Stranraer 2-4 Berwick Rangers
Sunday 8th November 2009
Berwick Rangers finally got that away win monkey off their back with another high quality performance at Stair Park, despite allowing the home side to draw level early in the second half after being two goals adrift at half time.
Damon Gray consolidated the impression he made against Albion Rovers which suggested that once he'd scored his first goals, others would follow thick and fast, and so it proved at Stranraer, the Geordie striker showing off his preatory instincts with two more goals. Further efforts from Jamie Ewart and a Murray Henderson og gave Rangers an ultimately comfortable victory, though they once again demonstrated an achiiles heel on the road, allowing Stranraer to claw their way back into the match after the Gers had establsihed what looked like a match winning lead - shades of the 3-3 draw at Elgin, and further confirmation of the need to kill teams off once decent leads are established.
With Stevie Notman unfit the play following a knock sustained against Rovers, Jimmy Crease was forced into reshuffling his back line, Elliot Smith moving across to right back and Paul McMullan making his first league start of the season at left back. Damon Gray started up front with Ally Brazil, Fraser McLaren moving to the right side of midfield in place of Ian Little. Stranraer had looked a fairly cumbersome outfit when they lost 1-0 at Shielfield earlier in the season, and that impression was not dispelled when Henderson carelessly slotted past his own keeper in the 5th minute to give the Gers a flier. Damon Gray increased their lead in the 23rd minute, firing home from 16 yards after neatly creating sapce for himslef on the edge of the penalty area. Rangers had more chances to increase their lead before the break, but their failure to take them was punished by a home side obvioulsy fired up by a hefty bollocking in the dressing room.
McGeoch reduced the deficit for the home side with a 55th minute tap in, and McColm levelled in the 71st minute with another scrambled effort from close range. Other sides would have buckled, but this Gers side is made of more solid stuff and Jamie Ewart forced home a Callaghan corner in the 80th minute, followed a couple of minutes later by another slick Gray finish to kill off the homesters' challenge and keep Rangers in second place behind you know who.
Queens Park come visiting on Saturday and it's unlikely they'll deliver such a poverty-stricken performance as on their last visit. In fact, their form has improved of late and they scored an excellent victory over the Shire last weekend, so this looks like it'll be a tough low-scoring one. Which means it'll probably end up 5-4 to the Gers. Here's hoping. It looks like the manager will be forced into making further changes for the Spiders' match, Greenhill picking up an injury that looks likely to sideline him for a couple of weeks, and both McLaren and Gray sustaining minor knocks.
Peat 7; Smith 6; McMullan 6; Ewart 7; McLean 7; McLaren 6; Currie 7; Callaghan 7; Greenhill 6; Brazil 7; Gray 8.
Crowd - 274
Report by David Cook
LINK : SFL3 Table
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