RANGERS Under-19s got off to a winning start in the defence of their CAS Elite League title as two goals inside the final ten minutes helped deliver a 3-1 victory over Dundee United at Foundation Park.
The young Gers had to show their powers of recovery to claim a priceless three points in the season’s curtain-raiser as a Callum Burnside spot-kick cancelled out United’s opener in the first-half.
In a second half which the away side perhaps shaded, Owen provided the go-ahead moment in the latter stages when he placed an emphatic header into the top corner before Burnside raced clear five minutes later to provide the exclamation point for the away side.
It was a refreshed lineup from the one which delivered the league title just over two months ago, with perhaps the biggest changes among the midfield and forward selection.
Ben Hutton occupied the No.6 role, while Burnside, part of the first-team squad for their training camp in Spain this summer, supplemented the 2010-born duo of Coben Fergusson and Ruaridh Hall in attack.
Indeed, Burnside was the first to threaten inside three minutes when he dragged an effort, while the home side almost profited from a lapse in defensive concentration down the opposite end, but the shot was lifted off target.
However, it was Dundee United who broke the deadlock inside ten minutes when a delivery from an advanced area on the right was met 12 yards out by one of two trialists in the hosts’ starting lineup, and Sam Reid was beaten all ends up.
To their credit, Rangers immediately upped the ante after falling behind, threatening in-behind with the searing pace of Hall in attack.
And it was an intelligent run, this time from Fergusson, which engineered the leveller when he was latched onto a Burnside pass before spinning his marker inside the penalty area and being hauled to the canvas.
Penalty duties were assumed by Burnside, who stepped up with composure and buried a confident spot-kick into the bottom corner.
The away side then carved open another fluid attack down the right-hand side when Arran Kerr picked up a great position and pulled the ball across into the vicinity of Luca Rankin, whose first-time effort was thwarted.
Rankin was an all-action presence in the engine room and glided his way to the byline just before the interval. His pick-out, however, was cleared inside the six-yard area by the towering Lee in the Dundee United defence.
The home side emerged for the second half on the front foot as a surging run from Emil Franczak saw the winger pick out Leiper, a player with first-team experience for the Tannadice outfit, who was denied by a fantastic diving save from Sam Reid in the Rangers goal.
The visitors were certainly finding joy through Kerr on the right flank in his marauding runs from full-back.
After a neat move down the right from Malky Thomson’s side, the ball broke to Burnside on the edge of the penalty area, but his shot cannoned into the turf and trickled safely into the arms of the Dundee United goalkeeper.
The Northern Irishman went close once again just beyond the hour-mark when he left a United defender in his slipstream with a gorgeous nutmeg 25 yards out from goal, although his resulting effort from the edge of the penalty area flew wide of the target.
Cormac Christie replaced the tireless Hall moments later as Thomson reshuffled his attacking pack in search of a winning goal.
The momentum was suddenly with the Gers, with James Reid repelled by a brilliant block inside the penalty area when the defender unleashed at goal from the edge of the penalty area.
And from the subsequent corner, Rangers got their noses in front.
A deep delivery was carried all the way through to Burnside at the far post, who immediately shifted the ball out from under his feet and delivered in search of Owen, who rose highest in the penalty area and looped a brilliant header into the top corner.
The match was over as a contest five minutes later when Rangers broke forward at pace; the impressive Fergusson threading a delicious pass through to Burnside who steadied himself and placed a neat finish into the far corner for his second of the afternoon.
RANGERS: S. Reid, Kerr, Owen, J. Reid, Wark (Patton, 84), Hutton, Rankin, Young (Fernie, 77), Fergusson, Burnside, Hall (Christie, 63)
Subs not used: Millarvie, Hynd, Ramage
DUNDEE UNITED: Zerebecki, Trialist, Beverley, Reynolds, Lee, McHale, Leiper, Trialist, Anderson, Forrest, Franczak
Subs not used: McKimmie, Carrigan, Connelly, Mess, Mathers
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