QOS 3-0 Rangers

Pic Jeff Holmes

Stuart McCall's unbeaten start to his Rangers reign was brought to a crashing halt as Queen of the South claimed a stunning 3-0 win at Palmerston. Gers were looking to confirm their place in the promotion play-offs after the ex-Motherwell boss's first month in charge saw him pick up two draws and three successive victories. But that resurgence ended when Derek Lyle and Gavin Reilly scored either side of Lewis Kidd's strike that went in off stand-in Ibrox skipper Lee Robinson just 16 seconds after the half-time break. McCall should have known his side could not afford to take Queens lightly. Their last visit in December - which came just hours after it emerged former boss Ally McCoist was quitting - saw a day of drama end in humiliation as the Doonhamers won 2-0. And this Dumfries defeat was a repeat performance of that poor performance. Gers lacked tempo and were a mess at the back, making it easy for Queens to outnumber them in attack. The defeat means the Ibrox side miss the chance to reclaim second place in the Scottish Championship table from Hibernian, although they do have a game in hand. Queens, meanwhile, move above Falkirk in the race for the fourth and final play-off slot. Rangers started without captain Lee McCulloch after his red card against Hearts on Sunday, while a fresh knock saw keeper Cammy Bell miss out just four games after returning from a six-month shoulder injury lay-off. Their absences allowed deputy stopper Lee Robinson and Tunisian defender Bilel Mohsni to return, while Dean Shiels dropped to the bench as David Templeton became the third alteration to the team which grabbed that crucial 2-1 win over the Jambos. Rangers started in their bright red away kit but it was home keeper Zander Clark whose face nearly turned crimson when he had to back-peddle smartly to tip over a wayward Andy Murdoch cross. That was about as much as a disappointing opening quarter-hour offered. Templeton tried from distance but skied his shot. After the high of beating the new second-tier champions at the weekend, the spark appeared to have gone from Gers' play. It was another mishit cross, this time from Templeton, that nearly caught out Clark again but the winger's delivery drifted just beyond the far post. The former Hearts man caught his next strike with a cleaner connection but the net-bound effort was stopped when Doonhamers defender Andy Dowie bravely stuck his head into its path. Queens, though, found nothing blocking the way as they took the lead after 33 minutes. Danny Carmichael floated the ball wide for Lewis Kidd, who bounced off Rangers left-back Lee Wallace before clipping the ball back inside for Lyle. Wallace claimed for a foul but Lyle did not hang about. The former Hamilton striker set himself with his first touch before firing his second past Robinson. Kenny Miller could only head against the bar after Dowie failed to clear Haris Vuckic's corner as Rangers stepped up their response. Wallace was convinced he was due a penalty just before the break after tangling with Mark Durnan but referee Don Robertson was not the least bit interested. And Wallace's night went from bad to worse just moments into the second half as he put through his own net. Queens went straight for the Gers defence from the kick-off as Reilly swept a low ball across goal from the left. It found Kidd racing in at the back post but while his shot was creeping wide Wallace could not sort his feet and watched in horror as the ball clipped his heel and trickled over the line. McCall swapped the ineffectual Templeton for Robbie Crawford but the midfielder soon handed Queens their clincher. The 22-year-old dawdled on the ball as Kevin Holt raced in to pinch possession. The defender played a one-two with Reilly before sliding the striker in behind the Gers defence with a perfect pass. Robinson raced from his line but could do nothing as Reilly calmly beat him at his near post after 69 minutes. Clark saved well from Vuckic while sub Kris Boyd headed wide in the final stages but Rangers were well beaten.