ian1964 10,409 Posted April 22, 2014 Share Posted April 22, 2014 CRAIG HALKETT’S goal two minutes after coming on as a substitute gave Rangers a vital win in the SPFL Under-20 League as they edged out Kilmarnock at Rugby Park. The Light Blues were struggling to get the victory they needed to keep their title challenge on track when the defender was thrown on with little over quarter of an hour to go. Utilised in the striking role he played in when he was younger, Halkett’s introduction was a masterstroke as he nodded into the net in his first passage of play. And that was enough to ensure the points went back up the M77 as Gers applied pressure to the teams above them in the standings. Hibs still lead but Celtic are looking like being more likely championship rivals and with them beating Falkirk, it was crucial to keep pace with them. The Murray Park kids have done that and with four games left, they remain a point behind their city rivals with a game in hand over them and a derby between the two to play. In a further boost, Andy Little returned from a thigh injury and he played 63 minutes before he was replaced by winger Scott Roberts. Gers were deprived of teenage pair Calum Gallagher and Charlie Telfer after manager Ally McCoist decided to list them on the bench for the first-team fixture with Ayr. But Gordon Durie was able to compensate for losing them by bringing in senior players Little, Ross Perry and Chris Hegarty and all three of them started the contest. It was a good start for Gers too, just as it had been last week at Dumbarton as Partick Thistle were beaten 4-0. Having gone ahead inside four minutes then, the visitors took a lead 60 seconds quicker this time as Jamie Burrows found the net. He did well to burst clear on the left and cut inside, keeping the ball in play as he crept inwards along the touchline. The Jersey-born forward attempted to cut back for a team-mate but having made good progress towards goal, his clip hit off keeper Antonio Reguero and dropped in instead. Killie tried to respond and they did so with a positive approach as they settled and enjoyed a lot of possession. But William Gros was wasteful for them in attack, pulling one shot wide and sending a cross from the left too deep as it drifted out beyond the back post. The Light Blues also got lucky as Ross Davidson’s free kick took a touch off Perry and beat keeper Liam Kelly but thankfully the ball ran wide for a corner rather than in. Durie’s side didn’t offer too much in attack for the rest of the half and when they did come forward, their final ball was often too heavy or lacking direction. That proved to be costly seven minutes before the break when Killie – themselves a little lacklustre coming forward at times – grabbed a deserved leveller. Durie will have been disappointed by the way it came about, with the hosts capitalising on a breakdown in communication at the back. Perry, Hegarty and Kelly all thought someone else was going for a loose ball and their hesitancy let Dean Hawkshaw take control. He did well to clip into the mix before he ran out of play and he managed to find Gros, who stroked in a rising effort from eight yards to make it 1-1. Burrows almost restored the lead within seconds as he wormed into the box at the second attempt and fired towards goal. But after getting lucky against Reguero earlier in the game, the keeper got down well to palm his attempt behind this time. There was one more opportunity before the midway point but Luca Gasparotto’s header from an Andy Murdoch free kick sailed over and the was nothing between the sides at the break. Rangers almost got a lucky break in the opening moments of the second half when Reguero charged out of his goal to claim a loose ball and failed. Murdoch robbed him and pushed play wide but when he tried to lift into the net from distance an opposition leg did enough to divert his ambitious effort behind. Nevertheless, Danny Stoney had been introduced at the restart for Ryan Finnie and suddenly the away team had more purpose and energy. Little headed just wide from a Hegarty cross then Burrows’ pace very nearly created an opening but forced a corner instead. Gers’ renewed impetus faded and play evened out again, with more of the game being played in the midfield area as time wore on. But with the pace the likes of Stoney and Burrows were displaying, they looked dangerous and with 16 minutes to go they forged in front again. Halkett had only been on the park for a couple of minutes when he and Stoney scampered upfield on the break. Killie did enough to stem the tide momentarily but the visitors piled bodies forward as they could sense a goal. And when Stoney centred from the right, Halkett rose highest to steer home a magnificent downward header inside the keeper’s near post. Predictably, the home side tried to hit back in the closing stages and there were a couple of near misses for Rangers to deal with. But they had done enough to keep their title challenge on course and next up for them is an SFA Youth Cup rehearsal against Hearts in Newtongrange on Friday night. RANGERS: Kelly; Perry, Gasparotto, Hegarty, Sinnamon; Dykes (Halkett 72), Murdoch, Gibson, Finnie (Stoney 46); Burrows, Little (Roberts 63). SUBS NOT USED: A Smith, Pascazio. http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/academy-news/item/6831-u20-kilmarnock-1-2-rangers 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Cooper 0 Posted April 22, 2014 Share Posted April 22, 2014 Hegs and Perry causing havoc again. Lol. The very definition of mediocre. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Barristan Selmy 222 Posted April 22, 2014 Share Posted April 22, 2014 Hegs and Perry causing havoc again. Lol. The very definition of mediocre. Why is 24 year old Perry playing for the U20's? Little playing too? Do the other teams also play players way over in age? 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Cooper 0 Posted April 22, 2014 Share Posted April 22, 2014 Think we are allowed 3 over aged players. Little was playing too. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Barristan Selmy 222 Posted April 22, 2014 Share Posted April 22, 2014 Think we are allowed 3 over aged players. Little was playing too. Perry seems to play regularly. We should just be playing kids with potential at U20's, Perry is useless. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Cooper 0 Posted April 22, 2014 Share Posted April 22, 2014 Useless is being far too kind. After bottling his way out of Tannadice last year his feet shouldn't have touched the ground. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zappa 0 Posted April 22, 2014 Share Posted April 22, 2014 Another good result for Durie's squad! 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankie 8,146 Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 Think I might try and go to the Hearts game on Friday night at Newtongrange.... 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Cooper 0 Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 Think I might try and go to the Hearts game on Friday night at Newtongrange.... I will be there, might see you, be nice to put a face to those authoritarian posts Frankie! 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankie 8,146 Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 I will be there, might see you, be nice to put a face to those authoritarian posts Frankie! Come bearing gifts (pies, bovril or alcohol are acceptable) then I may grant you a hearing... 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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