Enniskillen Rangers 2

Dergview Reserves 0

ENNISKILLEN Rangers got their league campaign off to a winning start but Manager Mickey Kerr was not overly pleased with his side’s performance. He is looking for them to show an improvement when they take on Mountfield this Saturday.

The ’Gers had started brightly on Saturday against Dergview Reserves at the Ball Range, and goals from Christopher Currie and Stuart Rainey had them two goals to the good inside the opening quarter of the contest.

However, they laboured for a long period after this, although home goalkeeper Gareth Barbour had little in the way of saves to make as the two goals proved enough to take the points.

Kerr said: “Look, the main thing is to get the three points from the opening game of the season and to have also kept a clean sheet is a bonus.

“I would be happy with the result but not so happy with the performance, especially in the second half.

“I thought we were sloppy in possession and far too loose with our passing, and we also need to be more ruthless and clinical.

“We need to keep a higher intensity for longer than we did on Saturday.”

The ’Gers travel to newly promoted Mountfield on Saturday, but Kerr is expecting a stern test for his side with their opponents playing their first ever game in Division One.

“It is Mountfield’s first time in Division One, and their first game in the division, so it is going to be a big occasion for them and they will want to produce a performance, so we are going to have to be on our game.

“They have had back-to-back promotions, which is impressive, and they will get the respect they deserve from us on Saturday.

“I want to see more consistency to our play and I expect improvement which will come with more competitive games,” added Kerr.

However, the ’Gers boss could not have asked for a better start than he got on Saturday as they took the lead with 11 minutes on the clock.

A ball from the left was picked up by Currie and he shifted it on to his left foot before firing it into the top corner.

Mark Cutler had already wasted a good chance for the home side prior to them taking the lead, and he then fired over as Rangers continued to create the better chances.

At the midway stage of the half they doubled their advantage as Nathan Khan sent Rainey away on the left and he raced into the box before finishing from a tight angle to make it 2-0.

The remainder of the half, though, saw Dergview begin to grow into the contest, although they never really troubled Barbour as it remained 2-0 at the break.

The visitors though looked livelier in the opening stages of the second period and Dylan Aiken had an effort turned around the post by Barbour before Warner Ballantyne shot over the bar.

The home side’s play had become sloppy, but Jason Keenan did have a chance to grab a third for them when he was set up by Currie but he pushed his shot past the post.

Late on, Dergview had a free kick but Aiken’s attempt was touched over by Barbour as the game finished 2-0 as the ’Gers opened up with a win.