Early goal key in replicating Elgin rout as Kyle looks to wrap-up title

  • Text size
  • Send this article to a friend
  • Print this article

Early goal key in replicating Elgin rout as Kyle looks to wrap-up title

KYLE Hutton has fond memories of playing for Rangers against Elgin City at Borough Briggs.

Kyle Hutton netted his only goal of the campaign this season the last time Rangers visited Borough Briggs
Kyle Hutton netted his only goal of the campaign this season the last time Rangers visited Borough Briggs

For it is where he scored his first and, to date, only goal for the Ibrox club.

The midfielder netted in an emphatic 6-2 triumph on his side's last visit to the Moray ground in a rescheduled league fixture back in December.

However, the 22-year-old is likely to change his view of the venue this weekend if Ally McCoist's side fail to record another victory.

The Gers supporters are at tipping point following the humiliating 2-1 loss to Annan in an Irn-Bru Third Division game at Ibrox last weekend.

Yes, they are a massive 17 points clear at the top of the division and are certainties to achieve their objective this season and win the title.

But the embarrassing reverse to a team of minnows at home was, unsurprisingly, not well received by their notoriously hard-to-please followers.

It wasn't exactly unexpected. Rangers had been performing unconvincingly in the build-up to the game.

After all, they had drawn with Stirling Albion away a fortnight before.

Anything less than the safe accumulation of another three points at Borough Briggs this Saturday will not go down well with the Light Blue legions.

A draw or a loss against Ross Jack's side – who scored late on to record a 1-1 draw at Ibrox in January despite being reduced to 10 men before half-time – would intensify the scrutiny on manager McCoist.

Hutton feels being more clinical in front of goal at the weekend will be crucial in avoiding the sort of display and result that has been responsible for criticism in recent weeks.

"We seem to be making life hard for ourselves," he said. "We have created good goalscoring chances, but, unfortunately, we haven't been able to take them.

"We never seem to be able to get that early goal. As a result of that, we get more and more nervous as the game goes on.

"I think that scoring early is the key. We have to start taking our chances. Once we do that I think it calms everybody – the players and the fans – down.

"Hopefully we can start doing that more and get the wins that we need to wrap up the league sooner rather than later."

Despite their current difficulties, McCoist certainly has players as his disposal at Rangers who know how to hit the target.

Andy Little and Lee McCulloch are battling it out to finish the season as top scorer and have currently netted 25 and 23 goals respectively.

Hutton, who is now a regular starter alongside Ian Black in central midfield after overcoming a disappointing start to the 2012/13 campaign, has faith in the duo.

HE SAID: "We know ourselves we have been poor. We know we have to raise our game and turn things around. But I think that taking our chances will help to calm things down.

"We certainly have guys in the team who are capable of scoring. But all of us, not just the guys who play up front, should be aiming to contribute.

"It is certainly good to have Lee back after injury. I think the team has missed him during the time that he was out of action.

"Not just for his general play and his goals either. He brings a presence to the team."

Hutton spent spells at Partick Thistle and Dunfermline on loan before this season and is familiar with the demands of life in the lower leagues.

So the difficulty that a young Rangers team has experienced overcoming part-time sides since the turn of the year has not come as a surprise to him.

Hutton denied Rangers had grown complacent as a result of their comfortable lead at the top of the league table or had grown nervous about securing the silverware.

He said: "I knew better than a lot of boys what to expect when we came down to the Third Division having been out on loan at lower league clubs in the past.

"It is not easy. The football can be physical. There is a decent level of commitment and skill as well.

"I don't think we have become jittery or have relaxed as we have drawn nearer to winning the league in the last few weeks.

"We know what we have to do in each game. Unfortunately, we haven't been taking our chances and we have suffered as a consequence."

Contextual targeting label: 
Sport

Commenting & Moderation

We moderate all comments on Evening Times on either a pre-moderated or post-moderated basis. If you're a relatively new user then your comments will be reviewed before publication and if we know you well then your comments will be subject to moderation only if other users or the moderators believe you've broken the rules, which are available here.

Moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours. Please be patient if your posts are not approved instantly.