ANOTHER youthful Rangers B side continued their winning streak with victory at the Falkirk stadium against East Stirlingshire.
David McCallum’s side collected another three points and kept a clean sheet in front of a sold-out crowd under the current restrictions.
The Light Blues had four under-18 players in the line-up today to help continue their winning start to this Lowland League campaign.
East Stirlingshire pressed high in the early minutes from the first whistle, pushing into the Rangers defensive third. The young Gers kept their composure defending and clearing the ball well with the home side pressuring the backline.
Gers almost opened the scoring within the first minutes of the first half after Robbie Fraser delivered a threatening ball into the box, linking up with Tony Weston. Weston headed the ball but it was deflected off a defender and out for a Rangers corner.
Robbie Ure had another chance to take the lead after being fed the ball by Arron Lyall through the backline of white shirts, but Ure’s strike was saved by the keeper and then cleared by the defenders.
McCallum’s side began to find their rhythm towards the end of the second half and held most of the possession from East Stirlingshire. Charlie Lindsay nearly netted the first of the game after the Rangers were awarded a free-kick just outside the box after a foul on Tony Weston. Lindsay’s shot was struck low firing past the line of defenders feet, but Ross Connelly managed to get a hand to it.
A few moments later, Weston was on the attack again driving down the wing into the home side’s final defensive third, but his strike flew wide of the post. Ure had another opportunity on goal after a lovely delivery from Devine at the halfway line but after his first touch, Ure’s strike was just wide of the post going out for a goal kick.
Rangers continued to create lovely pieces of play. Cole McKinnon delivered a super flick ball over the head of the home side’s defenders to connect with Lindsay whose strike was just wide of the goalpost again. Seconds later Lyall struck the crossbar from a tremendous shot from outside the 18-yard box.
The goal was coming for the B Team and it came from Cole McKinnon in the last seconds of the first half. After an initial deflection from a strike, Weston cut back the ball into play across the face of the goal and McKinnon’s shot found its way past the keeper and into the back of the net allowing the youngsters to gain the lead going into the halftime break.
East Stirlingshire were awarded a free-kick at the beginning of the second half after Kyle McClelland took down Jamie Henderson. Henderson took the set-piece but the ball landed straight into the arms of Jay Hogarth.
Kevin Turner had the opportunity to equalise for the home side after a powerful strike within the Rangers box but Hogarth did well to deflect the ball denying East Stirlingshire the goal.
Ure almost made it a double for the Gers after a run forward into the area, but his shot was saved by Connelly.
Kieran Gibbons struck the post for East Stirlingshire in the final minutes of the game, and then Rangers were on the counter-attack with a lovely cross from Murray Miller, but he was unable to connect with any blue shirts in the box with the result ending 1-0 at the full time whistle.
RANGERS: Hogarth, Devine, King, McClelland, Fraser, Strachan (75), McKinnon, Lindsay, Weston (56), Lyall (90), Ure.
SUBS: Cervantes, MacKinnon, Miller (75), Allan, Dunlop, Ritchie-Hosler (56), Ebiowei (90).
EAST STIRLINGSHIRE: Connelly, Renfrew, Rodden, Fulton, Greene (54), Gibbons, Barr (88), Kay, Young, Hamilton, Turner (64)
SUBS: McColm, Duncan, Crooks, Churchill (88), Henderson (64), Healy (54), Ure.
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