Gers win to stay in third place
Stagecoach West of Scotland Super League First Division
IT was very much a case of deja-vu for Kilsyth fans here – same half-time score as last week, same full-time result, even a late winner from the same player.
Again they had to come from behind after taking a bit of a first half beating, and only in the final quarter of the game did they look the promotion challengers that they hopefully aspire to be.
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Hide AdGlencairn had elected to play with the stiff breeze behind them for the first 45 minutes and were soon buzzing around the Rangers goal.
After only nine minutes they went ahead when Flynn out jumped the defenders to head the ball past Duke.
Rangers were slow to respond and although they showed some nice touches in their approach play, shots on goal proved elusive.
The closest thing to an equaliser came when Davie Waters spotted Colquhoun well off his line and tried a lob from around 30 yards which dropped onto the roof of the net.
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Hide AdGlencairn were still looking the more likely and Andrews and Agnew both had good chances – one shot narrowly past, the other was saved well by Duke at the post.
Rangers were slighly fortunate to go in only one behind.
Glencairn took up where they left off and the opening part of the second half saw them relentlessly playing balls into the Rangers goalmouth.
During this period a second goal was millimetres away as a shot across goal grazed the far post, but fortunately stayed out.
Time for changes and manager Eric Sinclair pulled off Dalrympe and McAteer, who had been quite ineffective, and introduced McPeake and Dolan.
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Hide AdThe effect was not immediate but slowly there was a greater sense of purpose in their play and a bit more action in the Glencairn half.
With the game entering the last quarter of an hour an attack saw the ball fall to Ryan Carr just outside the penalty box and he struck home with a lovely 20 yard shot, low to the far corner.
Within five minutes another good attacking move down the left wing saw the ball passed in to Phil Dolan who struck a fine shot from around 15 yards to put Rangers ahead.
Glencairn did their best to strike back and their manager was shown a red card and sent to the stand as a result of some over enthusiastic encouragement to his team.
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Hide AdBut Rangers held firm until the final whistle to stay third in the league, three points behind Ardrossan Winton Rovers who have a 100 per cent record after the first four games.
RUTHERGLEN GLENCAIRN: Colquhoun, Ballantyne, Neil, Trialist, Bennett, Esplin, Scott, Flynn, Andrews, Agnew, McAlpine. Subs: Moore, Cupwell, Henry, McCarry, Donald, Stirling, Irvine.
KILSYTH RANGERS: Duke, Scott, Carr, Doyle, Hughes, McLellan, McAteer, Waters, Barclay, Martin, Dalrymple. Subs: McPeake, Dolan, McEwan, Kelly, Cairney, Kidd.
Rangers face Renfrew in the league this Saturday. Kick-off at Duncansfield Park is at 2 pm.