Rangers romped into the quarter-finals of the Premier Sports Cup with a 5-1 victory over St Mirren at Ibrox, ending a 134-day wait for a home win and giving Derek McInnes his first triumph as manager.
New boys James Penrice and Vanja Dragojevic were on the scoresheet alongside Ryan Naderi, Djeidi Gassama and Ross McCausland. Chris Mochrie replied for the visitors, but the holders never looked like retaining the trophy they won in December.
McInnes finally gets off the mark
After a torrid start to his reign, McInnes badly needed this win. Before kick-off he had failed to win a game, been knocked out of the Europa League and seen his side score just one goal from open play. The emphatic victory should ease the pressure on the new manager.
His team fully deserved their success, scoring five and probably should have had more. Impressive displays from Dragojevic and Penrice will have pleased him, though Emmanuel Fernandez at the back remains a concern.
Dragojevic's dream strike and a costly error
The Serbian midfielder, signed from Partizan Belgrade for £4 million in the summer, opened his scoring account with a stunning 25-yard volley into the top corner to make it 2-0. But he then gifted St Mirren a way back when a loose pass to Nico Raskin deep in his own half allowed Mochrie to rifle past Ivor Pandur.
Despite that blot on his copybook, the 20-year-old's overall performance was encouraging for Rangers.
Naderi's relief and Penrice's perfect debut
Naderi, preferred to skipper Lawrence Shankland up front, put Rangers ahead after nine minutes and celebrated with his head inside his shirt, looking as if a weight had been lifted. McInnes punched the air in delight.
Penrice, on loan from AEK Athens and only arriving on Saturday, was thrown straight in at left-back. He looked confident from the off, took set-pieces, set up Gassama on the break and then scored Rangers' fourth a minute later to seal the quarter-final spot.
Buddies bow out
St Mirren, under McLeish, were expansive and attacking, with Eseosa Sule a constant threat and Mochrie's goal a fine effort. But they played themselves into trouble too often, were not strong enough defensively, and Kilian Phillips' penalty miss after Sule was fouled came too late. By shipping five goals, the holders were always going out.
