Alloa 1-5 Rangers: Kenny Miller at the double for clinical Gers

A first-half goal blitz saw Rangers continue their fine start to life under Mark Warburton as they brushed Alloa aside 5-1 at The Indodrill Stadium.

Sometimes an unhappy hunting ground for the Ibrox side in the past, they experienced no problems this time around on the artificial surface with a dominant and clinical display.

Goals from James Tavernier, Martyn Waghorn, Jason Holt and Kenny Miller cancelled out Michael Chopra’s spectacular equaliser for Alloa as Rangers had the points wrapped up before the interval.

Miller added a fifth in the latter stages as Tavernier and substitute Nicky Clark also saw late strikes ruled out for offside.

It was another impressive attacking display from the Light Blues, who scored four goals in the first half of an away game for the first time since 2002.

Both sides started quickly in a frantic opening period with three goals in the first nine minutes.

The visitors opened the scoring following some free-flowing football involving Miller and Barrie McKay before Nicky Law slipped a pass into Tavernier who fired his effort high past Andrew McNeil.

Any notion that conceding early would see the home side crumble against the Championship favourites was dismissed just two minutes later, however.

The visitors failed to clear their lines properly following an Alloa attack and Graeme Holmes’ weighted lob over the top was met first time by Chopra who volleyed into the top corner.

Holmes was involved in the action again a minute later, however, as the visitors re-took the lead from the spot when he clumsily barged into Holt.

Waghorn stepped up to score the first penalty awarded to Rangers since Lee McCulloch’s miss against Dumbarton in October last year, confidently sending McNeil the wrong way.

Lee Wallace, who has been handed the Rangers armband on a permanent basis, picked up the game’s first yellow card for a foul on Chopra and from the resulting free-kick Michael Duffy forced Wes Foderingham into a good save at full stretch.

Former Gers player Kyle McAusland then picked out Geoff Mitchell but the big forward could not direct his header on target.

After that it was all one-way traffic.

Tavernier’s long ball found Miller who escaped Jason Marr too easily before cutting the ball back for Waghorn but the striker’s effort from 12 yards came crashing off the bar.

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Miller was  unlucky to see his curling shot from the edge of the box come back off the post after a good driving run by McKay.

Rangers extended their lead six minutes before half-time, however, when McNeil could only parry Wallace’s effort from the edge of the box and Holt followed up to blast the rebound into the net.

It was 4-1 just a few minutes later after more excellent build-up play from Warburton’s side.

Waghorn showed great vision to turn his man and find Tavernier with a ball out wide and his delivery was well dummied by Law before finding Miller who converted from close range.

Tavernier started the second period the way he started the first and nearly got his second of the afternoon after another marauding run into the Alloa box but his effort was denied by McNeil.

Rangers continued to press but failed to make as many chances as they did in the first 45 minutes. Law laid off Miller with a great little flick but the striker failed to get his shot away before Tavernier’s follow-up effort was deflected wide.

The visitors then made a triple substitution, bringing on Clark, Dean Shiels and Tottenham loanee Nathan Oduwa.

Tavernier was proving to be Rangers’ biggest threat as most of the play came down their right-hand side but he fired two efforts over the bar.

Oduwa then had a decent chance to bag a debut goal but he fired a shot over the bar after Holt’s cutback.

Rangers did finally add to their first-half tally with four minutes remaining.

Oduwa showed good trickery down the left and his cutback was parried into the direction of Tavernier whose shot was turned in on the line by Miller for his second of the afternoon.

Tavernier thought he had finally added his second goal as well a minute later but he was wrongly ruled offside after turning in Oduwa’s delivery before Clark also had a goal disallowed shortly afterwards.