Football: Dodds double rouses Rangers

ANDREI KANCHELSKIS and Billy Dodds both scored twice as Rangers declared themselves fully recovered from an indifferent patch of form to thrash Motherwell 5-1 at Fir Park.

Kanchelskis, who intimated his future may lie elsewhere if he is not a first-team regular, presented the best possible evidence for his case as he opened the scoring after 25 minutes. But he needed an assist from the former Rangers goalkeeper Andy Goram, who seemed bamboozled by the winger's cross as it drifted into the corner of the net with nary a striker in sight.

Motherwell, unbeaten in their previous eight games, had started the brighter, but Rangers gradually gained a foothold in the match, and hit the woodwork twice before Kanchelskis' 25th-minute goal. Nine minutes later they were two ahead as Lorenzo Amoruso struck a fierce free-kick past Goram from the edge of the penalty area.

On the stroke of half-time, Billy Dodds in effect ended the match as a contest when his emphatic shot put Rangers 3-0 up, his first for them since his pounds 1m move from Dundee United. He doubled his total five minutes into the second half, glancing in Kanchelskis' centre and the winger made it five when he fired in low past the hapless Goram. Don Goodman scored Motherwell's late goal.

In England, Huddersfield Town maintained their one point lead at the top of the Nationwide First Division with a 3-1 win over Grimsby Town at the McAlpine Stadium. Clyde Wijnhard, their pounds 750,000 buy from Leeds, scored twice, taking his season's total to 14, and Marcus Stewart broke his run of eight games without a goal to seal the win.

Manchester City, second, ended their run of three consecutive defeats when they took three points off the bottom club, Swindon Town, in a 3- 0 win at Maine Road. After 29 minutes, Mark Kennedy, unused and freezing on the wing, took a corner, the Robins' defence presented it back to him, and his right-foot shot was blocked by Frank Talia to leave Jamie Pollock a three-yard tap-in. Goals by Robert Taylor and Shaun Goater, his 13th of the season, sealed the win before the hour.

Ipswich Town moved up to third when they beat a West Bromwich Albion apparently hellbent on self-destruction. Last week Albion lost one of their best young players, Kevin Kilbane, sold to Sunderland, and their chairman, Tony Hale, who resigned. And they lost a goal after only six minutes when James Scowcroft headed down John McGreal's cross and David Johnson scrambled in his 14th goal of the season.

After another scramble, Scowcroft made it 2-0 and Albion then obligingly reduced their numbers to nine as Lars Sigurdsson was sent off after a fracas with Johnson, who gave way soon after as Neil Midgley made his debut in the 32nd minute. He scored 34 minutes later by which time Albion's Matt Carbon had been dismissed for a professional foul.

Unfancied Stockport County continue to confound the doubters but perhaps there will be a few more believers in the Bolton area after they beat Wanderers 1-0 at the Reebok Stadium, Tony Dinning's winner came on the hour. Craig Hignett, Barnsley's "makeshift" striker, belied the adjective when he tucked away a hat-trick as the Tykes beat Walsall 3-2 at Oakwell to stay fifth.

The four London sides in the First Division met and couldn't manage a goal between them. Ten-man Queen's Park Rangers, Chris Kiwomya was sent off, withstood a Charlton Athletic battering at Loftus Road to gain a point; Fulham's 0-0 stalemate at Crystal Palace was much more predictable being their 11th draw in 23 starts. Managerless Portsmouth also drew 0- 0, but Port Vale will be happier with the away point.

In the Second Division, the top five won and leaders Wigan stretched their unbeaten start to the league season to 21 matches with a 1-0 defeat of Brentford. In the Third, Barnet's lead at the top narrowed to three points. They drew 0-0 with Mansfield while Rotherham beat Darlington to go second. Chester beat Halifax 2-1, consigning Leyton Orient to the very bottom of the league.