RANGERS Under-19s earned another impressive victory in their CAS Elite League campaign with a 2-0 win over Kilmarnock at Rugby Park this afternoon.
Goals either side of the half-time interval proved decisive for the young Gers, with Conor Owen crashing home the opener with a header before Kyle Glasgow netted for the second game running to put the seal on the triumph.
The victory lifts the side three points clear at the summit of the league standings, albeit both Hibernian and St. Mirren in second and third place respectively have played two fewer games.
It promises to be an exciting end to the campaign with just four league outings remaining as Rangers host both Celtic and Motherwell at home and face away trips to St. Mirren and Dundee United.
Malky Thomson named four changes to his side from their previous outing in the CAS Elite League Cup, two of which were enforced with Aiden McCallion and Rydnn McGuire both representing Scotland Under-19s on international duty.
Rangers were first to threaten in the contest as Aiden Crilly broke into space in midfield with just two minutes on the clock. He picked up his head and released Cameron Fernie in a pocket of space, but the midfielder’s effort was clawed away by Jamie Morrison in the Killie goal.
The home side, however, grew into the contest thereafter and looked dangerous through Noah Simpson on the wing. He initially drove an effort straight down the throat of Sam Reid before his play down the left flank saw a delivery into the penalty area cleared only as far as captain Aaron Davis who lashed off target.
The visitors were then guilty of ceding possession in a dangerous area, yet they were indebted to Conor Owen who raced back to produce a last-ditch intervention on Remo Margiotta who looked set to unleash at Reid’s goal.
There was an end-to-end feel about the contest as Zebedee Lawson did well to snap into a challenge with Guy Feeney and prevail with the ball, teeing up Max Cameron to his left who curled agonisingly wide.
Neat play involving Crilly, Fernie and Kyle Glasgow almost ended in the latter breaking the deadlock from the edge of the penalty area, but the 16-year-old could only arrow his effort straight at Morrison.
But the outstanding save of the first-half belonged to Reid in Rangers colours when Margiotta looked set to open the scoring when he sized up goal from six yards out but could only watch the Gers goalkeeper spring to his right to thwart his effort.
And the away side soon capitalised on that as with just nine minutes remaining of the opening period they struck first blood.
After a Lawson free-kick crashed into the Killie wall, Rangers showed tremendous persistence to keep the ball alive as the English winger clipped a delightful delivery into the penalty area for Owen to overpower his marker and plant a thunderous header beyond Morrison.
Thunder could be heard rumbling in the distance in east Ayrshire during the half-time interval as the substitutes from both sides keeping warm were caught in a deluge only spring brings in Scotland.
Sunshine, however, had resumed for the onset of the second period as Rangers pieced together a gorgeous move down the right-hand side through Glasgow and Calum Young which eventually broke to Ben Hutton inside the penalty area only for the full-back to lift his left-footed finish over the top.
Lawson was then fortunate to watch Connor Sweeney fail to capitalise on his inopportune slip 25 yards from goal, with the Killie winger not quite getting his connection right on the effort.
The away side threatened to stretch their lead twice in quick succession when Glasgow curled into the grateful arms of the Killie goalkeeper before James Reid met a Lyle Wark deep free-kick delivery around the back of the penalty area before his header could only connect with the side netting.
A long throw-in into a congested Gers penalty area briefly caused alarm, with the ball breaking into the vicinity of Cole Coughlin who did well to get an effort away which looped onto the roof of Reid’s net.
However, the crucial second goal for Rangers arrived 20 minutes into the second half, and it was certainly a sumptuous move which was worthy of a finish.
The ball slickened down the left-hand through a neat interchange from Wark and Cameron, whose pace took him clear and towards the penalty area before he picked out a cross for Glasgow to collect at the far post and fire a devastating finish into the back of the net.
By the 70th minute mark the hosts had used their full allocation of substitutes as they threw the proverbial kitchen sink in an attempt to find a route back into the game.
Cole Bickerton was later denied from close-range by another fine Reid stop, while substitute Oliver Hynd for Rangers made a promising advance down the right and was only inches away from connecting with Fernie for a third with a quarter of an hour remaining.
There was a maturity to Rangers as they defended valiantly to see out a priceless three points in their quest for silverware this season.
RANGERS: S. Reid, Hutton (Hynd, 72), Owen, J. Reid, Wark, Young, Crilly, Fernie, Glasgow, Lawson, Cameron
Subs not used: Millarvie, Ramage, Rankin, Owoyomi, Hall
KILMARNOCK: Morrison, Peacock (Craig, 58), Spence, Barlow, Feeney (Bickerton, 68), Foster, Simpson (Cumming, 68), Davis, Margiotta (Watson, 68), Coughlin, Sweeney (Eaglesham, 58)
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