Another Late Shock For 20’s

Rangers 1 Falkirk 2

For the second home game running Rangers lost to a last minute strike at Murray Park tonight. On this occasion it was a bad error from goalkeeper Maciej Gostomski that presented Falkirk with the three points.

Rangers started the game on the front foot and in the second minute Max Ashmore played the ball out to Jordan Gibson on the left, he cut inside and hit a powerful shot but it was straight at keeper Deniz Mehmet. Six minutes later Ryan Hardie latched on to a long ball, he was forced wide by Deniz Mehmet and when he shot at goal Kyle Johnson deflected the ball behind.

Rangers continued to press and with the Falkirk defence struggling to clear a corner from their penalty area the ball eventually fell for Jordan Gibson on the left side of the box and he was denied by a Deniz Mehmet save low to his left. The visitors had their first significant attack a minute later, David Smith attacked down the right and when his cross came into the box Kevin O’Hara headed straight at Maciej Gostomski.

Falkirk threatened again on twenty minutes, from Deniz Mehmet’s clearance David Smith held off Ross McCrorie as he entered the right side of the box but shot across goal and wide of the far post. Just before the half-hour mark Josh Jeffries passed to Jordan Gibson wide on the left, he cut inside before passing to Jordan Thompson who made space for a shot which was only just too high.

Half-Time:- Rangers 0 Falkirk 0

Only a brilliant point-blank save prevented Rangers taking the lead seven minutes after the break, Josh Jeffries took on the defence on the right side of the box and Jordan Gibson seemed certain to score from his low centre but somehow Denis Mehmet managed to block and a defender completed the clearance. Within sixty seconds Ryan Hardie won an aerial challenge with Kyle Johnson which allowed him to break towards the right side of the penalty area, he passed inside to Jordan Gibson who shot over from a good position.

On seventy-two minutes there was a chance at either end, first a Ryan Sinnamon cross from the right was miscued by Alan Maybury and Deniz Mehmet was forced to make the save. At the other end David Smith attacked along the right hand byline before firing a shot of Maciej Gostomski’s left hand post.

Rangers broke the deadlock with a quarter hour remaining, Mekhi Leacock-McLeod played a short corner on the right back to Ryan Sinnamon and from his cross David Brownlie rose to power a header past Deniz Mehmet. Rangers came close a couple of minutes later, Jamie Mills on the left side of the box passed inside to Jordan Thompson who’s shot was saved by Deniz Mehmet low to his left.

The game’s turning point came in Rangers next attack when Mekhi Leacock-McLeod was brought down inside the box but the referee waved play on. The visitor’s capitalised on the let off by equalising a couple of minutes later, Myles Hippolyte was midway inside Rangers half when he started the move by passing out to the left, he then made his way into the box to net Tony Gallagher’s low cross from close range.

Rangers responded and when Scott Roberts picked out Jordan Thompson after attacking down the left it took a last ditch challenge to deflect his shot over. With the game in the dying seconds Myles Hippolyte hit a speculative effort from fully thirty yards which Maciej Gostomski should have dealt with but spilled the ball and presented Bob McHugh with a simple task of knocking the ball into the net.

Full-Time:- Rangers 1 Falkirk 2

Rangers:- Maciej Gostomski; Ryan Sinnamon, David Brownlie, Ross McCrorie, Jamie Mills; Max Ashmore; Dylan Dykes (Ross Lyon 82 mins), Jordan Thompson; Josh Jeffries (Mekhi Leacock-McLeod 74 mins), Ryan Hardie, Jordan Gibson (Scott Roberts 76 mins).

Not Used:- Robbie McCrorie (Gk), Tom Lang, Jamie Brandon, Rory Currie.

Falkirk:- Deniz Mehmet; Cameron Eadie (Alan Maybury 69 mins), Kyle Johnson, Tony Gallagher; David Smith, Cameron Blues, Reis Peggie (Conor Langton 69 mins), Myles Hippolyte; Kevin O’Hara; Bob McHugh.

Not Used:- Lewis McMinn (Gk), Taylor Evans, Cameron Taylor.