Toon Players In Rangers Debut Disaster!

Last updated : 08 February 2015 By Footy Mad - Editor

Remie Streete is facing another spell on the sidelines after suffering an injury on his Rangers debut.

The on-loan defender, from Newcastle, suffered a groin strain in Sunday afternoon’s 2-1 Scottish Cup defeat to Raith Rovers.

Forward Haris Vuckic, Streete’s Newcastle United team-mate, scored Rangers’ goal in the fifth-round tie at Ibrox.

Vuckic cancelled out Ryan Conroy’s 54th-minute opener, but Cristian Nade sent the visitors into the quarter-finals.

Rangers caretaker manager Kenny McDowall apologised to supporters after the troubled club were knocked out of the Scottish Cup.

The Kirkcaldy side secured their first victory at Ibrox since 1959 when former Hearts striker Christian Nade bundled home a 75th-minute winner after Steve Simonsen and Richard Foster failed to deal with Jason Thomson's driven cross under pressure from Mark Stewart.

The 2-1 victory ended a typically chaotic week at the club, which saw McDowall claim he had been told to start all five loan signings from Newcastle when fit and continued with anger over the board's decision to host a crucial general meeting to decide their fate at a 500-seat conference room in London.

When asked what his message to the fans was, McDowall said: "Just apologise that we have been knocked out another cup.

"They come to watch their team and they pay good money and it's our job to get a win on the day and we have failed. So we apologise for that."

Rovers came closest to a first-half goal when Paul Watson headed against the inside of a post and they took the lead when Ryan Conroy curled home a 54th-minute free-kick.

Haris Vuckic levelled with a tidy finish eight minutes later, but Rangers failed to build on the goal and their fate was sealed when substitute Kris Boyd headed wide from six yards in the last minute.

McDowall, who has suffered three defeats in five games in caretaker charge, blamed "cheap goals" for the defeat.

"I thought it was a tight affair up to half-time and that we were well in it," he said.

"I told the boys to be patient and I thought if we could get the first goal we would have gone on to win it fairly comfortably.

"Yet again we have given ourselves an uphill struggle by conceding cheap goals.

"The goals are the main factor. It's hard enough playing teams without giving them a goal of a start.

"To concede two goals made it very difficult. After getting one back we couldn't really keep any pressure on and we gave another one away fairly cheaply and paid the penalty."