17’s Reach Glasgow Cup Final

Queen’s Park 0 Rangers 1

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A Ryan Hardie goal eight minutes from time secured Rangers place in this year’s Glasgow Cup Final at a cold Lesser Hampden tonight. The home side had the better of the opening play without troubling Liam Kelly in the Rangers goal and there were twenty-one minutes gone before we had the first shot on target. Gloady Ntumba collecting a loose ball at the edge of the box but his shot lacked power and the Queen’s Park keeper saved comfortably low to his right.

Six minutes later Scott Roberts and Danny Stoney worked a short corner on the left and when the later’s cross landed at Ryan Hardie the keeper did well to claw the ball away from under the crossbar. Just after the half-hour Rangers suffered a blow when Scott Roberts picked up an ankle injury and had to be replaced by Ben Reilly.

In injury time in the first half a neat first time Gloady Ntumba pass sent Danny Stoney attacking the right side of the box but he shot across goal and wide of the far post.

Half-Time:- Queen’s Park 0 Rangers 0

Ten minutes after the break only a superb Liam Kelly save kept Rangers on level terms, from a free-kick midway inside Rangers half and just right of centre the Queen’s player rose to head goalwards from no more than four yards only to see Liam Kelly dive to his right and somehow turn the ball wide. As the seventy minute mark approached Rangers missed a great chance to take the lead, Dylan Dykes rose to head the keeper’s goal kick back towards goal sending Danny Stoney clear, but his shot bounced  off the keeper’s right hand post and wide.

Rangers were now creating chances and five minutes later Ryan Hardie controlled Adam Wilson’s cross from the left but the keeper made a superb block from close range. When the ball was cleared out to the right Ben Reilly’s cross found Dylan Dykes inside the box but his shot was wide of the left hand post.

The home side then manged to deny Rangers twice in a matter of seconds, when a free-kick was played into the box Danny Stoney’s touch freed Ryan Hardie who was denied when the keeper parried, with the ball loose a defender fired it against Ryan Hardie and with the ball seeming certain to find the net, a defender somehow cleared from the goal line at the right hand post.

With eight minutes remaining Rangers made the breakthrough, a superb first touch on a through ball setup Ryan Hardie to break into the right side of the box and shoot past the keeper. With five minutes on remaining the home side were reduced to ten men, with Danny Stoney attacking the penalty area he was halted by a rash two footed challenge leaving the referee little option and he flashed a straight red card.

As the game entered the final minute Rangers broke following a Queen’s Park corner, at they entered the home side’s half Ryan Hardie passed to Danny Stoney his attempted return pass appeared to be handled by a defender just inside the box but the referee waved play on. There was still time for the home side to have one final chance to salvage something from the game, a free kick from halfway was played into the box and it broke for a Queen’s player but the effort was weak and Liam Kelly saved comfortably.

Full-Time:- Queen’s Park 0 Rangers 1

Rangers:- Liam Kelly; Ryan Sinnamon, Greg Pascazio, David Brownlie, Jamie Mills; Adam Wilson, Dylan Dykes, Scott Roberts (Ben Reilly 31mins), Ryan Hardie; Danny Stoney; Gloady Ntumba (Lewis Morgan 64mins)

Not Used:- Robbie McCrorie (Gk), Sam Liddington, Steven Chatterton.