Rangers 8-1 Clyde
- Published
Barry Ferguson's return to Ibrox ended in a mauling for his Clyde players as Rangers cruised into the third round of the Petrofac Training Cup.
The former Rangers skipper watched from the technical area as Kris Boyd helped himself to a hat-trick and Lewis Macleod and current captain Lee McCulloch each scored two.
Fraser Aird tucked home the Light Blues' other goal in an Ibrox stroll.
Kevin Watt cracked in a last-minute consolation for Clyde.
The visitors lasted 16 minutes without conceding but there were early signs that Rangers were in the mood.
Midfielder Macleod curled a shot wide of Jamie Barclay's left-hand post and Aird played a one-two with the same player and struck a powerful low shot from 25 yards that was well saved by the Clyde keeper.
However, they were caught out by a swift counter-attack when Nicky Clark ran two-thirds of the pitch before releasing the ball to Boyd, who hit a controlled shot across Barclay and into the net.
Five minutes later Ross McKinnon blew the chance to at least test Simonsen in the home goal when he blazed a free-kick over.
The Bully Wee had little time to recover from the opening goal when they were exposed once more as Aird got on the end of a cut-back from the ever-eager Lee Wallace and side-footed home from 12 yards.
Rangers found space at will and Darren McGregor was unmarked when he headed Aird's corner at goal. Barclay parried the ball into the path of Bilel Mohsni who smashed it over the bar.
Three goals flowed in 12 minutes as Macleod picked up on a slack pass by Scott Durie, passed it briskly to Clark and his lay-off was converted by Boyd for a slick third.
With confidence high, Aird breezed down the right and passed inside to McCulloch, who made a quick change of direction and rifled in a shot with the nonchalance of a captain whose side were easing to victory.
Macleod scored the next two, the first a delightful curling shot into the far corner just before the break, followed in 65 minutes by a low crack at goal for number six after an incisive run by Dean Shiels, on for Clark.
And it could have been worse for the part-timers between that brace.
Aird strolled past David Marsh and smashed a shot from close range that was palmed over by Barclay and the keeper got down quickly to smother a raking shot from Macleod on the left.
Further, Nicky Law, with the Clyde defence backing off, hit the post with a dinked effort over the keeper's head.
More goals seemed inevitable as Clyde afforded the hosts too much time and space on the ball.
Substitute David Templeton was involved in the final two, as his clever flick set up McCulloch to thunder an unstoppable shot into the top corner from outside the box.
And the forward's devastating run and pass down the left set up Boyd who wrong-footed his opponents and slotted home for his hat-trick and his team's eighth.
In the final minute, Watt spoiled Simonsen's clean sheet by arrowing a powerful shot from a narrow angle high into the net.