Rangers ease past understrength Clabby side

Editorial Department • Published 11 Mar 2010 09:47 0 Comments

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Clabby keeper Gary Harper punches clear as Rangers captain William Burleigh challenges.<<

Enniskillen Rangers 3; Clabby Strollers 1;

Promotion chasing Division Two side Enniskillen Rangers proved too good for relegation threatened Division One team Clabby Strollers at the Lakeland Forum on Saturday in round two of the Impartial Reporter Mulhern Cup.

The win has set up a mouth-watering clash against local rivals Enniskillen Santos in round three.

Goals from Gary Lynch and Darren McQuade put the 'Gers 2-0 up at half-time. Clabby, however, threatened to get right back into the game when Davy Little crashed a superb 30-yard free kick into the corner but Rangers made sure of the win when Davy Johnston pounced late on to book the 'Gers place in the last 16.

Manager Billy Reynolds was delighted with the win if not the performance.

"Good to get the win, it is our fifth win since Christmas and keeps the winning run going but the bottom line is we will not read much into it against a very much understrength Clabby and we will have a much harder task this Saturday in the league against Beragh."

The opening 20 minutes was more than even with Clabby enjoying plenty of possession without troubling Alan Ballantine while the home team looked dangerous on the break, trying to beat the high line defence of Clabby.

Clabby did force a couple of corners and were battling hard in midfield but the Rangers keeper was rarely troubled other than confidently claiming a couple of high balls from under his crossbar.

At the other end, Mark Beckett had the first real chance when he picked up a bad kick out and broke forward to the edge of the box and placed a neat shot just wide of the post with the back tracking keeper, Gary Harper beaten.

Rangers were then to break the deadlock when Lynch broke down the left. He looked to have over-played the ball but the Clabby netminder could not claim the ball cleanly and Lynch touched the ball past him to slide home into an empty net.

Rangers then doubled their money before the break when Joe Doogan split the Clabby defence to free McQuade who stroked the ball home past the advancing Harper for 2-0. Lynch then hit the side netting as he looked for his second goal of the game.

On the restart, a scrappy start to the half was ended when Davy Little cracked in a super free kick for Clabby which did spark the game out of its slumber.

Rangers first chance of the half came from a good Lynch run but the ball bobbled as he was about to play it and the chance was gone.

Substitutes Sean Hynes and Willie Armstrong then combined for the former to race through on goal but he was denied by a last ditch tackle inside the box from Derek Browne and when the ball broke loose Willie Burleigh could not get on the end of it.

The roles were reversed then with Hynes playing in Willie Armstrong but he shot wide when he could have rounded the keeper.

Rangers finally made the game safe when Lynch beat the offside trap down the left and squared for Hynes who shielded the ball on the six yard and Davy Johnston side footed home to the bottom corner for 3-1 to set up a cracking encounter against Enniskillen Santos.

This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 11 Mar 10

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