WILLIE COLLUM was in charge as Rangers bounced back from their disappointing derby defeat to secure a 5-0 win over Robbie Neilson’s Hearts and the official had a busy day at the office to keep a handle on the full-blooded contest.

The first booking of the afternoon was dished out to Calvin Bassey as the left-back went in for a 50-50 with Cammy Devlin that Collum deemed to be a little too enthusiastic, and it was probably the right call.

The Premiership champions perhaps could have been awarded a penalty in the first half. Ryan Kent drove into the box and looked like he was having his shirt pulled by Hearts’ Nathaniel Atkinson but the Ibrox winger elected to stay on his feet and get a cross into the area. It should have been a penalty either way but Collum waved play on.

Beni Baningime incurred the wrath of the home support as he slid in on Ryan Jack shortly after the restart but the midfielder appeared to reach the ball first, even if the follow-through looked a little painful for the Scotland internationalist.

That frustration from the fans was exacerbated minutes later as Leon Balogun dispossessed Liam Boyce in a similar fashion at the other end, only for Collum to flash a yellow card this time around. It was certainly inconsistent.

The second half became stop-start as Collum blew his whistle more and more regularly but many of the calls were difficult to dispute. The intensity was dialled up and the tackles flew in that little bit harder as the contest developed a physical edge to it.

Atkinson was next in the book for a late, rash slide tackle on Kent and Collum correctly rewarded the Hearts man’s efforts with a booking. That decision sparked a protest from Neilson, who was also shown a yellow for his trouble.

Bassey was looking for a penalty after a neat bit of skill from Aaron Ramsey sent the full-back charging into the Hearts box. Taylor Moore was at his back as Bassey fell to the floor but Collum rightly waved play on as there was minimal contact. 

A slack pass at the back from Leon Balogun fell kindly to the feet of Ben Woodburn as Connor Goldson came across to shut the Hearts attacker down with a firm but fair challenge. Collum had a glance and correctly decided against awarding a foul. 

Overall, it was a mixed bag for Collum. The decisions to not punish Baningime but to book Balogun a few minutes later were baffling, while the Bassey booking was marginal. The decision not to award Rangers a first-half penalty is also hard to explain.