RANGERS B fell to a 6-2 defeat to Blackburn Rovers at the Rovers Training Centre this afternoon.
It was a difficult afternoon for the young Gers, who took the lead through 17-year-old Chris Eadie but were unable to stem the attacking endeavour of the English side.
The Gers lined up with a mix of youth and experience, with teenager Eadie leading the line and supported by Findlay Curtis.
And it was the perfect start for the visitors who opened the scoring inside ten minutes when Eadie showed tremendous persistence to chase down the Blackburn goalkeeper and his subsequent clearance cannoned off the Gers forward and into the back of the net from 20 yards out.
However, the away side’s advantage was short-lived as, almost immediately, they were pegged back when Alfie Halliwell was beaten on the rebound after the Gers failed to clear their lines.
One soon became two for the hosts when Halliwell was forced to bring down the Rovers attacker inside the penalty box after a ball through the heart of the Gers defence wreaked havoc.
From 12 yards out, the Gers goalkeeper was sent the wrong way and Rovers had suddenly turned the game on its head.
The spot-kick followed a dangerous moment for Rangers who ought to have restored their advantage when Eadie sprung the offside trap but failed to find a left-footed finish with only the Blackburn goalkeeper to beat.
Moments after the home side had went ahead, the Light Blues were unfortunate not to find a leveller when Curtis raced through on goal and was denied by a terrific sprawling save from the Rovers stopper.
The Gers were left with it all to do in the second half when, on the stroke of the interval, the hosts made it three against the run of play.
Rangers, however, started the second period brightly and threatened the Rovers goal through Curtis from the edge of the penalty area.
But, in keeping with the theme of the afternoon, Blackburn made the visitors pay in ruthless fashion by adding a fourth with a sweeping move.
The Light Blues restored hope soon after when Curtis latched onto a neat pass from Hagi and muscled his way into the Rovers penalty area before lashing a clever finish across the goalkeeper and into the far corner.
However, it was all she wrote from a Gers perspective as the English side scored twice more before the conclusion of the contest.
RANGERS B: Halliwell, Devine, Allan, Webster, Nsiala, Hutton, Robertson (Nsio, 60), Lowry, Hagi, Curtis, Eadie (Gentles, 60)
SUBS: McGuire, Allen, Grant, McClure, Burnside