Ten Years Of The Youth Blog

Ten years ago this week I started the blog, it was the lack of youth league coverage that prompted my decision and as I was attending the games anyway. It was initially only reports on youth league games, but eventually that was extended to any youth game I attended, so that could be any group from U13’s up.

With a game to attend tonight it will be 512th report I have written for games at Rangers Training Centre. Add to that several 100 for games at other venues, I reckon reports would number around 800. The blog was started in 2008, but the facility was opened in 2001, I don’t have any record of the games I attended between 2001 and 2008 but it must be around 1000 in total since the Training Centre opened.

Now on to tonight’s game.

Rangers 4 Queen’s Park 0

Rangers Under 18’s recorded a comfortable win over Queen’s Park at The Hummel Training Centre tonight, although it took them a while to make the breakthrough after a goalless first half. The other thing that was significant in tonight’s game was the substitute appearance from goalkeeper Brian Kinnear after a long injury lay off.

Rangers enjoyed the bulk of possession but were struggling to break down the visitors and create a clear chance, indeed it was Queen’s Park who should have taken the lead on twenty-eight minutes. A cross from the right picked out an unmarked attacker right in front of goal but he headed straight at Nicky Hogarth. Two minutes later Queen’s attacked on the left and when the shot came in from a tight angle Nicky Hogarth saved at his near post.

Rangers had their first real chance a couple of minutes later when James Maxwell’s pass sent Josh McPake racing into the right side of the box, but a heavy touch allowed the keeper to come from his line to make the block. Five minutes before the break Josh McPake exchanged passes with James Maxwell to break through the centre, but the keeper got enough of a touch to divert his shot wide of his right hand post.

On the stroke of half-time the Queen’s keeper dived to his left to keep out Kai Kennedy’s free-kick from the edge of the box.

Half-Time:- Rangers 0 Queen’s Park 0

Rangers made the break through four minutes after the break, Kai Kennedy sent Nathan Patterson to the left hand byline and his cross landed at the feet of Josh McPake who shot past the keeper from around the penalty spot. Within a couple of minutes Ciaran Dickson broke towards the box and played in James Maxwell on the right side of the penalty area but the keeper blocked the shot with his foot.

Rangers next chance came from a Kai Kennedy free-kick just outside the left side of the penalty box that had the keeper stretching to push over. Next up came a Josh McPake solo run into the right side of the box from his cutback Ciaran Dickson’s back heel was cleared from the line by a defender.

Rangers second goal was barely delayed sixty seconds, Ciaran Dickson broke down the right and from his pass into the box a superb drag back from James Maxwell created the space to slot the ball past the keeper. Just before the hour mark the Queen’s Park defence was struggling to clear from their penalty area and when the ball fell for Kieran McKechnie he crashed a shot against the crossbar.

With ten minutes remaining a good passing move sent James Maxwell to the right hand byline, from his cutback an attempted clearance from a Queens defender bounced off the near post. Rangers added a couple of goals in the final two minutes, Ciaran Dickson chased down a through ball and blocked the keeper’s clearance, a goal was certain as the ball rolled towards the line, the only thing in doubt was who would score, but he got their just before Kieran McKechnie. The fourth was a James Maxwell solo run, hewent past several defenders into the right side of the box before shooting past the keeper.

Full-Time:- Rangers 4 Queen’s Park 0

Rangers:- Nicky Hogarth (Brian Kinnear 75 mins); Ryan Muir (Jay Mack 84 mins), Kyle McLelland, Harris O’Connor, Nathan Patterson; Murray Miller; Ciaran Dickson, Kai Kennedy (Joao Balde 57 mins); James Maxwell, Josh McPake (Matty Yates 65 mins), Kieran McKechnie.