Lucky 13 for rampant Rangers
Three first-half goals at Gayfield handed Rangers a 3-0 win over Arbroath, their 13th successive League One victory.
The home side lasted little more than a minute and a half before Jon Daly crashed home his 17th goal of the season.
And the Glasgow giants pressed their case further when Red Lichties defender Bradley Donaldson put through his own net ahead of Nicky Clark's third goal for the club just before half-time.
The victory extended the Light Blues' lead at the top of the third tier to 11 points, with a game in hand against Forfar to come next Tuesday.
Although Ally McCoist's men have now won all 13 of their league games so far this campaign, they have not exactly set the heather alight of late.
But Rangers were quick out of the blocks on the Angus coast as Daly's volley ended a seven-game wait for a half-time lead.
It was the seventh match in a row in which the former Dundee United striker has netted, but he was not the only man in blue to impress.
Lewis Macleod was one of two newcomers to the side, along with Fraser Aird, after Arnold Peralta and David Templeton were benched, and the 19-year-old's shot led to the second in the 26th minute when it was deflected home by Donaldson.
Clark then wrapped up the scoring four minutes before the interval by nodding home from man of the match Lee Wallace's free-kick delivery.
If Arbroath had aimed to keep it tight in the early period in the hope of frustrating the visitors, their ploy lasted just 100 seconds before Daly struck the opener.
Home defender David Banjo body-checked Wallace as the full-back raided forward and, from Ian Black's free-kick, the Irish striker got himself across the front post to volley home for the seventh match in a row.
Their swift opening was all the Ibrox men needed to settle themselves down, and they soon took control in midfield.
Lee McCulloch came close to a second on the quarter-hour but headed over from Aird's corner.
Rangers continued to work the ball about Arbroath's box with menace and Donaldson was fortunate he did not put through his own goal as he got his head to Macleod's cross midway through the half. A minute later, however, the defender's luck ran out.
Bilel Mohsni found his young colleague Macleod with a back-heel and, as the Scotland Under-21 international drove the ball towards goal, it took a decisive deflection off Donaldson to wrong-foot goalkeeper Scott Morrison and find the net.
Mohsni's name was the first to be taken after he hauled down Lee Erwin on the left-hand side of the Rangers box to give the home side a rare look at Cameron Bell's goal, but the best Alan Cook could do was send a swerving free-kick narrowly over the bar.
At the other end, Arbroath were still giving away needless fouls themselves. Donaldson clattered into Daly four minutes before the break and, once more, it proved costly as, from the resulting set-piece, Wallace picked out Clark at the back post and the striker glanced home the third.
Rangers started the second half in the same dominant fashion that they showed in the first period but failed to add to their tally as first Daly could only find the base of the post from Black's cross and then Nicky Law blazed over after powering through the middle.
Daly was off-target again in the 64th minute when Black's shot was deflected into his path, while Chris Scott spurned Arbroath's best chance moments later when he hit the woodwork following Erwin's clever turn in the build-up.
Source: PA
