Linfield boss David Jeffrey could almost have had a coat-hanger in his mouth his smile was so wide after walking out with the recently retained Gibson and Irish Cups.

The CIS Insurance Cup was thrown in for good measure and the man simply known as 'Winkie' around Windsor Park was an instrumental figure in every success.

Spare a thought for the cups, however, in the pre-match pictures, Linfield kit manager Gary Eccles almost knocked them flying after losing his balance, much to the amusement of the Blues squad — which included new-boy Johnny Harkness for the first time.

This was certainly Murphy's day but the fans also came out in their numbers to see a few ex-Ibrox heroes such as Mark Walters and the legendary Mark Hateley.

The Rangers old boys still have all he touches, but the pace is slightly more pedestrian now. The competitiveness was still there though, and they played a mean offside trap.

Was this Rangers or Arsenal seniors?

With Linfield perhaps sizing up who was facing them, former Liverpool winger, Walters, almost opened the scoring after.

All the jinks and shoulder dropping were there but Murphy to come to the rescue for the umpteenth time in a Blues shirt.

That woke Winkie and co up and the deadlock was broken on 12 minutes by a grandfather more accustomed to shooting boots than slippers. Glenn Ferguson turned and shot from the edge of the box past Blues number two keeper Kris McKendry who was guesting for Rangers.

Ferguson, Oran Kearney and Mark Dickson should all have added to the scoring and Thomas Stewart fizzed one over the bar but it wasn't that sort of day.

The big cheer was saved for Hateley when the silver-haired hitman got onto the end of a Clive Walker cross but his diving header failed to find the target.

Alex Rae, Clive Walker and Scott Nisbett then went close as the old boys dusted down their Zimmer frames and stroked the ball about.

As the exhibition game wore on, Murphy was willed on by the Windsor faithful to get forward for a goal but when another goal came it was from a more likely source — substitute Peter Thompson teased McKendry before slotting home then Kearney added a third.

McKendry then switched sides and Graham Roberts of all people filled the Rangers goal but he was beaten by Stewart within a few minutes.

Goal of the game, however, was left to former Rangers and Linfield man Paul McKnight who scored a consolation effort from the halfway line before a late effort from Nisbett.

Just when you thought McKnight couldn't be outdone, kitman Eccles truly filled the Blues goal with a surprise cameo before Murphy's late goal.

Walter's then added a third for Rangers men after a gift from the crab-like Eccles but it mattered little to Murphy on his day to remember.

LINFIELD: Mannus, Douglas, McShane, Gault, Murphy, Dickson, Mulgrew, Kearney, Ferguson, Stewart, Bailie. Subs: Curran, Harkness, Burns, Lindsay, O'Kane, Thompson.

RANGERS XI: McKendry, McPherson, S Walker, Canoviles, Cundy, Sedgely, Rae, Hateley, C Walker, Walters, Nisbett. Subs: Roberts, Dodds, Don, McKnight, McCann, Carson.

Referee: Brian Turkington (Belfast).