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Highlights - Rangers 7-0 Alloa

Rangers battered Scottish Cup opponents Alloa with a thoroughly professional display to banish memories of the midweek defeat by Inverness.

Dean Shiels' early strike settled the nerves and he doubled the lead midway through the first half.

Lee McCulloch was on target either side of half time and Robbie Crawford added a fifth.

Alloa then had Michael Doyle sent off before a late double by Barrie McKay completed Rangers' third-round win.

It was exactly the type of performance and result required of Ally McCoist's side after the disappointment of their Scottish Communities League Cup exit on Wednesday.

Shiels' early double settled Rangers' nerves

It was helped in no small part by a goal just two minutes in.

Fraser Aird swung in a corner from the left, the ball was cleared as far as Shiels just inside the box and his shot, which spun off an Alloa boot, found the inside of Scott Bain's post.

That early strike ensured any nerves troubling those in Rangers shirts quickly dissipated and the home side completely controlled proceedings thereafter.

Nonetheless, they didn't really trouble Bain again until the 21st minute, but when they did it was to force him to pick the ball out of the back of the net for a second time.

McCulloch was allowed to turn 25 yards from goal and he duly slipped the ball through for Shiels who rifled it under the keeper.

Rangers were enjoying as comfortable an afternoon as they had done all season and added to their lead again 12 minutes later.

Andrew Little was stopped in his tracks by a good Jason Marr tackle, but the defender then took a heavy touch, gifting possession to Shiels who repaid McCulloch's earlier assist and the Rangers captain buried the ball past Bain from the edge of the box.

Alloa boss Paul Hartley must have been hugely disappointed his players hadn't been able to give a better account of themselves in the first half.

In contrast, McCoist's much-maligned side were performing much closer to their own capabilities.

That said, it was the Second Division outfit who began the second period in brighter fashion, with Nicky Low firing a free-kick into the arms of Neil Alexander before Kevin Cawley curled an effort just outside the keeper's far post.

Rangers were forced to bring on Crawford as Anestis Argyriou was stretchered off, having seemingly damaged his right ankle after catching his studs in the turf.

Shiels came close to a hat-trick as he picked up on McKay's pass, only for Bain to touch the shot onto the inside of the post and McKay's follow-up was brilliantly cleared off the line by Doyle.

But Rangers did reassert their dominance with just under 20 minutes of the match remaining.

Crawford chipped a ball forward for Shiels to chase, which he duly did, gathering it in, beating his man on the byeline before laying it on a plate for McCulloch to sidefoot his second of the afternoon.

And moments later, Shiels set up Crawford, who took a touch before shooting through a ruck of players and past Bain.

Alloa's afternoon went from bad to worse when Doyle clashed with Chris Hegarty and was shown the red card for his troubles.

McKay notched the goal of the game on 81 minutes as he drifted in from the left to unleash an unstoppable drive high beyond the helpless Bain.

And the young midfielder rounded off the scoring by dashing clear of the exhausted defence and slotting into the net.