacLeod comes close to meeting a diagonal pass into the penalty arrea from Black, with Mitchell coming to claim after being rewarded for gambling to meet the cross.
YELLOW CARD! Stranraer defender McKeown has just picked up a caution after hacking Law down with a cynical challenge. The hosts are showing signs of frustration now, with tiredness also playing a part as Rangers continue to control possession.
REDCARD! Things go from bad to worse for Stranraer as Aitken picks up a second booking for another awfully cynical challenge in central midfield. MacLeod was abruptly brought down after breaking forward with pace, with Aitken marching straight down the tunnel after kicking the winger to the floor.
Templeton puts in a late, high challenge and is lucky to escape without a caution despite his quick apologies. Stranraer are trying to pass the ball but at a man disadvantage this match has been reduced to a damaged limitation exercise for the hosts.
Rangers come forward down the right through Black, who wins a corner down the right wing. Just before the kick can be taken Black is replaced by youngster Robbie Crawford, who gets a late chance to impress.
Templeton takes without question the worst corner kick you will see at any level this weekend, clearing the penalty area with a wayward drive that McCulloch can't keep in on the opposite side. Not the impact he wanted to have from the bench, but still time to change that in the closing stages.
Crawford almost has instant impact with a powerful drive, but his effort from a tight angle is saved at the near post. Templeton then has a shot deflected beyond the far post, with a pair of changes helping Rangers finally inject some pace into this second half.
Law ignores options either side of him to shoot after a rapid Rangers break into the penalty area, with his tame curling strike at a nice height for Mitchell to catch cleanly. Crawford had made a mad dash to keep up and find space on the left wing, with the youngster furious after not being provided with a pass.
YELLOW CARD! McKenna gets a late yellow card after kicking the ball away to run down the clock in a quite baffling passage of play. Rangers quickly attack at the other end and find Daly, who has a header blocked clear.
FULL-TIME Stranraer 0-3 Rangers
In the end a comfortable win for Rangers, who ended the match as a contest thanks to a barrage of pressure in the first period. McCoist will be delighted with his side's proffessional display, as they claim maximum points from their first two games.
That just about ends our coverage from Stair Park this afternoon. Thanks for joining Sports Mole and be sure to check in all season to keep up with the Gers' progress in Scottish League One. Good afternoon!
Written by
Liam Power
Liam Power
