Strong Reserve Side Hit Five

Rangers 5 Morton 0

A belated report on yesterday’s reserve game due to travelling to last night’s game at Pittodrie. A strong Rangers side scored five against a young Morton side at The Hummel Training Centre yesterday afternoon. Once Rangers took the lead just before the twenty-minute mark the result was never in doubt.

Rangers first chance came on four minutes when Danny Finlayson volleyed a Stephen Kelly cross from the right narrowly over. Eight minutes later a Glen Kamara pass sent Josh McPake through, he was forced wide by keeper Brendan Pearson to the right hand byline, his cutback picked out Cammy Palmer who saw his shot blocked.

Almost immediately Glenn Middleton latched on to a slack pass from Darren Hynes and his powerful shot was parried by Brendan Pearson, Matt Polster latched on to the rebound on the left side of the box and his effort was blocked by the legs of Brendan Pearson. Rangers made the break through on nineteen minutes, Matt Polster passed to Cammy Palmer who played the ball to Glenn Middleton on the edge of the box, he showed great strength to hold off a defender, turn and shoot past Brendan Pearson.

Two minutes later Rangers doubled their lead, Cammy Palmer was the provider with a pass to Josh McPake inside the left side of the penalty area and he shot past the keeper. Just beyond the half-hour mark Glen Kamara won possession and sent Glen Middleton through into the right side of the box where he was denied by a superb Darren Hynes challenge.

Rangers grabbed a third five minutes later, Glenn Middleton’s cross from the right picked out Stephen Kelly inside the left side of the box, his shot was blocked but the ball sat up perfectly for Josh McPake to volley past the keeper from around ten yards. Just before the break a quick free-kick allowed Glenn Middleton to try his luck from around twenty-two yards and Brendan Pearson produced a superb save low to his left to turn the ball wide.

Half-Time:- Rangers 3 Morton 0

The one way traffic continued after the break and there was only four minutes on the clock when Glenn Middleton in possession inside the right side of the box picked out Liam Burt who was denied at close range by Brendan Pearson diving to his right. Another goal came three minutes later, Liam Burt passed to Glenn Middleton on the right, he cut inside and progressed along the eighteen yard line before passing to Josh McPake who curled a shot into the keeper’s top left hand corner.

The game was still a couple of minutes shy of the hour mark when Rangers scored a fifth. Dapo Mebude’s pass inside Lewis Strapp freed Glenn Middleton inside the right side of  box and he beat the keeper from a tight angle. Rangers next chance came when Josh McPake fed the overlapping Nathan Patterson on the left, he lobbed the keeper from inside the box but the ball bounced off the crossbar.

With the midpoint of the half approaching Glenn Middleton delivered a corner from the right and Danny Finlayson rose to head narrowly over. With the game now in the final quarter-hour the ball was played in from the right and Dapo Mebude’s dummy allowed Kieran McKechnie to break into the box where he was denied by a Brendan Pearson save.

Rangers next chance came when Dapo Mebude held off a defender to force a save from Brendan Pearson with the striker following up to fire the rebound against the crossbar. Morton had shown little as an attacking force but came close to a consolation nine minutes from time, a quick throw sent Shaun Rodgers down the left and his shot from virtually on the touchline had Nicky Hogarth beaten but the ball rebounded off the near post.

Morton were reduced to ten men in the final minute when Ben Eardley was shown a second yellow card for a petulant kick at Cammy Palmer when a word in his ear would have been suffice.

Full-Time:- Rangers 5 Morton 0

Rangers :- Nicky Hogarth; Jon Flanagan, Gareth McAuley, Danny Finlayson, Matthew Shiels (Nathan Patterson HT); Glen Kamara (Liam Burt HT), Matt Polster (Dapo Mebude HT); Cammy Palmer; Stephen Kelly (Joao Balde 59 mins), Josh McPake, Glenn Middleton (Kieran McKechnie 71 mins).

Not Used:- Brian Kinnear (Gk), Ben Williamson.

Morton:- Brendan Pearson; Ben Eardley, Darren Hynes, Nathan Durham Conor Duffy 71 ins), Lewis Strapp; Kiern Brophy, Lewis McGrattan, Reece Lyon, Blair Docherty (Michael Garrity 71 mins); Alexander Easdale (Shaun Rodgers 57 mins), Jack Purdue (Jonathan Lyon HT)

Not Used:- Reece Hamilton.