Partick 5-1 Berwick
Tuesday 4th August 2009
Berwick Rangers were well and truly stung by the Jags in a heavy opening round defeat in Saturday's League cup tie at a pristine Firhill on Saturday, but still managed to take some positive things from the game despite being afflicted by an ongoing plague of injuries and illness.
Rangers found themselves heavily depleted before a ball was kicked, new signings Damon Gray having to attend his brother's wedding and Stephen Radzynski going down with suspected swine flu. Within 4 minutes of the kick off, delayed because the groundsman had to repaint the penalty area lines, Paul McMullen was stretchered off with serious ligament damage after a heavy tackle. This forced Jimmy Crease into a wholsesale reshuffle, Elliot Smith moving across to left back, Stephen Notman taking over at right back, and Chris McMenamin coming off the bench to replace Notman in midfield. With the balance of the team and his pre-match tactics consigned to the shredder, Crease's team did well to compete on equal terms with the home side during an attractive opening 45. The roof caved in after the break, but before anyone gets too disconsolate, not only will Partick be front runners for a place in next season's Premier League, but heavy defeats were the order of the day for most lower league opposition, Albion's faith-restoring win over Livingston excepted.
The absence of Gray and Radzynksi meant that Rangers started with Alan Brazil as their lone striker, supported by a five man midfield with Paul Currie providing the main support on the break. With their early possession play, Rangers looked the part and if they can carry that confidence into their league campaign it will serve them well. With both sides probing for an opening, the first quarter passed by fairly uneventfully. The first real opportunity arrived in the 23rd minute, man of the match Liam Buchanan creating space for himself before being robbed by the outstanding Andrew McLean. By now Partick had started to step up the pressure, with Mark Corcoran causing Notman all sorts of grief down Rangers' right flank, though the stand-in full back coped admirably with a testing afternoon. With half an hour gone, Thistle took the lead, and in spectacular style. A Paton cross was ineffectively cleared to the edge of the box and Hodge rifled a brilliant 25 yard half volley past Peat,who did'nt get a sniff of it. The early ebb and flow of the game grew patchier and with Thistle starting to drive Rangers'
midfield back, Peat was forced into his first difficult save of the day,blocking Corcoran's low shot with his legs.Unperturbed by falling behind, Rangers recovered their composure and forced Partick into conceding a couple of corners and a rash of free kicks before the interval, Russell and Callaghan shooting high and wide from decent positions during this spell.
Rangers started brightly after the break, knitting together a flowing move in the 49th minute which ended with Currie miscuing his shot,which was a prelude to Thistle extending their lead in the 50th minute.
Buchanan picked the ball up but looked to be hemmed in by the Gers defence until he created the yard of space needed to crack another unstoppable shot past Peat from 20 yards out. Shellshocked Rangers conceded a third in the 52nd minute, Peat deflecting McKeown's powerful cross shot straight to the feet of sub Chris Erskine, who poked the ball home from close range.Rangers discovered the difference between full-time First Division outfits and part-time Third Division football the hard way, the slightest loss of concentration ending up on the receiving end of some heavy punishment.
Despite facing an irretrievable deficit,Rangers continued to play football that was easy on the eye, finally discovering a cutting edge in the 72nd minute, David Greenhill's sublime through ball allowing Ian Little to run on,dummy keeper Tuffey and chip cheekily home for an excellent goal. Their confidence restored, Rangers should have pulled another goal back in the 77th minute, Ewart sending a header inches wide when it looked easier to score. Pricked into action by the close call, Thistle upped the ante once more and Erskine set up Buchanan for a neat flicked finish in the 81st minute. By now Rangers were looking a tired side, and Erskine took advantage of their fatigue with a fifth goal in the 87th minute,touching home Paton's cross.
Despite losing, Rangers played some very watchable football which should deliver greater reward in the league. For once the outstanding defender was'nt Jamie Ewart, Andrew McLean having his best game for the Black and Gold. Other notable performances came from Paul Currie, who looks capable of providing the most dynamic support we've had from midfield since Martin Neil hung up his boots, and Alan Brazil who worked tirelessly in the graveyard shift up front. Rangers will have learned lessons from this match, and so long as they stick to their commitment to attractive passing football this should still be a season of significant progress.
Peat 6; Smith 6; McMullen (sub McMenanim 7); Ewart 6; McLean 8; Russell 5; Callaghan 7; Currie 7; Greenhill 7; Notman 7; Brazil 7
Crowd - 1492
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