Rangers 6
Waghorn 33 pen, Garner 48, 87 90, Toral 77, Hill 82
Hamilton Academical 0
FOR the third time in four seasons, Rangers will play in the last four of the William Hill Scottish Cup. Joe Garner completed a second-half hat trick as the Ibrox side cruised to a six-goal win against Hamilton to become the first team to book their place at the semi-final stage of this year's competition. Yet as simple as their afternoon became, it was still laced with some early controversy.
While John Beaton appeared to be spot on with the award of the first half penalty which sent them on their way - Grant Gillespie appeared to clip Jon Toral and Martyn Waghorn made no mistake from 12 yards - it was something of a mystery that the Ibrox side finished this match with ten men. First, with only 13 minutes on the clock, and the score still goalless, Wes Foderingham appeared to handle the ball outside his box, denying Rakish Bingham a clear goalscoring opportunity.
Subsitute Joe Garner doubled their lead just minutes into the second period from close range after Rob Kiernan had flicked on a Barrie McKay corner, but some felt he shouldn't have still been on the pitch to complete his hat-trick. The Englishman's next act was somehow to get away with just a yellow after catching Dougie Imrie with a full-blooded swing of his right boot, and he was required to depart the scene for seven second-half minutes soon afterwards following a clash of heads with Blair Adams.
It wasn't until the last ten minutes that this one started getting away from the Accies. Having forced a fine save from Remi Matthews from the previous corner, Jon Toral's shot took a deflection off Accies substitute Scott McMann and wrongfooted the goalkeeper for the on-loan Arsenal player's first goal.
Clint Hill was next on the scene, with a fine header from a Barrie McKay corner, and then it was onto Garner to complete the rout. First he benefited from an errant Grant Gillespie pass to round the keeper and roll in number five, then with the clock touching 90 minutes, he benefited from some more McKay wing play and generous defending to make it five. Garner had only joined the fray as a half time replacement for Kenny Miller, the veteran striker's main first half input being to send in a shot which Matthews tipped onto the bar.
Whatever the controversies, a second win in the space of four days, and one of this scale, was further good news for interim manager Graeme Murty. It remains to be seen if this is the last match of the Englishman's tenure, with the club hoping to make progress on their recruitment of a director of football and permanent head coach in the next few days.
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