Rangers Youths Represent Scotland

Scotland 1 Serbia 1

With several Rangers players in the squad I decided to taken in Scotland’s Under 17’s friendly against Serbia at Somerset Park tonight. The game was preparation for next month’s Euro qualifiers when Scotland host Elite Round Group 6, with Denmark, Lithuania and Iceland. Tonights game was played over two halfs of forty minutes.

The visitors were first to threaten when the impressive Filip Jankovic picked the ball up in midfield and broke towards the Scots penalty box and Lionel Stone did well to block. The host were soon threatening at the other end, Craig Sibbald won the ball on the left hand angle of the box and fed Denny Johnstone who brought out a save from Predrag Rajkovic in the Serbs goal.

On thirteen minutes Serbia took the lead, their seemed little danger when Milan Spremo picked the ball up just outside the right hand angle of the box until he curled a superb shot beyond Ryan Crump into the top left hand corner of the net. Scotland tried to respond when Charlie Telfer  and Cameron Smith combined in midfield with the later’s shot deflected narrowly wide.

Craig Sibbald was next to test Rajkovic in the Serb goal, with the keeper stretching to hold his shot from the edge of the box under the bar. Scotland were pushing for an equaliser and some superb play between Cameron Smith and Craig Sibbald created a chance for the former but his shot lacked power and Rajkovic saved comfortably.

Just after the half-hour Scotland were level, Stefan Milosevic’s pass to Sasa Zdjelar was short,  Cameron Smith was alert and dispossesed the central defender before passing inside to Denny Johnstone who advanced into the box to shoot past Rajkovic.

Half-Time:- Scotland 1 Serbia 1

The second half was a disjointed affair with multiple substitutions from both sides, Scotland’s best effort  came with just under ten minutes remaining, Darren Ramsay exchanged passes with Scott Smith before testing Rajkovic from twenty-five yards. Chances were few and any efforts on goal came from distance without troubling either keeper.

Full-Time:- Scotland 1 Serbia 1

Scotland:- Ryan Crump (Liverpool); Kyle Turnbull (Falkirk), Lionel Stone (Brentford), Stuart Urquhart (Rangers), Jordan Wilson (Rangers); Cameron Smith (Aberdeen), Charlie Telfer (Rangers), Darren Petrie (Dundee United), Lewis Kidd (Celtic), Craig Sibbald (Falkirk); Denny Johnstone (Celtic)

Subs:- H/T Stuart Findlay (Celtic) for Urquhart, Jamie Lindsay (Celtic) for Petrie, Scott Smith (Dundee United) for Kidd, Fraser Aird (Rangers) for Johnstone, 55 Mins Jordan Hart (Celtic) for Crump, Mark Shankland (Ayr United) for Smith, Ryan Gauld (Dundee United) for Sibbald, 60 Mins Darren Ramsay (Rangers) for Telfer.

Not Used:- Lawrence Shankland (Queen’s Park), Liam Kelly (Rangers)

Serbia:- Predrag Rajkovic (Jagodina); Nemanja Jaksic (Red Star), Branko Jovanovic (Red Star), Sasa Zdjelar (OFK Belgrade), Stefan Milosevic (Partizan); Milan Spremo(Vojvodina), Milan Jokic (Partizan), Nikola Sakic (Red Star), Filip Jankovic (Red Star), Veljko Simic (Red Star), Nikola Ivkovic(Rad).

Subs:- H/T Milos Veljvovic (Tottenham) for Jovanovic, Vasilije Janjic (Partizan) for Ivkovic, 60 Mins Andrija Zivkovic (Partizan) for Simic, Nikola Lekovic (Partizan) for Jankovic, 75 Mins Nikola Karaklajic (Red Star) for Spremo.

Not Used:- Marko Jovicic (Red Star), Bogdan Tepic (CSK Celarevo), Aleksa Bajic (Vojvodina).