Enniskillen Rangers 1 Tummery Athletic 2.

Enniskillen Rangers slipped to their first defeat of the season as a Ruairi Sludden double put Tummery right back into the title hunt after an all action encounter at the Ball Range.
Rangers had taken the lead with a superb Jason Keenan goal but Tummery were back on level terms when Sludden finished off a controversial equaliser as Rangers claimed offside earlier in the move.
And, it was Athletic who found the winner with 20 minutes to go in the second half as Sludden pounced on a defensive mix up to secure all three points.
The win puts Tummery two points behind Rangers in the table with the Enniskillen side having a game in hand. Indeed, with Strathroy and Kesh both winning, Rangers have slipped to third in the table although they have games in hand.
‘Gers boss Kerr was disappointed to lose the game and he felt they were good value for a point from the contest.
“It was disappointing to be beaten for the first time this season,” he said. “There was an offside in the lead up to their first goal but that wasn’t the losing of the game as that made it 1-1. We made a few mistakes including one for their second goal and that cost us but in saying that I couldn’t fault the attitude of the boys and I felt a draw would probably have been a fair result. I said to the boys after the game that they shouldn’t be too down about it because every team loses matches. The big thing is how you respond to the defeat,” he said.
And Kerr expects a positive reaction from his side on Saturday when they face league leader NFC Kesh at the Ball Range in another big game.
“If we want to challenge for the title then there has to be a reaction and I have full belief in this squad that they will bounce back. We know though that Kesh are a team to be reckoned with. Nicky (Noble) has made some good signings and he has them going well,”he added.
Tummery have managed to put a shaky start to the season behind them with Saturday their fourth win in a row and manager Benny McElholm felt they deserved the three points.
“We’re delighted with the win. It is a tough place to go and Rangers have started the season really well but I think with the hunger and desire we showed we deserved the win. That’s now four wins on the spin and we are beginning to get a bit of momentum after a slow start to the season,” he said.
Next up for the Dromore outfit is a meeting with Enniskillen Town and McElholm is hoping that his side can continue their recent good form.
“It’s another tough one, it always is against Town but we are playing good football and we’ve been getting a few results so hopefully we can keep that going,” he said.
There was little between the sides in the opening quarter with chances at a premium while a couple of hefty challenges from either side punctuated the early exchanges.
Mark Cutler had the first attempt on goal when his header was saved by Christopher Catterson in the Tummery nets. At the other end, Jerome Carleton was quick off his line to clear the ball with his feet as Sludden broke through.
With Michael Simpson going well in midfield Rangers were edging proceedings and he was involved in the opening goal of the game. Simpson and Ciaran Smith linked up well to find Keenan on the left hand side of the box. The ‘Gers’ top scorer cut in on his right foot and unleashed a super shot into the top corner of the goal for 1-0 on the half hour mark, his 14th goal of the season in all competitions.
Rangers could have made it 2-0 three minutes later when William Burleigh intercepted a pass out of defence and played in Cutler. He seemed to get get caught in two minds with Keenan unmarked inside but went for goal himself and blazed over. 
It was a miss Rangers were to rue. 
A long ball over the top found Niall Donnelly who looked to be offside but no whistle came from Sean Harper and while Richard Johnston and David Crozier got back to thwart Donnelly, Sludden picked up the breaking ball and slotted home to level the game in controversial circumstances. 
Sludden then almost fired Tummery ahead on the stroke of half time but Carleton saved well down to his right hand side. 
Tummery had the better of the exchanges at the start of the second half and almost took the lead within a minute of the restart. 
A Simpson pass was intercepted and the impressive Sludden beat one defender before firing wide from 18 yards. 
Rangers player manager Michael Kerr then volleyed a spectacular effort over the bar while at the other end Ronan McNabb fired over. 
With 20 minutes to go Tummery got the all important third goal of the game. A long ball saw Rangers centre halves Neil Coulter and Richard Johnston go for the ball and Sludden picked up the break before playing a one two with McNabb and firing home via a slight deflection to make it 2-1. 
Rangers pushed for an equaliser thereafter. Andy Johnston’s shot was cleared off the line and a diving block from Ryan Hanna diverted Kerr’s follow up just over the bar. 
Then Smith’s ball to the back post was headed wide by Burleigh although he did not get good contact on his effort. 
Keenan had the last chance as he picked up the ball on the edge of the box but dragged his shot wide of the post. 
In the final minute, Johnston picked up a second yellow card for a foul on Sludden as Tummery took the win and the three points to keep themselves in the title race. 
With six wins out of seven, Rangers are also well placed in the battle at the top end of the Division One table.