Albion Rvrs 2-1 Berwick Rangers
Tuesday 18th August 2009
Our fatal attraction to red cards came back to haunt us at a gale-wracked Cliftonhill on Saturday, the handicap of having to play 84 minutes with ten men proving beyond even this exciting new team's powers of recovery. Not only did Rangers' self-inflicted damage kill their prospects of taking anything from a disappointing match, but they were also dealt the mother of all bum deals,Rovers' Pat Walker inadvertently deflecting the 62nd minute winner into the net via his backside. If it's true that your luck evens itself out over the course of the season,then Rangers are due a barrowload shortly.
Rangers starting lineup showed one predictable change from the previous week, prodigal son Fraser McLaren awarded the right midfield berth ahead of the slightly unlucky Chris McMenamin on the former's return from trials with Derby county, Carlisle et al. Rovers, meanwhile, had won both their opening cup ties, including a three nil hammering of football pariahs Livingston. Rovers beat Rangers four times out of five last season and had also managed to keep hold of the coveted Bobby Barr, 2008/09 Third Division player of the year, so a difficult afternoon was always in prospect.
> The match was delayed for 15 minutes not, as reported, due to crowd congestion (a more likely reason would have been having to wait for a crowd to turn up), but because the referee got held up in traffic. Rangers fans were soon wishing he'd stayed there.When the ball had to be replaced after two minutes,you just knew it was going to be one of those days.Three minutes into the match, McLaren showed his class, cutting inside McGowan to fire in a shot which Gaston palmed round the post ,but for Rangers, disaster lurked just around the corner. Rovers broke forward in numbers and Barr and McFarlane had shots blocked in a frenetic goalmouth scramble.When the ball rebounded back to McFarlane, he cracked it past Peat but Stuart Callaghan,guarding the right hand post,punched the goalbound shot over the bar. Penalty - the fourth Rangers have conceded in their four competitive games so far this season,and surely something of a record - and a straight red for the skipper. Bobby Barr duly dispatched the penalty to give Rovers a 6th minute lead.Rangers chances appeared to go from slim to none in an instant, and with Ian Little, who had dropped back into midfield, being hustled out of his stride by Canning and Tyrell, any chance of a recovery looked remote. Until the 22nd minute, which is when Alan Brazil scored an early contender for goal of the season.
Brazil must be getting used to finding himself marooned on his own up front,but he took full advantage,muscling his way on to Peat's booming goal kick and sending a searing volley from 30 yards over the gobsmacked Gaston for a stunning equaliser. Rangers were back with a bang, and proceeded to boss the remainder of the first half,though the closest they came to taking the lead was in the 35th minute, when Graham Guy's flicked header flew narrowly over. Still, with Barr well marshalled by Elliot Smith and Rovers lacking the fluency of last season, Rangers would have been content going in level at half time.
Unfortunately, they never really got started in the second half and struggled to overcome the additional handicap of playing into the strong wind howling down the ground. Sensing their advantage had been restored, Rangers inflicted a plague of early corners on the Rangers defence, Steven Notman standing out with a superb performance at right back as his side weathered the storm. Peat was more regularly involved in the action now, and saved well from O'Byrne's low shot in the 57th minute. Rangers were denied a decent penalty shout in the 59th minute,Benton appearing to handle a McLaren cross. Lady Luck did a complete runner five minutes later when Rovers took the lead. Barr fired in a 25 yarder which bounced back off Peat's post and was collected on the right hand edge of the penalty area by Boyle, whose low cross hit Pat Walker's arse and trickled apologetically into the corner of Peat's net. It was a horrible goal to lose but symptomatic of a disappointing game. Inspired by their good fortune,Rovers stepped up the pressure and Peat saved well from Barr again in the 64th minute, before Rangers almost snatched an equaliser in the 77th minute, McLaren's cross nearly deflected into his own goal by McGowan. That would have been a fair return from the fickle finger of fate, but Rangers' habit of leaving the lucky rabbit's foot on the team bus is starting to cost them dear. There was one further scare, Peat getting stranded oustide his area in the 84th minute, but O'Byrne chipped over from 30 yards out.
A draw would have been a fair result on the day,but Rangers learned another harsh lesson about having to play pretty much an entire match with ten men. It's difficult to criticise Callagan, whose reaction was instinctive,but with Jamie Ewart missing for three matches Rangers could well do without their most influential players sitting in the stands.That said, they did well to compete for so long with a fancied Rovers side, and in Steven Notman had the game's outstanding performer.
Andy McLean did well again, and Fraser McLaren is a quality addition to a very promising squad. Livingston are due to visit next Saturday,unless their political brinksmanship results in a successful appeal to the SFA. It's a long time since we've had the Meadowbank-Lite at Shielfield, and for all sorts of reasons,there should be some added spice to the match.
Peat 7; Notman 8; Guy 6; McLean 7; Smith 6; McLaren 7; Currie 5; Callaghan 0; Greenhill 5; Little 5; Brazil 6
Crowd - 322
LINK : Table
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