Rangers drop points against Alloa
Stuart McCall was made to wait further for his first win as Rangers manager as Alloa forward Liam Buchanan's late strike consigned the Ibrox side to a fifth consecutive draw.
Nicky Clark looked to have given McCall his first three points with two headed goals in five minutes after Rangers suddenly found some urgency going into the final 20 minutes at Ibrox.
But Buchanan got in behind to level in the 82nd minute and Alloa - who had taken the lead through Ben Gordon's 53rd-minute header - held on for a 2-2 draw and their third point against Rangers this season, to go with their Petrofac Training Cup semi-final win over the Light Blues.
Rangers have now won just once in nine games and, with their next mission a bid to avoid a fourth consecutive defeat by Hibernian, their place in the top four of the Scottish Championship is starting to look slightly precarious.
McCall made five changes following his debut home draw against Livingston with goalkeeper Cammy Bell among the returning players following seven months out with a shoulder injury.
Rangers started with an intensity that they have sorely lacked in recent weeks and they created two chances inside five minutes for Clark but he headed straight at Craig McDowall before firing over.
Tom Walsh had some bright early moments on the left of McCall's five-man midfield. The teenager sent over a brilliant left-footed cross that was just too high for Kris Boyd to capitalise on, before cutting inside and firing just over with a powerful right-footed effort from 20 yards.
Dean Shiels then set up Boyd, who turned and shot straight at the goalkeeper.
Walsh was involved again the next time Rangers threatened when his pass freed Lee Wallace but the left-back's low cross was cleared by Jason Marr with Boyd lurking.
However, Rangers dropped a gear around the half-hour mark and, although Clark headed just over early in the second period, Alloa soon stunned the 28,902 crowd when Gordon ran towards Mark Docherty's inswinging free-kick from the right and glanced a header inside Bell's near post.
Darren McGregor soon had a deflected header parried away from another set-piece and McCall made an attacking change in the 63rd minute when winger David Templeton replaced Zaliukas as the new Ibrox boss moved to a 3-5-2 formation.
Boyd headed over Walsh's cross at the back post before being taken off for Jon Daly to significant cheers, and the home side immediately created three quickfire chances that culminated in a 72nd-minute equaliser.
Daly was quickly involved as he tangled with McDowall as the pair fought for Walsh's dangerous cross but referee Craig Charleston ignored penalty appeals.
McDowall soon made an excellent diving stop to parry Nicky Law's effort but there was nothing he could do to stop the hosts scoring seconds later.
The goalkeeper looked up as Lee McCulloch's volley crashed off the bar after flashing off the head of an Alloa player and could do nothing as Clark guided the rebound into the net.
Rangers maintained the onslaught and the former Queen of the South striker grabbed his double when he met Templeton's dangerous cross from the right and headed home from close range.
Shiels saw an excellent long-range strike tipped over but Alloa levelled against all odds when they got behind the home side in the left channel. Buchanan ran on to Ryan McCord's through ball and clipped the ball over Bell into the far corner.
Daly headed wide twice and McDowall saved well from Clark but Rangers failed to find a way past Alloa, who introduced new signing Michael Chopra, the former Cardiff and Sunderland striker, in injury-time.
Source: PA
