Rangers worst Scottish Cup shocks

Credit: Glasgow Times - Berwick Rangers celebrate the only goal in a win over Rangers in 1967.

Rangers eased to a 5-0 win over Highland League side Fraserburgh at Ibrox yesterday as they began their Scottish Cup campaign. There was no shock defeat for the Gers this time but Rangers are not without fault in this competition and have been on the end of some shock results, we’ll take a look at some of these shocks below:

(Dis)Honourable Mention: Rangers 1-1 Albion Rovers (9^th March 2014)

I have decided to include this one despite it not being a defeat. However, this was definitely a shock, and a shocking result. Ally McCoist’s then League One side hosted Rovers, who finished 7^th in League Two that season, still unbeaten in what would be an invincible title winning campaign in the third tier.

Following the new year, Rangers early season form and intensity had fallen off a cliff, and this result showed that this side thought they could win games without going full pelt and the visitors from Coatbridge almost shocked the Ibrox side in this quarter-final tie in Govan.

Ciaran Donnelly volleyed the visitors in front early in the first half after a poor clearing header from a corner by then Rangers skipper Lee McCulloch and had opportunities to double their lead.

Rangers did test Rovers keeper Ross Dunlop on multiple occasions but it would take them until twelve minutes from time to equalise and earn a replay, and it would not be without controversy.

David Templeton crossed from deep over on the right-hand side towards Dunlop in goals who went to collect, however Rangers centre-half Bilel Moshni got to the ball first directing it home with the back of his head, however in doing so he went through the keeper.

Referee John Beaton gave the goal, and Rangers would win the replay at Hamilton Accies’ New Douglas Park but would go out in the semi-finals losing 3-1 at a 50/50 split Ibrox against Dundee United.

 5. Rangers 1-2 Raith Rovers (8^th February 2015)

This defeat comes in at number 5 on this list due to the state of Rangers at the time. Ally McCoist was gone, put on gardening leave. Kenny McDowell had taken the reigns and had been very clear he did not want the job at all. The team was unfit and out of form, including going out of the League Cup to Celtic at Hampden the week previous without even a shot at goal and would lose to Hibernian for the third time that season the week following their cup exit. There was also chaos in the boardroom with Dave King and his Three Bears consortium still a month away from seizing control.

Raith, who had defeated Rangers in the Challenge Cup final at Easter Road the season before were in the Championship with Rangers this season, finishing sixth. They would take the lead, in front of a dire crowd of just over eleven thousand, early in the second period through a Ryan Conroy free kick.

The one bright light at Rangers at the time was one of the infamous ‘Newcastle Five’ in Haris Vuckic who scored an excellent equaliser not long after to announce himself to the small Ibrox crowd but the relief would be short lived as a horror show between hapless Gers stand-in keeper Steve Simonsen and defender Ricky Foster on the goal-line allowed former Hearts cult-hero Christian Nade to score what would prove to be the winner.

Boos rang around Ibrox as the last hope of silverware in a horrid season evaporated. Rangers would finish an embarrassing third in the Championship that season and be demolished by Motherwell in the play-off final whilst Rovers’ cup dreams would end in the quarter-final to Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

 4. Rangers 1-1 St Johnstone (2-4 Pens) (25^th April 2021)

Another Ibrox draw, this time in the quarter-final with St Johnstone in 2021. No replay to save the Gers this time as they had been scrapped during the Covid-19 pandemic. Rangers thought they had this game done and dusted in extra time through James Tavernier but the Perth side would score in the 122^nd minute after Chris Kane prodded home a header from goalie Zander Clark.

It would be Clark who would make himself the hero in the subsequent shoot-out by saving two spot kicks.

Rangers won their 55^th league title this season under Steven Gerrard and the strength of the squad made this a huge shock, Gerrard never won a cup competition and late defeats in both cups this season will leave the Liverpool legend wondering ‘what if’.

The Saints would go on to win the Scottish Cup this season, defeating Hibs in the final to secure a historic domestic cup double.

3. Rangers 0-1 Dundee United (21^st May 1994)

Rangers had won the domestic treble in 1992/93 and had been one goal away from the inaugural Champions League final and looked to complete an at the time historic double-treble with a win over Ivan Golac’s Dundee United at Hampden at the end of 1993/94.

Rangers had a drab season in comparison to the previous but had still managed to secure the league championship and league cup earlier in the season but issues with Andy Goram’s fitness which would see him eventually transfer-listed by Walter Smith meant that understudy Ally Maxwell would start between the sticks and it would be an error in tandem between him and defender Dave McPherson would allow Craig Brewster to score the only goal of the game at Hampden and win the cup for United.

The strength of this Rangers squad should have been swatting aside all before it domestically and losing this final was a real shock.

Rangers are still to win back-to-back trebles, and old-firm rivals Celtic would win the first in 2017/18 and the light blues will see this as an opportunity to make history missed.

2. Rangers 0-1 Hamilton Accies (31^st January 1987)

Credit: Daily Mail - Hamilton’s winning goal scorer Adrian Sprott celebrates at full time.

In 1986 Greame Souness arrived at Ibrox and sparked a revolution, as player-manager his side won their first league title in 9 years and beat Celtic in the league cup final. They would be denied a treble however, with a shock 1-0 home defeat to Hamilton Accies, the Premier Division’s basement side who would be relegated come May.

Rangers were unbeaten in 13 matches before this defeat in all competitions and Chris Woods had set a British record of 1196 minutes without conceding before Adrian Sprott scored the game’s only goal.

Hamilton would exit at the following round, losing a tight match with rivals Motherwell 2-1 at home.

1. Berwick Rangers 1-0 Rangers (28^th January 1967)

A match and a shock so infamous it has its own Wikipedia page and ended the Rangers careers of Jim Forrest and George McLean, neither of whom would ever play for the club again.

Berwick Rangers, the only English team in the Scottish league system, had only joined the Scottish Football League in 1955 and were mid-table in the pyramids basement division, while Rangers remained in a close title fight with Celtic at the top of Division One, a race they would remain in until an Old Firm defeat in their final fixture, and were expected to progress with ease.

Berwick would lose out in a close encounter with Hibernian in the following round but this victory remains a famous one for the club.

Rangers would reach the European Cup Winner’s Cup final this season, losing in extra time to Bayern Munich and would end the season trophyless as Celtic won every competition available to them.