Under 18’s Hit Thistle For Six

Rangers 6 Partick Thistle 1

Rangers Under 18’s came back for the new season and they put six goals past Thistle at The Hummel Training Centre this afternoon. Leading by a solitary goal at the break they upped their performance in the second half by adding another five.

The Ibrox youngsters took the lead in the sixth minute with a superb goal. It started with Ben Williamson’s pass inside the Thistle left back which sent Nathan Patterson breaking down the right, from his cross Chris McKee finished with a brilliant controlled volley. Around seven minutes later Joao Balde picked up a loose ball and attacked the centre of Thistle’s defence before playing in Chris McKee inside the left side of the penalty area but on this occasion he shot straight at the keeper.

Chris McKee was again at the centre of the action, nutmegging a defender to break into the right side of the box with the Thistle keeper blocking at the near post. Just after the half-hour mark Michael Ruth, Kai Kennedy and Chris McKee combined on the right and from the latter’s cross Joao Balde volleyed narrowly over.

With half-time approaching Kieran McKechnie attacked the centre of the box before passing to Michael Ruth on his left, he cut inside before shooting straight at the keeper. The next chance came when Murray Miller fed Kai Kennedy on the right side of the box who took on a defender before forcing a save from the keeper at the near post.

Thistle had shown little in attack but with the half time whistle beckoning their striker broke through on a long ball and it took a superb Euan Deveney challenge to clear for a corner.

Half-Time:- Rangers 1 Partick Thistle 0

Rangers started the second half on the front foot and the first chance came when Josh McPake played in Matty Yates on the right side of the box and he forced a save from the keeper. Within a minute a James Maxwell solo run took him past three defenders and into the penalty area where the ball broke to Michael Ruth who was also denied by the keeper.

Rangers increased the pressure around the hour mark and doubled their lead just before it, Dapo Mebude broke forward and went past a defender before shooting past the keeper from the edge of the box. Just over a minute later Dapo Mebude won the ball wide on the left and he cut inside to the edge of the box and forced the keeper to save low to his right.

Rangers third goal was barely delayed sixty seconds, James Maxwell feeding Josh McPake inside the right side of the penalty area from where he shot past the keeper. Rangers seemed to be making chances by the minute and the next came when Dapo Mebude burst into the right side of the box and forced the keeper to save.

Dapo Mebude was again prominent cutting in from the left and laying the ball off to Josh McPake who shot at the keeper. What came next was a bizarre incident on the seventy-third minute. The referee pointed to the spot when Dapo Mebude was fouled off the ball, Kai Kennedy stepped up and in what appeared to be pre-planned, rather than shooting he attempted a pass to Dapo Mebude, but a break down in communication allowed the Thistle keeper to walk from his line and pick the ball up. Kinda like the Henry/ Pires penalty cock-up from a few years ago.

Rangers were soon back on attack and Dapo Mebude broke forward to release Matty Yates inside the right side of the box but he shot across the face of goal and wide of the far post. Two minutes later Josh McPake worked his way along the byline following a short corner on the right, his attempt to score broke to Nathan Patterson who scored from inside the six yard box.

The visitors responded by pulling a goal back, they got to the right hand byline and when the ball was cutback Nathan Patterson blocked the initial shot on the line, from the rebound Lewis Budinauckas produced a fine point-blank save but they were stranded as the ball was fired into the roof of the net at the third attempt. Rangers finished on a high with two further goals. First up Josh McPake was the provider of the pass to Dapo Mebude inside the right side of the box and he shot across the keeper and into the far corner. Then when Kai Kennedy played the ball into the penalty area it broke for Kieran McKechnie inside the left side of the box and he gave the keeper no chance.

Full-Time:- Rangers 6 Partick Thistle 1

Rangers Squad:- Nicky Hogarth (Gk), Lewis Budinauckas (Gk), Nathan Patterson, Ben Williamson, Kyle McLelland, Euan Deveney, Murray Miller, Michael Ruth, Kai Kennedy, Kieran McKechnie, Chris McKee, Joao Balde, Ryan Muir, Josh McPake, James Maxwell, Matty Yates, Dapo Mebude.