A Martyn Waghorn penalty had given the home side a half-time lead. Joe Garner, on for Kenny Miller at the break, scored his first Rangers hat-trick, with a goal apiece from Clint Hill and Jon Toral, his first for the club, securing Rangers a return to Hampden. However, much of the post-game debate will surround the performance of referee John Beaton and his fellow officials after two potentially crucial decisions going against Hamilton. As they so often do Rangers started proceedings on the front foot with Accies content to let them have possession. An opening came for the home side to take the lead within the first 10 minutes following positive wing play from Barrie McKay. The lithe wide man skipped down the left before sliding a pass into the path of the advancing Emerson Hyndman, running off the Accies midfield. But he could only fire straight at Remi Matthews. The Ibrox side then had a major let-off after a crucial decision was missed by the officials. A long ball ran through towards Wes Foderingham, but as the Rangers goalkeeper awaited for it to enter his box Rakish Bingham was bearing down on him. Panicking, Foderingham dove on the ball outside the box and carried it into his box. Both of the goalkeeper’s gloves were on the ball a yard outside his area, denying Bingham a clear goalscoring opportunity. Nothing was given. With Rangers’ good start slowly fading James Tavernier created a chance for Miller but the talisman could only curl over. Martin Canning’s men built into the game. After a trying but rewarding 90 minutes against Aberdeen on Tuesday, Accies showed more intent, keeping the ball comfortably but were struggling to threaten. There was space for Bingham’s pace in behind and to the sides of the Rangers centre-halves but the final ball wasn’t of the necessary quality. And then they were behind. Just past the half hour mark Jason Holt provided an injection of pace into the midfield, skipping free before exchanging passes with Waghorn. On the edge of he box he fizzed the ball to Miller. The forward took the attempt first time, thundering a volley towards goal, only for Matthews to tip the ball onto the bar. From the resulting free-kick Rangers worked it short before playing it into the box where Toral had got goal side of Grant Gillespie. Just as the Spanish midfielder set himself to shoot he fell to the ground in stages. Gillespie had tentatively wrapped his arms around his opponents before standing on Toral’s foot. Beaton decided their was sufficient contact to award the penalty. Matthews was unable to replicate his penalty heroics from the previous round against Dunfermline Athletic as Waghorn converted for his 14th of the season. Waghorn went close to his 15th three minutes before the interval, steering a McKay cut-back over the bar. Likely still feeling aggrieved at the start of the second half, Hamilton’s task became mountainous barely 180 seconds after Beaton signalled for the restart. McKay’s corner from the left was met by Rob Kiernan, who glanced the ball goalwards. Half-time substitute Garner was alert to steer the ball into the net from inside the six-yard box. Garner’s afternoon should have turned from the high of scoring the goal which had all but secured a semi-final spot to the low of being given an early bath and therefore missing the Hampden clash. Dougie Imrie turned the ball away from Garner who took a wild swing of his boot, kicking Imrie high up the thigh, with the ball irrelevant. Beaton, however, opted to show an insufficient yellow card. Lee Wallace fired wide before ponderous forward play from Garner should have made it three. The third would come with less than 15 minutes left to play. Matthews produced a fabulous save to deny Toral from a corner. But the following corner fell to Toral again and he fired it in via a deflection from substitute Scott McMann. Hamilton would soon implode as Rangers ran in three more before the final whistle. Clint Hill evaded slack marking from Craig Watson to power a header into the top corner before a no-look backpass from Gillespie was pounced upon by Garner. The forward skipped past Matthews to net. Garner grabbed his hat-trick goal following more haphazard defending from Accies. The ball pinballed around the box before Garner blasted in to secure comfortable passage to Hampden.
