RANGERS Under-19s fell to a 3-0 defeat at the hands of League One outfit Hamilton Academical in their final outing of the KDM Evolution Trophy League Phase at Broadwood Stadium this evening.
After a competitive first-half which finished goalless, the home side, packed with seasoned professionals, flexed their muscles and scored three times without reply through Kevin O’Hara, Steven Bradley and an Oliver Hynd own goal.
It brings to an end the side’s stint in the competition where they have been taught some real harsh lessons but will be all the better for the experience of competing against senior sides.
There were six changes to the team from last week’s league win over Dundee United, with Jack Wyllie, Arran Kerr, Lyle Wark, Max Cameron, Cormac Christie and Aiden Crilly coming into the starting lineup.
The away side started on the front foot and ought to have edged ahead when Accies goalkeeper, Michael Marks, flew out of his penalty area and was left stranded when Crilly rounded his advances, but when the midfielder delivered into the penalty area the ball didn’t sit correctly for Cameron to strike cleanly towards an unguarded goal.
Greig Thackray was then called into action when Liam Morgan snuck round the far post and shot powerfully at the Gers goalkeeper.
A free-kick delivery from the left-hand side soon after caused panic in the Accies penalty area before breaking to Ben Hutton, but the full-back’s effort was of the snapshot variety and was comfortably collected by Marks.
A stray pass on the halfway line from Aiden McCallion almost left the visitors red-faced as Oli Shaw swivelled and attempted an audacious lob from distance with Thackray stranded out of his goal, but fortunately for Rangers the forward’s effort looped over the crossbar.
The League One outfit were beginning to build a head of steam with their undoubted experience on the pitch, with Lee Kilday lashing dangerously off target when he met a corner first-time from the right-hand side.
Moments later, a surging run down the right from Connor Smith saw the Rangers woodwork rattled after Wyllie’s clearance fell straight back to the full-back who lashed off the outside of the post.
A lengthy interruption then ensued when McCallion went down inside his own half and the young midfielder was forced to leave the field of play on a stretcher, with everyone at Rangers wishing him a speedy recovery.
The second half began with the home side upping their aggression as Accies manager, John Rankin, made a quadruple substitution.
Among those changes was the introduction of forward O’Hara, who opened the scoring just shy of the hour-mark when Darian MacKinnon lashed a delivery across the face of goal for the substitute to tap home from close-range.
Prior to that, Stuart McKinstry had curled inches wide and the Accies winger almost provided the finishing touch to a Morgan cross that sailed across the Gers penalty area.
The second goal for Hamilton arrived with 13 minutes remaining as the home side snapped into a challenge on Wark in midfield and broke with a man advantage, allowing former Hibernian winger, Steven Bradley, the time and space to curl beyond Thackray from the edge of the penalty area.
It left Rangers with a mountain to climb and, less than 60 seconds later, a third of the evening was added when a cross from the right-hand side was turned into his own net by Hynd to leave no doubt about the final outcome.
RANGERS: Thackray, Hutton (Reid, 59), Wyllie, Kerr (Hynd, 59), Wark, McCallion (Rankin, 45), Crilly, Smith, Lawson, Cameron (Fernie, 59), Christie (Condy, 78)
Subs not used: Millarvie (GK), Caldwell, Young, Fergusson
HAMILTON ACADEMICAL: Marks, Kilday (Bradley, 45), Smith (Loughrey, 45), Shaw (O’Hara, 45), Trialist, Newbury, Morgan, McKinstry, Eadie, Hendrie (MacDonald, 45), MacKinnon (Robinson, 60)
Subs not used: Smith (GK), Lyons, Herd, Shiels
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