Youths Friendly Win At Falkirk

Falkirk 0 Rangers 3

It was an easy decision for my Friday night football, despite the various international games on offer on the TV it was off to Falkirk Stadium to take in the youths latest friendly against their Falkirk counterparts. In a good opening spell the Ibrox youngsters missed a host great oppertunities in the opening twenty minutes.

In the opening minute the Falkirk defence missed  a long ball and to leave Callum Gallagher in the clear but the Rangers striker miss controlled the ball and it ran safely through to the keeper. Two minutes later Lewis McLeod sent Gallagher clear on the right, he made his way to the byline and from his low cross Tom Skogsrud was denied by a good defensive challenge on the edge of the six yard box and when the ball broke to Aaron McGregor his shot was deflected wide.

On five minutes with a carbon copy of the previous move McLeod again sent Gallagher down the right, this time the home keeper did well to gather his low cross. At this stage chances were coming every few minutes, next up Tom Skogsrud robbed a defender inside the box near the byline and his cutback gave Barrie McKay a chance but he shot wide.

On twelve minutes McKay played Gallagher through, the striker held of a defender but was denied by the advancing keeper, the ball landed back at McKay who looked certain to score but the keeper produced an even better save to deny the Rangers striker. Five minutes later Gallagher won the race and beat the keeper to a through ball, his lob looked destined for the net before a defender got back to clear for a corner.

Just after the twenty-minute mark Rangers got a lucky break, when the Falkirk striker made his was into the box along the left hand byline he was brought down by Adel Gafaiti for what looked like a clear penalty but the referee gave a free kick just outside the box, which came to nothing as  it was fired across goal. Rangers were next to threaten on 34 minutes and it was another run down the right from the tireless Gallagher, from his cross McGregor’s shot from the edge of the box was just wide of the keeper’s left hand post.

Right on the half-time whistle some neat play on the right hand angle of the Rangers box created a chance for the home side which had Blair Currie stretching to hold under the bar.

Half-Time:- Falkirk 0 Rangers 0

Five minutes after the break Rangers took the lead, Tom Skogsrud sent in a dangerous corner from the right and his twin brother Kim Skogsrud forced the ball over the line from close range although the Falkirk defender on the line should really have cleared. Two minutes later another Tom Skogsrud corner from the right and Rangers had doubled their lead, Luca Gasparotto challenged for the header and when it dropped inside the six yard box Callum Gallagher volleyed past the keeper.

Another corner provided Rangers third and again Tom Skogsrud played a central part, but this time the Norwegian was on the end of a Lewis McLeod corner from the left to volley home. Ten minutes later yet another run from Gallagher, this time down the left and when his cross was cleared to the edge of the box McLeod’s effort looked to be heading for the top corner until the keeper produced a fine save high to his left.

The home side almost grabbed a consolation in the final minute,  from a free-kick  on the left hand angle of the box the shot beat Currie but bounced clear off his left hand post.

Full-Time:- Falkirk 0 Rangers 3

Ranger:- Blair Currie; Andy Murdoch (Luca Gasparotto 46mins), Adel Gafaiti, Kyle McAusland, Kim Skogsrud (Fraser Aird 70mins); Lewis McLeod, Kamil Wiktorski (Darren Ramsay 70mins), Aaron McGregor (Stuart Urquhart 57mins), Tom Skogsrud; Barrie McKay (Marc Dyer 62mins), Callum Gallagher (Jack Werndly 77mins).