Rangers eased into the fifth round of the Scottish Cup tonight with a composed and professional 5-0 victory over League 2 Annan Athletic at Ibrox Stadium.
Gers head coach Danny Rohl majorly rotated his squad after a hectic schedule over the festive period with nine changes made to the side that defeated Aberdeen 2-0 at Pittodrie on Sunday.
One of those changes was to reintroduce Bojan Miovski to the starting lineup in place of Yousef Chermiti for the first time since Rangers defeat at Tynecastle last month – with the North Macedonian repaying the bosses faith with a hat-trick – his first goals since his injury away to Ferencvárosi on December 11.
The Ibrox faithful also had their first chance to see a trio of new signings as Tochi Chukwuani, Torr Rommens and Andreas Skov Olsen, announced minutes before kick off, were paraded on-field for the support prior to the match.
The visitors, sitting seventh in the fourth tier, started brightly with player/manager Wullie Gibson dictating the midfield in the opening ten minutes – the borders side had a few dangerous balls into the area without testing captain Liam Kelly between the Rangers sticks.
But, Rangers would gain the upper hand with their first attack of the evening, Miovski combined with Danilo and Kieran Dowell – making his first appearance since mid-August – before cutting inside on his left foot and finishing past Galabankies’ keeper Charlie Albinson for 1-0.
It would be two before half time – again great work from Dowell to lay off Findlay Curtis – the impressive teenage winger sticking up a great ball to the back post for the unmarked Miovski to double his and his teams tally.
Curtis himself would hit the bar with a looping effort over the onrushing Albinson before half time but the score would remain 2-0 heading into the interval.
Dowell would net his first Rangers goal since Christmas Eve 2023 minutes into the second half after a good ball in from Joe Rothwell – also in out of the cold – his looping header finding the far corner to ensure Rangers place in the fifth round draw.
Rabbi Matondo would make his second appearance of the season off the bench, adding to his cameo at the weekend, alongside 17-year-old prospect Zebedee Lawson, who was signed from Brighton in the summer and has impressed with the under-19’s side this season – with the teenager having a few decent sightings of goal throughout the content.
Chukwuani would also make his Rangers debut – coming on just after the hour mark alongside Thelo Aasgaard, with Mikey Moore also getting minutes later on.
Matondo would win Rangers a spot kick after a foul from Scott Hooper – Aasgaard initially grabbed the ball but Miovski would be allowed to take and the former Aberdeen striker converted calmly to secure the match ball.
There would be time for Aasgaard to curl home an outstanding free kick late on to make it 5-0 – a truly unstoppable strike no matter the opposition and ensure the scoreline matched Rangers dominance.
Hooper would come close to a consolation late on with a decent strike into the side netting from the edge of the area but it would be a clean sheet and a swift progression for Rohls men.
Next up for Rangers is Ludogorets at Ibrox in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday before Steven Pressley’s Dundee visit Ibrox in the league on Sunday afternoon.