Hibs 0-0 Rangers: Easter Road stalemate leaves Rangers with it all to do

RANGERS' destiny in the SPL title race remains in their own hands this morning, but their grip of it is considerably less sure. The margin of error available to the Ibrox team as they attempt to turn their matches in hand on Celtic into a championship-winning position was effectively reduced to nil by this goalless draw against Hibs.

Walter Smith's men have now dropped ten points in their last four league games and are without a win on SPL business since they defeated Celtic 1-0 in Govan back on 29 March. Victory seldom appeared likely for them at Easter Road yesterday in a generally drab 90 minutes in which they showed signs their marathon campaign on four fronts is beginning to catch up with them.

Rangers are now seven points behind their great rivals at the top of the table, having played three games fewer. With Celtic enjoying a superior goal difference, Rangers will surely be required to win all five of their remaining league fixtures to win the SPL, unless Gordon Strachan's reigning champions drop points in the two matches they have left to play.

There was a palpable sense of disappointment among both sets of players at the final whistle yesterday, Hibs also frustrated they had not been able to secure the victory which would have taken them into third place and enhanced their prospects of Uefa Cup qualification.

They remain in the hunt, a point behind Motherwell who have two games in hand. The first of those is against Rangers at Ibrox on Wednesday night and Mixu Paatelainen's team must hope the Uefa Cup finalists can rediscover winning form to aid their own ambitions of a successful conclusion to the campaign.

It was hardly startling to witness a level of flatness in Rangers' performance, although there was mild surprise in Smith's decision to make just three changes to his starting line-up less than 72 hours after their exertions in Florence.

One of those was enforced, the suspended Steven Whittaker being replaced by Nacho Novo while the manager also opted to bring in Christian Dailly and Daniel Cousin at the expense of Brahim Hemdani and Jean-Claude Darcheville.

Hibs, who had selection difficulties of their own due to the suspensions being served by Thierry Gathuessi and Colin Nish, had a clear strategy to try to capitalise on any lethargy on Rangers' part. While ostensibly setting out a 4-5-1 formation, Paatelainen's tactics provided scope to switch quickly to a 4-3-3 when in possession with Filipe Morais and Ross Campbell pushing forward to support Steven Fletcher.

It was a system they were able to utilise regularly in the first half and they were unfortunate to be denied the opportunity of making an early breakthrough by what appeared to be an errant offside call by assistant referee Lawrence Kerrigan in the fourth minute.

Fletcher and Morais linked up cleverly to play Dean Shiels in behind the Rangers defence, only for the midfielder to be halted by the raised flag when he had only Neil Alexander to beat. It was a rare incidence of incisive play in a match largely devoid of either excitement or excellence.

While Hibs were dominant territorially in the first half, Rangers taking 32 minutes to force their first corner, they did come closest to scoring when a Steven Davis cross from the right picked out Carlos Cuellar whose downward header was on target to creep in at Andrew McNeil's left-hand post. The Hibs goalkeeper seemed to see it late, but scrambled across in time to turn the ball behind.

Cuellar collected a costly booking just before the interval with a calculated foul on Steven Fletcher as the forward looked set to race clear and the Spanish defender will now miss Rangers' penultimate league game away to St Mirren on 19 May through suspension.

Hibs, for all the eager running of Morais and urgency of Shiels, were unable to create many clear-cut scoring chances of their own. Rangers enjoyed their best period of the afternoon at the start of the second half, McNeil making another good save to keep out a well struck low shot from Barry Ferguson.

It was Alexander who had to produce the most eye-catching piece of goalkeeping, however, when he arched backwards to touch a rising 22-yard shot from Morais over the crossbar after John Rankin had robbed Kevin Thomson of possession to create the opportunity.

Smith sacrificed full-back Sasa Papac in the closing stages, sending on Kris Boyd in an attempt to snatch all three points but there was to be no inspirational contribution from his rarely utilised top scorer on this occasion.

Thomson came close with a sweetly struck free-kick which curled around the Hibs defensive wall but narrowly wide of McNeil's left hand post and there was a scare for the Hibs goalkeeper as the match approached stoppage time. He came for but missed a long free-kick into the penalty area from Dailly, but Cuellar was unable to make the most of the error as he looped his free header over the crossbar.

Paatelainen still optimistic of netting third spot

FOR the second weekend running, Hibernian failed to take full advantage of slip-ups by their rivals for a Uefa Cup place. Last week they lost to Aberdeen after those rivals, Dundee United and Motherwell, drew with each other. Yesterday, having seen both those teams lose the day before, Hibs could only draw with Rangers.

That result takes them on to the 52-point mark, level with United, a point behind Motherwell, and just two clear of a resurgent Aberdeen. With two games in hand Motherwell remain favourites to seal third place, but Mixu Paatelainen believes his team are still well in the running.

"I think we have a good chance," the Hibs manager said. "We've got two matches left, and if we win them both we might be third. It depends on other results as well, obviously, but we can only worry about our own performances. Come next Sunday we'll approach that game (away to Celtic] in a very positive manner and hopefully win it."

Hibs are at home to Motherwell in the last game of the season for both teams, on Thursday 22 May. But even if Paatelainen's team do win at Celtic Park in six days' time, that last game will be irrelevant to their European hopes if Motherwell win their games in hand in the interim.

The Finn suggested the match officials yesterday had made one significant mistake, when Dean Shiels was flagged offside in the first half. But he was philosophical about the incident, saying, "These things happen", and accepted that over the piece a draw could be deemed a fair outcome of a contest in which there were few real goal-scoring opportunities.

"It was an even game, I felt," he added. "I don't think Rangers were any weaker than usual."

Filipe Morais, who had one of his best games for Hibs, had a slightly different perspective on events. "I'd say yes," the wide midfielder said at first when asked if he thought the goalless draw was a fair result, but he went on to suggest that Hibs had been slightly the stronger team.

"I thought we did well in patches, but Rangers held on really well as well," Morais continued. "Obviously they were really tired, I thought, but credit to them for coming and getting a draw.

"We could have gone on and won the game. I think they've done well to get a 0-0. At half-time I was saying to the boys 'We've got to get the three points here'. It was definitely there for the taking. We should have taken advantage."

Cuellar wins award

RANGERS defender Carlos Cuellar has won the Scottish Football Writers' Player of the Year award.

The 26-year-old Spaniard, who had already claimed the Clydesdale Bank Premier League prize, pipped Celtic winger Aiden McGeady, who won the PFA Scotland award.

Cuellar, whose superb defensive display helped Rangers shut out Fiorentina in midweek to reach the Uefa Cup final, has adapted seamlessly to Scottish football since a £2.4million move from Osasuna last summer.

"I am really happy with the award," said the centre-back before yesterday's draw with Hibs. "It is not only recognition for myself but for all the hard work of the whole team. It is an honour for me to receive it.

"A big factor in my first season here has been the competitiveness of the squad because we have a really good group of players here."