The most significant fact to emerge from this second game of Rangers' Norwegian tour was the appearance as a second-half
substitute of Gordon Durie after an absence of almost eight months.
The Scotland internationalist had not been expected to attempt a comeback for another month but at the tiny Skogan ground, where the pitch seemed to have been hacked out of the towering cliffs which provided a spectacular backdrop, Durie helped himself to two goals in a two-minute spell as the game neared its end.
Now, the striker hopes to force his way into Rangers' first-team plans by the start of next month, even though he admits to still feeling pain from the ankle which was first damaged by a savage tackle during a game against PAOK Salonika at Ibrox last
September. He returned after that for intermittent appearances but, following the match against Parma in December, the injury flared once more and eventually he was forced to have an
operation in February.
Yesterday, Durie admitted: ''There were times over the past few months when I wondered if I would ever be able to come back. It just went on and on but the physios told me that it was something which would take time and they have been right. Actually, there is still some pain, but the medical people have told me that I just have to play through that for the moment and that's what I have done today - and also in the pre-season training.''
The hard work Durie has done, along with the other Ibrox players, has helped give him this early breakthrough. Now, he aims to be back early next month challenging for a place in the first team. He pointed out: ''It is not easy for any player at Ibrox to get into the first team this season when you look at all the competition for places. The manager has always said he would like to have two players for every position and it looks as if he has that now. It is up to me to do enough to get back in. There is no way I want to leave Rangers. I have another year of my contract remaining.
''Now, I need a little more work in training and maybe a reserve game to get myself ready. It was good to play but it was just for 18 minutes and against weaker opposition than we are used to. But it does help the confidence a bit to come back and score.''
Coach Dick Advocaat was also happy at Durie's return. He said: ''We picked the right game and the right time in the game to help Gordon as much as we could.
''I did not think he would be ready to play on the tour but he has looked fit in training - and he has done the same as everyone else - so we thought we would let him play for a short time. It was good for him. We changed the team a lot at half time because we wanted everyone to get match practice. Arthur Numan played for the entire 90 minutes which is also helpful for him after his absence last season.''
Rangers began the game with what looked like Advocaat's first- choice team for the new season: Klos, Porrini, Amoruso, Moore, Numan, Kanchelskis, B
Ferguson, van Bronckhorst, McCann, Mols, and Wallace. Surprisingly, they lost a goal to the Norwegian second division side after only 18 minutes.
The entire Rangers' side had flooded upfield and were caught with only Lorenzo Amoruso in position as Follese broke forward down the left. Vidar Garman crossed and Chris Lindoe was at the far post to strike the ball beyond Stefan Klos and make himself the hero of the tiny club's seventieth anniversary celebrations.
It was the solitary moment they were to savour as Rangers stepped up a gear to wipe out that embarrassment.
Three minutes later, Craig Moore levelled the score, Michael Mols scored his first goal in public for the Ibrox club in 32 minutes, and Giovanni van Bronckhorst added a third before half-time.
It was all change after the break with only Klos, Numan, and Wallace restarting the game with Adamczuk, Wilson, Vidmar, Ian Ferguson, Nicholson, Reyna, Johansson, and Amato coming into the action.
As rain swept across the pitch, Wallace gave an indication of what was to follow when he scored after 50 minutes.
Johansson followed that with a goal in 62 minutes then Durie appeared to replace
Wallace 18 minutes from the end and triggered off a goal rush.
Gabriel Amato scored two inside a minute, and completed his hat trick three minutes before the final whistle.
Sandwiched between his efforts were Durie's two goals.
It will be a different story tonight when Rangers face Rosenborg Trondheim, whose exploits in the Champions' League have raised the profile of Norwegian club football over the past few seasons.
Advocaat knows that. He said ''This game, and the one against Sunderland, are going to test us. I think the players are at a good level of fitness after the work we have done. But the test comes with these games.
''After that, the players will get two days off before returning to prepare for our match against Haka of Finland, who we expect to get through after their first-leg result.''
Advocaat has already seen the Finns but is contemplating a return trip on Wednesday. If he does not go himself and stays to oversee the team against Sunderland in Ian Ferguson's testimonial game at Ibrox, his assistant, Bert van Lingen, will make the
journey.
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