Youths Lose At Hibs

Hibernian 2 Rangers 0

Rangers Under 19’s were second best in today’s youth league clash at Hibs Training Centre. The gale force conditions raised the argument of whether the game should go ahead in such conditions, there was very little football on show and on this occasion the players were blameless as the wind made things almost impossible.

Rangers made one change from last week with Robbie Crawford coming in for Barrie McKay who was ill, the Ibrox side started with the gale force wind at their backs but with both side struggling to cope with the conditions very little of note happened in the early stages. There was almost half an hour gone before there was anything close to what could be called a decent attempt at goal, when Lewis McLeod headed a corner clear it landed at the feet of Adam Mitter who fired just wide of Alan Smith’s right hand post.

The home side took the lead on thirty-eight minutes, Sam Stanton sent a free-kick into the box, Smith came from his line but didn’t get close to gathering and the ball fell to Jordan Forster who shot into the unguarded net. Four minutes before the break Dean Horribine had  a chance from deep inside the right side of the area with Smith turning the ball round the post.

Two minutes later Mitter made progress down the right, passed to Phil Addison who moved it on to Euen Smith and the substitute’s shot was just too high. Just before the half-time whistle Fraser Aird sent a free-kick in from the right and it broke to Callum Gallagher who miscued his shot and the Hibernian defence cleared.

Half-Time:- Hibernian 1 Rangers 0

There was twenty minutes of the second-half gone when Horribine cut into the left side of the penalty area, his shot was parried by Smith into Stanton’s path, the midfielder looked certain to score but was denied when Tom Skogsrud made a great block to deflect the ball over. Ten minutes later Rangers carved out a great chance with a superb passing move, the ball was moved from McLeod to Gallagher onto Kyle McAusland who passed inside to Kamil Wiktorski and he sent Nicolaj Kohlert through but he was  denied an equaliser when Paul Grant diverted the ball wide of his left hand post.

Hibs clinched the points with a freak goal five minutes to go, Sam Stanton’s free-kick from wide on the right touchline was carried by the wind over everybody and found the top corner of the net.

Full-Time:- Hibernian 2 Rangers 0

Hibernian:- Paul Grant; Adam Mitter, Jordan Forster, Jack Verth, Jamie Doris; Phil Addison (Alex Harris 55mins), Dean Horribine, David Gold, Sam Stanton; Danny Handling (Euan Smith 30mins), Ross Caldwell.

 

Rangers:- Alan Smith; Kyle McAusland, Josh Robinson, Adel Gafaiti (Kim Skogsrud 86mins), Tom Skogsrud; Fraser Aird, Robbie Crawford (Kamil Wiktorski 63mins), Nicolaj Kohlert, Lewis McLeod, Darren Ramsay (Matty Clarke 81mins); Callum Gallagher.

Not Used:- Blair Currie (GK)