RANGERS B made it back-to-back victories with a 6-1 triumph over Dalbeattie Star in the Lowland League at Dumbarton Stadium this afternoon.
Fresh from their return to winning ways against Civil Service Strollers in midweek, the Gers raced out to a 4-0 lead at the interval through a brace from Connor Young and goals from Robbie Ure and Charlie Lindsay.
The visitors reduced the arrears just minutes into the second half, but the Light Blues continued to attack with authority as Ure and substitute James Graham rounded off the scoring on the afternoon.
David McCallum named five changes to his side for the visit of Dalbeattie Star, with Jacob Pazikas given the nod between the posts alongside a reshuffled outfield pack from midweek that included starts for Connor Allan, Mackenzie Strachan, Charlie Lindsay and Connor Young.
It was a wet and blustery afternoon in Dumbarton, but the Gers wasted precious little time in opening the scoring. Jack Harkness was picked out in acres of space advanced on the right-hand side where he centred first-time for Young who tapped home from close range inside 90 seconds.
There was a certain confidence to Rangers’ play in the opening exchanges, with Arron Lyall weaving his way through a congested Dalbeattie Star penalty area and picking out Robbie Ure with his pull-back, but the forward’s effort was blocked en route to goal.
Both Young and Lindsay sent menacing shots from long range that troubled Mason McGready in the opposition goal, before Ure was denied by the Dalbeattie Star stopper through one-on-one after showing tremendous persistence to steal possession from Harry Hay.
The Light Blues were then awarded the chance to double their advantage from the penalty spot on 20 minutes. A loose ball ricocheted around the penalty area after promising play from Charlie Lindsay and Lyall, with Allan reacting first and going to ground under clear contact from Lewis Ebbs. Young’s spot-kick was on the money, delaying his run-up before sending McCready in the wrong direction.
Young went close to sealing his hat-trick four minutes later, stinging the palms of the Dalbeattie Star goalkeeper before Lindsay was thwarted on the rebound.
However, the home side didn’t have to wait long to extend their advantage. A neat piece of interplay involving Ure and Lindsay manufactured space for a shot from the Northern Irishman, who tapped home the rebound after his initial effort was denied.
The wind was blowing strongly in the direction that Rangers were attacking in the opening period, with Robbie Fraser sending a delicious cross into the penalty area that Ure met on the full volley but was unfortunate to steer off target on 31 minutes.
The Gers captain was causing issues aplenty with the accuracy of his deliveries, with Young turning a diving header wide before the hosts engineered their fourth goal of an action-packed first half from a similar method as Ure turned home from close range six minutes shy of the interval despite pressure from Adam Uphill.
Although the momentum was with the Gers heading into the second half, Dalbeattie Star pulled a goal back just two minutes after the restart. Andrew Caffrey was released through on goal and, after Pazikas had done excellently to thwart the forward’s initial effort, Myles Gaffney was on hand to stroke the rebound into the bottom corner.
Rangers immediately set about restoring their four-goal buffer, with Lindsay dancing his way impressively over several Dalbeattie challenges on the edge of the penalty area, but his ensuing shot proved wayward.
A mix-up in the opposition’s ranks almost presented Ure with a gift moments later, but his sliding block on McCready’s clearance sailed out for a goal-kick.
However, a fifth goal of the afternoon arrived on the hour-mark for the young Gers. Lyall did impressively to outmanoeuvre his marker in midfield, sliding a precise through ball into Ure who strode into the penalty area and curled his finish into the far corner.
The Gers continued to attack with menace despite the blustery conditions, with Strachan sending a through pass into the path of Ure from midfield. The forward lifted his head and attempted to centre to substitute James Graham, but Dalbeattie snuffed out the danger.
The clock ticked into the final 15 minutes when Rangers further stretched their advantage. Graham was certainly a livewire following his introduction from the bench, doing superb to latch onto Fraser’s pass before outfoxing his marker and poking a smart finish into the bottom corner to add his side’s sixth goal of the game.
Ure was denied from close range just moments after, meeting Fraser’s cross before McCready denied the 18-year-old with a smart reflex stop on the goal line.
There was a return from injury for Zak Lovelace late in the game, while Alex Kpapke replaced Strachan as the Gers saw out an impressive performance and victory.
RANGERS B: Pazikas, Harkness (Rice, 67) MacKinnon, Yfeko, Fraser, Strachan (Kpapke, 84), Lindsay, Allan, Young, Lyall (Graham 67), Ure (Lovelace, 80)
Subs not used: Budinauckas, Willox
DALBEATTIE STAR: McCready, Hay, Uphill, Kearney, Caffrey, Gaffney, Degnan (Kilpatrick, 63), Gallagher, Milligan, Gourlay, Cumming
Subs not used: Campbell, Emmerson, Johnson, Ebbs
REFEREE: Harry Bruce