When Rangers were demoted to League Two back in the summer of 2012, August 2015 was supposed to be back when they were back in the SPL, launching a title challenge, and everything was back to normal, the previous four years forgotten about as if they’d never happened.
Trying to go up from The Championship at the second time of asking was not what they had in mind for August 2015.
When Hibs were trying to climb out of the bottom half as 2013 turned into 2014, spending August 2015 trying to get out of The Championship at the second time of asking was not what they had in mind either.
That was the situation both clubs found themselves in, mainly due to Hearts fantastic form last season.
As I was in Edinburgh last weekend, I decided to spend an afternoon in Glasgow. After spending some time in my favourite shops in Glasgow, I headed to Ibrox for part two of the weekend’s Glasgow v Edinburgh double header, with Rangers hoping it would be a double win for the teams that started the weekend top, rather than a double win for Edinburgh, after I witnessed Hearts beat Partick the day before.
It was the fourth venue I have seen Hibs play at. People will be starting to talk. They don’t have an impressive record in my presence, with just one win in the five previous games I saw them play.
Part of the reason for Hearts success last season was scoring wins over Rangers and Hibs in their first two games of last season. They opened up a lead early on, and then pulled away, then got out of sight.
When the fixture list had this as the third game of the season, it was expected that this would be a match between two sides with six points out of six, trying to get an early advantage.
Hibs opening defeat away to Dumbarton meant they were now needing to win this game just to stop Rangers pulling away from them.
Hibs had won three of the four league meetings against Rangers last season (or four out of six if you include the Play-Offs) but it was Rangers who had the upper hand this season, with a 6-2 win at Easter Road in the Petrofact Cup.
Rangers fans were so enthused by their side’s start to the season under new manager Mark Warburton that this game was a sell-out, as Rangers sought the win that would see them return to the top of the table, replacing morning leaders Queen Of The South.
Hibs had the first moment of note in the game, when a Jason Cummings free-kick went over the bar.
Rangers first big moment came when Martyn Waghorn chased down a backpass that Hibs keeper Mark Oxley took his time clearing it upfield, winning possession, but Barrie McKay was unable to get a shot on goal.
Waghorn was involved again soon after, heading over from a corner.
Rangers goalkeeper Wes Foderingham emulated his Hibs counterpart Oxley by having a shaky moment with a stray pass out, but his defence were able to block the shot and clear the danger.
Hibs were giving Rangers some nervous moments when they went forward. It was a tense game that looked like it would only finish 1-0. There was not a lot in it.
Everytime that Rangers went forward, the ball always seemed to fall to Kenny Miller, who seemed to miskick and toepoke everything that came his way.
Rangers then introduced Nathan Oduwa to the action, bringing the Ibrox crowd to their feet. The player had recently caused a scandal in Scotland by doing a fancy flick in a game.
Hibs soon had Cummings and Liam Henderson through on goal against one defender. Henderson fired over.
Within minutes, Rangers were 1-0 up. You could say it was Classic Hibs.
The goal came from a free-kick by James Tavernier. I was at the other end of the ground and thought he had overhit it. Nobody seemed to care, Rangers were 1-0 up.
It wasn’t Liam Henderson’s day, as he fired another shot wide. Rangers were giving Hibs so many chances, surely Hibs couldn’t be awful in front of goal all day long.
Rangers seemed to be dealing with Hibs threats as the game wore on. Hibs only chance to the end was a free-kick that went over.
Rangers got the win and went back to the top of the league, pulling six points clear of Hibs, and strike a decisive blow in the race to return to the Scottish Premier League.
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