Rangers 1-1 Alloa Athletic: Mark Warburton's side presented with the Scottish Championship trophy after being held to home draw
- Rangers were presented with the Scottish Championship trophy at Ibrox on Saturday afternoon
- But Alloa did their best to dampen the celebrations as the bottom-of-the-table club claimed a draw
- Michael Duffy handed the relegated Wasps a surprise early lead after just eight minutes
- James Tavernier eventually headed Mark Warburton's team level 30 seconds before half-time
Rangers will not miss their meetings with Alloa Athletic as these clubs go in very separate directions. The guard of honour formed by the visitors was fully appreciated by the home support after Hibernian declined to mark the champions’ achievement, but these Wasps have been competitive pests in the second tier.
Three draws and a Petrofac Cup semi-final elimination of Rangers took their toll last term on Ally McCoist and Stuart McCall, and they have now twice proved to be obdurate opponents to Mark Warburton’s free-flowing side with points snatched home and away.
Here, Alloa denied Rangers the opportunity to toast a title party with victory, and it was Celtic loan man Michael Duffy doing the damage with an eighth-minute goal from which Warburton’s side could only muster an equaliser in response after Andy Halliday missed a penalty.
It was a special one, though, as the season’s star performer James Tavernier netted his 15th goal of the campaign — a record for a Rangers defender, beating the previous standard set by Ibrox greats John Greig and Sandy Jardine.
Greig took part in the post-match presentation party, draping the medals around the necks of the players who have not once short-changed a single Ibrox customer since Warburton and David Weir took charge last summer. They fully merited the festivities to mark the end of a journey that had been far from jaunty until this season’s serene progress.
MATCH FACTS
RANGERS: Foderingham, Tavernier, Kiernan, Danny Wilson, Wallace, Zelalem, Halliday, Holt (Shiels 63), King (Burt 75), Clark (Miller 64), McKay
Subs not used: Bell, Ball, Law, O'Halloran
Goal: Tavernier 45
ALLOA: Gallacher, McAusland, Hill, Marr, Hamilton, Holmes (McManus 60), Caddis (Layne 66), Hetherington, Megginson, Flannigan (Ferns 81), Duffy
Subs not used: Finnie, David Crawford, Hynd, Lewis Wilson
Goal: Duffy 8
Booked: Caddis, Megginson, Flannigan
Referee: Craig Charleston
Attendance: 50,349
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