Enniskillen Rangers 2 Lower Shankill 1 Enniskillen Rangers secured their place in the last four of junior football’s Blue Ribband competition, the IFA Junior Cup with a deserved 2-1 win over a battling Lower Shankill side at the Ball Range on Saturday.

A thumping Neil Coulter free kick and an Andy Johnston effort had Michael Kerr’s ‘Gers two goals to the good although the Belfast visitors did pull a goal back before half time.

Lower Shankill then pressed hard for an equaliser in the latter stages but a stunning save from Rangers goalkeeper Jerome Carleton ensured that the home side would not be breached again as they held on to clinch their spot in the semi-finals.

“It is brilliant to be through to the semi-finals,” said ‘Gers boss Kerr. “We made hard work of it in the end and they put us under pressure for the final 25 minutes of the game although apart from Jerome’s super save, they never cut us open.

“I felt that over the 90 minutes, while we didn’t play to our potential, we were worthy winners and to be honest it is all about the result, not the performance. We didn’t play as well as we did against Rosemount in the previous round although to be fair to Lower Shankill they worked hard and didn’t let us play.”

He knows though that there is plenty of room for improvement before the semi-final.

“As I say, we’re delighted to be through but we know that we have a lot to work on and a lot that we can improve on for the semi-final.”

Rangers came out of the blocks quickly on Saturday and from the early moments they were getting good joy down the wings through Mark Cutler and Stuart Rainey.

And with only 15 minutes on the clock Rangers took the lead and it was the experienced Coulter who fired them in front.

The home side were awarded a free kick 25 yards from goal and Coulter stepped up and hammered a right foot drive into the top corner of the net to give the Enniskillen outfit the perfect start to the contest.

Indeed, it got even better for Rangers ten minutes later as they doubled their advantage.

The lively Cutler burst down the right and having outpaced the left back he then cut the ball back for Johnston who produced a deft flick beyond the goalkeeper to put Rangers into a seemingly strong position.

However, two minutes later it was game on once more as the away side hit back to cut the Rangers lead in half.

And it was a sloppy goal to concede on Rangers behalf as a free kick into the box was contested by two Rangers players but neither made proper contact on the ball and it fell to the visiting striker who tucked it beyond Jerome Carleton to leave the tie in the balance at half time.

The second half was a scrappy affair with little in the way of clear cut chances at either end of the pitch.

With 15 minutes to go though the home side had the chance to wrap up the win as player-manager Kerr, who had come on as a second half substitute, played through captain Willie Burleigh but he scuffed his shot wide of the post.

Rangers did start to come under pressure during the final quarter as Lower Shankill pushed for an equaliser but the home defence stood firm.

With five minutes to go though the visitors did go close to levelling but they were denied by a stunning save from Carleton who at full stretch turned away a well struck volley that appeared destined for the top corner.

And that was it for Rangers as they saw out the remainder of the tie to seal a semi-final berth although Kerr states that they will need to park the Junior Cup for now with a big Mulhern Cup clash coming up this weekend.

“The win will have given all the lads a massive lift and I know everybody will be buzzing at training this week but we have to forget about the semi-final for now because we have a massive game against Beragh on Saturday in the Mulhern Cup.

“Both teams will be looking to go on a run in the competition and while it is a tough game for us, it is one that we will be looking to win,” said Kerr.