Preview Rangers

Premier Sports Cup (away) v Rangers, Friday 13th August 2021, kick off 7.30pm at Ibrox

Dunfermline travel to Ibrox on Friday night hoping to make it four consecutive defeats for Rangers for the first time since October 1985 and register the Fifers first win there since 1972. Quite a challenge!

The Premier Sports Cup match at Ibrox on Friday will be the eighteenth League Cup match between the sides and the fourteenth time that the sides have been paired from the draw.

In the previous League Cup meetings Rangers have won 15, drawn one and lost one.

Milestones v Rangers (away)

Last Victory | 27/04/72 | 4-3| Div One*
Last Defeat | 09/08/17 | 0-6 | Betfred Cup
Best Victory | 27/04/72 | 4-3| Div One*
Worst Defeat | 22/12/34 | 1-8 | Div One*
Last Goalless Draw | 28/10/67 | 0-0 | Div One*
First Meeting | 17/08/26 | 0-2 | Div One*
*pre-reconstruction

League Cup Matches against Rangers

DATE STAGE VENUE DA R
15/09/51 QF H 1-0
19/09/51 QF A 1-3
14/09/64 QF H 0-3
16/09/64 QF A 2-2
08/08/70 SECTION A 1-1
22/08/70 SECTION H 0-6
09/11/77 QF A 1-3
16/11/77 QF H 1-3
26/08/87 R3 H 1-4
19/09/89 SF N 0-5
24/08/93 R3 H 0-2
22/10/96 SF N 1-6
12/09/99 R3 A 0-1
07/11/02 QF H 0-1
20/09/06 R3 H 0-2
21/09/10 R3 A 2-7
09/08/17 R2 A 0-6

Recent Form

Rangers had hoped to bounce back from their first back to back defeats since March 2020 in Tuesday night’s Champions League Qualifier versus Malmö but the Swedes had other thoughts. Despite playing the whole second half with just ten men Malmö won 2-1 at Ibrox.

Dunfermline’s league season has seen a 2-2 draw at Morton and a 3-0 defeat at home to Partick Thistle. Their cup form is better having won three and lost 1-0 (away to St Mirren).

Last six matches

DUNFERMLINE
Partick Thistle (H) L 0-3
Morton (A) D 2-2
Stenhousemuir (H) W 4-1
Dumbarton (H) W 5-1
St Mirren (A) L 0-1
Partick Thistle (A) W 4-2

RANGERS
Malmö (H) L 1-2
Dundee United (A) L 0-1
Malmö (A) L 1-2
Livingston (H) W 3-0
Aberdeen (H) W 4-0
Livingston (A) W 3-0

League Cup History v Rangers

Strangely enough the very first League Cup tie between the two, on 15th September 1951, was probably the biggest match that Dunfermline had ever played in at that time and it was certainly the biggest ever at East End Park.

Although Dunfermline had reached the final of the League Cup just two seasons earlier, they had never met either of the Old Firm in the latter stages of any competition before. This alone was enough to attract a then record crowd of 19,491 to East End Park and home fans were not disappointed as the Second Division, Pars pulled off a famous victory.

In a match in which the Fifers keeper, John Moodie, was outstanding, Gerry Mays scored the only goal of the match for Dunfermline in 69th minute.

Four days later 45,000 turned out for the second leg at Ibrox. It was the biggest crowd that Dunfermline had ever played in front of and that included the League Cup final. Willie Findlay put the home side ahead in 17 minutes only for Wright to equalise nine minutes later.

As Rangers got decidedly jittery Dunfermline were awarded a penalty which Clarkson missed and then to compound matters had a goal chalked off. The visitors knew it was not their day when Gardiner scored a controversial winner from a challenge on the keeper.

Dunfermline next tackled Rangers in season 1964/65 in another quarter final. If Dunfermline fancied their chances it was to no avail with Rangers killing the tie stone dead with a resounding 3-0 first leg win at East End Park on 14th September. Goals came from Ralph Brand, Jim Forrest and an own goal from Jim MacLean.

In the second match at Ibrox, the Pars redeemed themselves as goals from Jackie Sinclair and John McLaughlin gave them 2-1 lead before a late Forrest strike levelled on the night.

By August 1970, the Pars halcyon days were about over. Drawn for the first and only time with Rangers in a sectional group, and without key players who refused to train, Dunfermline lost the match at Ibrox 4-1. But on 22nd August a Willie Johnston hat trick and goals from Jackson, Fyfe and Stein gave Dunfermline a 6-0 thrashing on their own ground.

Dunfermline made the quarter finals of the competition in 1977 and although a Second Division side they did not disgrace themselves losing both legs 3-1.

In 1987 Graeme Souness brought his new look Rangers side to another rejuvenated side, Dunfermline. The Pars were in the Premier League and in the cup tie an all ticket crowd of 18,070 watched Mark Falco and an Ally McCoist hat trick, give Rangers a comfortable win.

Two years later on 19th September 1989, Dunfermline reached their first major cup semi final for more than twenty years. The trip to Hampden was a nervy affair and Rangers ran out easy 5-0 winners.

By August 1993, Dunfermline were re-building under Bert Paton. Rangers grabbed two early goals but after that the Pars gave Rangers a run for their money. With Norrie McCathie and Craig Robertson looking strong in defence, and new signing Ivo den Bieman giving Steven Pressley a hard time throughout this match, a little luck might have brought Dunfermline something.

If the 1989 semi final had been a bit of a nightmare, then the 1996 reprise was a lot worse. On 22nd October at a deserted Parkhead (largely due to the presence of TV cameras), Rangers strolled to a 6-1 with Brian Laudrup scoring two.

Having played Rangers under the Skol and Coca Cola banners, Dunfermline faired better with CIS as sponsors. They played well at Ibrox in October 1999 and in the end Rangers had to settle for a 1-0 win thanks to Wallace’s 24th minute goal.

Then in the 2002 quarter final Rangers won by a solitary goal and again in controversial circumstances. Referee Dougie McDonald failed to award what tv evidence would later show as a blatant penalty for the Pars. Despite matching Rangers throughout they lost to a late goal from Claudio Caniggia.

In September 2006 Rangers won 2-0 thanks to goals in the last 25 minutes. Alan Hutton’s shot from 16 yards deflected off Sol Bamba to sneak in at the right post that Dorus de Vries had no hope of stopping.

When Allan McGregor’s long clearance landed between Bamba and Kris Boyd, the Rangers striker brushed aside the defender to lash in an unstoppable strike from 25 yards.

Last League Cup Meeting
Wednesday 9th August 2017
Rangers 6 Dunfermline 0

In fifth minute Kenny MILLER smashed his shot into the roof of the net. 1-0

Rangers scored a second just four minutes later after a tug by Morris on Morelos handed the Ibrox club a free kick on the edge of the penalty box. A cracking effort from Bruno ALVES found the left side of the net. 2-0

A break in 23 minutes by Candeias down the right allowed a switch of the ball to MORELOS on the left who finished clinically just inside the left upright. 3-0

Three minutes later TAVERNIER latched on to the ball as the Pars defence appealed for offside and drove the ball into the net for another Rangers goal.

From a free kick 25 yards out, Daniel CANDEIAS dispatched the ball into the Dunfermline net. 5-0 and 57 minutes on the clock.

With quarter of an hour remaining, Tavernier burst through on to a Kranjcar lay off and the full back fired a strong shot on target. Unluckily for Sean Murdoch the ball spun to his right for Man of the Match, Alfredo MORELOS to stick away his second of the night. 6-0

RANGERS: Jak Alnwick: James Taviernier, Fabio Cardoso, Bruno Alves (Danny Wilson 56), Lee Hodson: Daniel Candeias, Jordan Rossiter, Graham Dorrans (Jason Holt 69), Josh Windass, Kenny Miller (Niko Kranjcar 59), Alfredo Morelas.
SUBS NOT USED: Ryan Jack, Ryan Hardie, Wesley Foderingham (GK).

DUNFERMLINE: Sean Murdoch: Ryan Williamson, Callum Morris (c) Lee Ashcroft, Lewis Martin: Kallum Higginbotham (Dean Shiels, 62), Michael Paton, Nat Wedderburn, Joe Cardle (Scott Lochhead 68): David Hopkirk (Jean Yves M`Voto 29), Declan McManus.
SUBS NOT USED: Callum Smith, Aaron Splaine, Jason Talbot, Cammy Gill (GK)

Last time out

DUNFERMLINE (v Partick Thistle): Deniz Mehmet: Aaron Comrie (Dan Pybus 82), Paul Watson, Ross Graham: Kyle Macdonald, Graham Dorrans, Dom Thomas (c) (Craig Wighton HT), Josh Edwards: Reece Cole (Ryan Dow 82): Kevin O’Hara, Nikolay Todorov.
SUBS NOT USED: Rhys Breen, Vytas Gašpuitis, Paul Allan, Owain Fôn Williams: (GK)

RANGERS (v Malmö): Allan McGregor, James Tavernier, Leon Balogun, Connor Goldson, Borna Barisic, Steven Davis, Joe Aribo, Scott Arfield (Ianis Hagi 70), Scott Wright (Fashion Sakala 62), Ryan Kent, Alfredo Morelos.
SUBS NOT USED: Calvin Bassey, John Lundstram, Felix Helander, Cedric Itten, James Simpson, Callum Patterson, Stephen Kelly, Jay Hogarth (GK), Robbie McCrorie (GK).

The referee will be Willie Collum.

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