Berwick Rangers 1-0 Queens Park
Thursday 3rd September 2009
David Cook reports from Shielfield Park: Despite the late, late show, Rangers ascended to the dizzy heights of second place in the league with a deserved victory over a disappointingly unadventurous Spiders outfit at a windblown Shielfield on Saturday.
It's always illuminating to find out what the opposition think about the match, and Queens Park fans have been pretty disparaging - with some justification - about their team's performance. I disagree with their verdict on the Gers however, even allowing for the heightened disappointment of losing a last minute winner to taint their perception. The simple fact is that Rangers worked their butts off to win the game. They overcame a swirling,unpredictable wind and stubborn opponents to register their third consecutive home victory. Not bad going, and especially rewarding to put the Queens Park hoodoo at Shielfield to rest.
After seeing off first division wannabees Livi the previous week, Rangers entered the match on a high but almost sleepwalked into conceding a first minute goal to Dunlop's header,but he was rightly flagged offside. It took the Gers some time to get going, and Elliot Smith was given an early runaround by the Spiders' impressive right winger, Chris Hamilton, who was narrowly wide with a cross-shot in the 22nd minute. Rangers were dealt ablow in the 23rd minute when Brazil was kicked on his calf and had to be substituted, the rangy Radzynski getting a run out much earlier than he would have expected. With Currie again driving his team forward both McLaren and Little tested Black in the Spiders' goal but the conditions were stacked against either team making an easy breakthrough. To Rangers' credit, they looked hungry for the win. Queens, on the other hand, seemed content not to concede and went about their business with a physicality that should have seen more of their number shown the yellow card, which Dunlop should have been rewarded with after his Greg Louganis homage in the 32nd minute.
Rangers left the field at half time to a warm hand from their supporters who appreciated the effort they'd put in. The second half belonged exclusively to the Black & Gold, Queens failing to register a single shot on target, such was Andy McLean's continuing excellence and the diligent work of his fellow defenders. With an hour gone and the pressure building on the Spiders' own defence, Radzynski missed a sitter after he was left with a free header a yard from goal with Black nowhere. He deserved a goal for his energetic performance and it was a relief that the outcome of the match did'nt depend on his miss. Paul Currie followed suit minutes later, bulleting a header wide from the penalty spot after McLaren had picked him out with a pinpoint cross from the right. Queens escaped again in the 74th minute, Little's shot deflecting off Brough and bouncing off Black for a corner. The closer Rangers came to scoring the greater the feeling that it was going to be one of those days when the ball just won't go in. Until the 89th minute,that is. Which is when Rangers pieced together a flowing four man move, through McLean, Little and then Currie, whose killer through ball set up McLaren to slam the ball across Black and into the far corner for another deliriously-received Shielfield winner. Long may it continue.
Whilst it's still early days and there's a temptation to get carried away by our excellent start,my personal view is that the current squad /*has the potential */to be one of the best Rangers sides since Tom Hendrie's entertainers of the mid-90s. Jimmy Crease was a major factor in that era too, so here's hoping that he can work his magic again this season.
Peat 7; Notman 7; McLean 8; Guy 7; Smith 7; Greenhill 6 (Callaghan 5); Russell 7 (Gray 7) ; Currie 8; McLaren 7; Little 7; Brazil 4 (Radzynski 7)
Crowd - 518
LINK : League Table
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