A Lee Wallace goal sent Rangers on their way to their most impressive victory of the Scottish Championship season – and handed his former club Hearts the title.
Wallace was handed the freedom to get forward as Stuart McCall changed his faltering team’s tactics, and it worked as the left wing-back scored one and played a role in Kenny Miller’s late second as Rangers won 2-0 against Hibernian.
Wallace fired home in the 44th minute following a quick break and Miller finished with 10 minutes left after the left-sided player appeared to impede Paul Hanlon.
The victory was McCall’s first in his three games in charge of Rangers and his team’s first in six and it meant that Hearts’ 23-point lead at the top is unassailable.
But it also has a major impact on the race for play-off places as Rangers cut the gap on second-placed Hibs to three points and allayed supporters’ fears that their poor form left them susceptible to slipping out of the top four.