Rangers-Aberdeen reaction: God Save The King, Dons dismay, forgotten man could face Celtic
We pick out three talking points from the match, which was settled by an excellent strike by Todd Cantwell midway through the second half.
Coronation celebrations
There were plenty of dissenters towards the monarchy across football grounds all over the UK over coronation weekend, but certainly not at Ibrox – perhaps save for the pocket of Aberdeen travelling fans. The British national anthem, God Save The King, was sung lustfully as the teams lined up ahead of kick-off, with the Union Jack displayed on the electronic screens around Ibrox. Given Rangers’ recent struggles on the pitch and concerns there may be a sombre atmosphere given another coronation taking place 45 minutes along the M8 in Edinburgh for bitter rivals Celtic, the pre-match pageantries actually made the stadium quite a vibrant place to begin with – even if it the 46,961 in attendance was Rangers’ lowest league crowd of the season.
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Aberdeen’s regrets
The Dons’ seven-game winning run came to an end here, but when manager Barry Robson and his staff watch the match back, there will be regrets, for sure. They had two excellent chances, both falling to Duk. No better man, you’d think, to take in particular a clear one-on-one when he bore down on goal. His attempted chip was wild when surely a more composed finish either side of Rangers goalkeeper Robby McCrorie was required. The Cape Verdian can be excused to an extent given Aberdeen would not be in third place without the 23-year-old’s 16 goals this season. However, on trips to Glasgow, when presented with a couple of really good chances, you simply have to take them.
McCrorie makes a case
Robby McCrorie was given a very rare Rangers start – his first since August 2021, when he kept a clean sheet against Celtic in a 1-0 win. The 25-year-old is clearly a talented goalkeeper and manager Michael Beale is keen to give him minutes before the end of the season. He looked assured and made a few good, solid saves. Behind two more experienced stoppers in Allan McGregor and Jon McLaughlin for the majority of his career, with both men mooted for departures in the summer, now is the time for McCrorie – who has been called into the Scotland squad – to grasp any opportunity with both hands. What will be fascinating is who lines up on Saturday between the sticks against Celtic. McCrorie’s performance, and his previous victory in an Old Firm match, must count for something.