Rangers have punched their ticket to the Premier Sports Cup quarter-finals, but not without a few heart-stopping moments and plenty to mull over for manager Russell Martin. On Saturday evening, August 16, 2025, the Ibrox side secured a 4-2 victory over League 1 visitors Alloa Athletic, a result that on paper looks comfortable, but in reality exposed some nagging defensive frailties that could spell trouble in tougher fixtures ahead.
Russell Martin, perhaps still smarting from the midweek defeat in Czechia, opted for a bold shake-up, making a staggering ten changes to his lineup. The decision brought competitive debuts for Mikey Moore and Emmanuel Fernandez, while Bailey Rice was handed a start at left-back. The message was clear: this was a chance for fresh legs and new faces to stake their claim, but it came with the risk of disrupting the team’s rhythm.
Rangers started brightly, with teenager Mikey Moore quickly making an impression. After just 14 minutes, Moore combined well with Nedim Bajrami, who curled a sumptuous opener beyond the Alloa keeper. The Ibrox faithful, eager to see the next generation in action, had reason to cheer as Moore’s creativity shone through in the buildup. Bajrami’s finish was a thing of beauty, a reminder of the attacking flair that Rangers can produce when firing on all cylinders.
Yet, as has become an all-too-familiar theme this season, defensive lapses soon crept in. A moment of indecision at the back saw Djiga lose possession under pressure, and Bailey Rice’s attempted tackle out wide was far from convincing. The resulting scrambled cross deflected off a Rangers defender and into their own net, gifting Alloa an equaliser that stunned the home crowd. It was a soft goal to concede, and one that underscored the ongoing issues Martin’s side faces when it comes to maintaining concentration at the back.
Just before the break, Rangers restored their lead, and it was another debutant who grabbed the spotlight. Emmanuel Fernandez, towering in the box, rose highest to meet a pinpoint Joe Rothwell free-kick, powering a header past the Alloa goalkeeper. It was a dream start for Fernandez, marking his first Rangers goal on his competitive debut. The timing couldn’t have been better, settling nerves and sending Rangers into the interval with a slender advantage.
After the restart, the hosts looked to assert their dominance. Captain James Tavernier, ever the reliable presence from the penalty spot, extended the lead just after the hour mark. The penalty was awarded after a handball denied Oscar Cortes what looked to be a certain tap-in at the back post. Tavernier made no mistake, slotting the ball home with his usual composure to make it 3-1.
But if Rangers thought the contest was over, Alloa had other ideas. Once again, slack defending from a set piece allowed the visitors to pull one back, reducing the deficit to 3-2. The goal was a stark reminder that, for all their attacking prowess, Rangers remain vulnerable at the back—a flaw that could be ruthlessly exploited by stronger opposition in the coming weeks.
With the game hanging in the balance, it was left to substitute Findlay Curtis to finally put the tie to bed. Curtis latched onto a superb through-ball from Kieran Dowell, kept his cool, and finished smartly to make it 4-2. The relief was palpable around Ibrox, but the celebrations were tinged with an awareness that the performance had been far from perfect.
After the match, manager Russell Martin offered a candid assessment. "I think I saw some really good bits and some stuff that I didn't like," Martin admitted, acknowledging both the positives and the shortcomings in his side’s display. He pointed to the disruptive effect of making ten changes: "I don't think I expected anything different with guys that just haven't played very much. When you make 10 changes to a team, it's going to disrupt something. So my inner feeling is we get through."
Martin was also quick to praise the impact of his younger and less experienced players, highlighting the debuts of Moore and Fernandez, as well as the returns of Thelo Aasgaard and Hamza Igamane. "So I'm pleased with a lot and some guys, Mikey [Moore] will be so much better for today, Manny [Emmanuel Fernandez], Thelo [Aasgaard], and Hamza [Igamane] back. So I feel really positive about that. But of course, there's lots to work on and improve, but the most important bit today was I wanted to see some intent to really run in the final third and in moments we had that, just couldn't sustain it for long enough."
The manager didn’t shy away from the defensive concerns, noting, "But there was a lack of a bit of energy because we had so much of the ball, lack of energy without it could have could have proved really costly. So we have a couple of moments we shouldn't have, but that's when the team in the rhythm, the players are not in that, it's difficult sometimes." His remarks reflect a team still searching for the right balance between attack and defense, especially with a packed fixture list looming.
Despite the nervy moments, the victory was enough to secure Rangers a spot in the last eight of the Premier Sports Cup. Their reward? A quarter-final clash with Hibs at Ibrox on the weekend of September 20-21, after Hibs saw off Livingston at Almondvale. It’s a tantalizing prospect for supporters, with the added spice of a classic Scottish rivalry on the horizon.
The goalscorers—Bajrami, Fernandez, Tavernier, and Curtis—all played their part, but it’s the team’s ability to tighten up at the back that will likely determine how far they can go in this competition and beyond. With a daunting Champions League double-header against Club Brugge and a visit from Celtic at the end of the month, the stakes are only getting higher.
For now, Rangers can take heart from the attacking verve displayed by their young guns and the resilience to get the job done when it mattered. But as Martin and his coaching staff pore over the match footage, the message will be clear: defensive discipline must improve, or the challenges ahead could prove far less forgiving.
As the dust settles on a rollercoaster evening at Ibrox, attention now turns to the upcoming fixtures that will shape the early part of Rangers’ season. With a place in the Premier Sports Cup semi-finals up for grabs and European nights beckoning, the next few weeks promise plenty of drama—and perhaps a few more twists in the tale.
