Raskin and Miovski fire Rangers into the last four as protests rumble on

Rangers followed up their midweek team bonding trip to Loch Lomond with a deserved and much-needed 2-0 victory over Hibs at Ibrox to book their place in the semi-final of the Premier Sports League Cup. Two goals late in the first half from the returning Nico Raskin and summer signing Bojan Miovski were enough to make the difference as a win was secured amid an angry support making their feelings clear on the current situation at the club.

Fan fury in recent weeks has heaped pressure on manager Russell Martin and CEO Patrick Stewart. Calls for the pair to be removed after a disastrous start to the season have grown louder by the day, culminating in an organised pre-match protest. Thousands, led by the Union Bears, gathered outside the stadium to send a clear message to chairman Andrew Cavenagh – in the eyes of the supporters, both Martin and Stewart are finished.

Inside the stadium, that sentiment was also evident. The official attendance was given as a generous 34,682, although it's safe to say the actual figure was probably lower.

On the park, Martin made two changes to the side that meekly lost 2-0 to Hearts last weekend, including a first start for Canadian defender Derek Cornelius. The biggest team news, however, came in the midfield as it saw the welcome return of Nico Raskin following his stint away from the squad after a fall-out with Martin in the lead-up to last month’s Old Firm match.

Rangers dominated possession in the opening minutes without creating anything clear-cut. The closest chance came when Raskin created space for himself outside the box, but his wayward shot was well wide.

After only 10 minutes, play was halted as the protests continued. A flurry of tennis balls were fired onto the pitch from the Union Bears section of the ground as they unfurled a banner which read ‘DELAYING THE INEVITABLE – MARTIN MUST GO’ – again underlining the mood of the fans.

Once the match resumed, it was Hibs who started to come into the game. Kieran Bowie found himself through on goal with just Jack Butland to beat, and he opted to turn and lay it off for Martin Boyle, whose poor effort went over the bar.

Just minutes later, though, Hibs had the ball in the net and thought they had taken the lead. Boyle was through on goal with Cornelius chasing. He was able to slide a shot by Butland, and despite the Englishman getting a hand to it, it rolled into the net, and the visitors looked to be 1-0 up. Replays showed Boyle’s initial touch was with his arm, though, and the strike was ruled out following a VAR intervention.

The game played out from then on with little goalmouth action. That was until the 42nd minute when Rangers took the lead. A James Tavernier corner was floated to the near post, where Raskin timed his run to perfection, rose high above his marker, and flicked his header beyond Raphael Sallinger to give his side the lead as Ibrox blew a collective sigh of relief.

Just five minutes later, in first-half injury time, the lead was doubled. Raskin was again involved, finding Mikey Moore in the box with a clever ball. The Tottenham winger’s effort was blocked by a Hibs defender, rolling perfectly into the path of Miovski, who made no mistake, knocking the ball home from close range to give the team some breathing space going into the break.

The quick-fire double seemed to give the side a shot in the arm as they started the second half on the front foot. Djeidi Gassama, who had looked sharp all game and was giving Josh Mulligan a torrid time, was unlucky not to make it 3-0 in the 53rd minute when he let fly from outside the box as his shot crashed off the crossbar and out for a goal kick.

Just a minute later, Gassama was again proving to be a thorn in the visitors’ side as he intercepted a poor back pass from Jordan Obita and laid it off for Miovski. The Macedonian’s effort was struck well but blocked on the line by Grant Hanley.

The ball was eventually in the Hibs net for a third time after 66 minutes, Miovski again at the centre of it as he flicked the ball home from a few yards out, but replays showed the striker was clearly offside and the goal was correctly ruled out.

It had been a tough afternoon for Moore, despite being involved in the second goal, as nothing appeared to be coming off for the 17-year-old. He was unlucky with just 18 minutes remaining, however, as his powerful shot from outside the box fizzed narrowly wide.

Rangers saw out the final 20 minutes with a minimum of fuss, and the away side barely threatened. As the game entered injury time, substitute Oliver Antman did well upon receiving the ball when he beat three Hibs players and found himself through on goal. The Finnish winger got his shot away, but it went just wide, as the referee's whistle blew minutes later and Rangers' passage to the final four was confirmed.

It was a result and performance that the players, coaching staff, and board desperately needed. Despite a few scares, Rangers were comfortable and had the tie effectively wrapped up by halftime. For the fans, the victory is also most welcome, but the deeper issues still linger, and the overwhelming majority still feel a change of manager is an absolute priority. Time will tell in the coming days if Martin’s time will indeed be up, or if this victory has bought him some time. Either way, Rangers can look forward to another semi-final appearance at Hampden in the first weekend in November, where St Mirren, Motherwell, Celtic, or Partick Thistle lie in wait