18’s Win In Perth

St.Johnstone 1 Rangers 3

Rangers Under 18’s remain unbeaten when they recorded a comfortable win on The McDiarmid Park all-weather pitch this afternoon. The young Gers side were perhaps guilty of over playing in a first half that ended goalless, but they were more ruthless after the break to secure the three points.

There was twenty minutes on the clock before any keeper was called into serious action, Joao Balde getting a touch to Kai Kennedy’s corner from the left which the home keeper blocked before the ball was cleared. A couple of minutes later Ciaran Dickson cut the ball back from the right hand byline for Kai Kennedy to shoot, Joao Balde got a touch but was again denied by the keeper.

On the twenty-fifth minute Dapo Mebude broke from halfway and his pass found Kieran McKechnie breaking into the box, under pressure from a defender he managed a toe poke towards goal but the keeper saved. Rangers continued to look the most likely but were taking that extra touch or attempting a final pass and the half time whistle blew with the game goalless.

Half-Time:- St. Johnstone 0 Rangers 0

Four minutes after the break Rangers were unfortunate when Ciaran Dickson’s volley from Kieran McKechnie’s corner from the right looked net bound till it hit a defender full in the face. The breakthrough was only delayed a couple of minutes, Joao Balde’s pass sending Dapo Mebude through to outpace a defender and continue into the box to shoot past the keeper.

Two minutes later Ciaran Dickson on the left side of the penalty area, passed to Joao Balde inside the box and his back heel teed up Dapo Mebude who shot narrowly over. Rangers doubled their lead just after the hour mark. A loose ball sat up perfectly for Ciaran Dickson to leave the keeper stranded from fully twenty-five yards.

With the final quarter-hour approaching St Johnstone attacked, Zack Butterworth seemed to have done enough when he forced the attacker towards the right hand byline, but he cut back inside to get a shot away that Brian Kinnear got down to save. Rangers response was to grab a third two minutes later. It was a free-kick routine straight from the training ground, Ben Williamson passed across the edge of the box to Ciaran Dickson on the left hand angle, his cross to the back post was headed back across goal by Kyle McClelland setting up a simple task for Chris McKee to nod into the net.

The home side rallied by notching a goal right away, the ball was played in from the left and the shot from the edge of the box beat Brian Kinnear to his left hand side. Saints had a mirror image of the attack with seven minutes remaining, this time the ball was passed in from the right to the edge of the box, on this occasion Brian Kinnear saved low to his right. Rangers played out the final six minutes with ten men when Murray Miller took a knock and the five allowed substitutes had already been used.

Full-Time:- St. Johnstone 1 Rangers 3

Rangers:- Brian Kinnear; Nathan Patterson (Zack Butterworth 68 mins), Harris O’Connor, Kyle McClelland, James Maxwell (Ryan Muir 75 mins); Murray Miller; Ciaran Dickson, Joao Balde (Ben Williamson 65 mins); Kieran McKechnie (Chris McKee 65 mins), Dapo Mebude, Kai Kennedy (Matty Yates 68 mins).

Not Used:- Nicky Hogarth (Gk)