Rangers began their season with a visit to Dunipace on Saturday and came away with a narrow victory which was deserved if not easily won. With several new players on show it will need a few more games for the team to reach it's potential. Young Christie from the local amateurs capped a fine display with a good goal and Ferguson at the back looks like a player of real class.
Dunipace made a good start to the game and were soon making goalkeeper Wilson show his worth. Their best chance in the early stages came from a free kick just outside the Kilsyth penalty box but McIllduff's effort was wildly off target. Rangers began to come into the game but were not creating too many real scoring opportunities. Then first Andy Scott and immediately Martin Feenie went down with knocks that at first looked bad but both recovered after treatment. just on the half hour Rangers did have the ball in the net but it was adjudged to be offside.. Ex-Ranger Alan Moffat made a very good diving header only for his effort to be well saved by Wilson. At the other end Christie tested the 'pace keeper with a long shot but he also pulled of a fine save. Nearing halftime and it looked as if a goal must come soon at one end or the other but when the ref blew it was still goalless.
Dunipace again opened well but it was a short lived flurry before Rangers once again began to reassert their dominance of the game. Mullen and Scott were producing some nice combined play and were unlucky on several occasions not to produce a goal. In sixty five minutes though the pressure finally paid off when Donnelly was blatantly pulled down inside the box and the penalty was given. MULLEN took the kick and placed it well out of reach of Hinton. It looked as if Rangers might now go on to win decisively but within five minutes Dunipace were also awarded a penalty when McLaughlin handled in the box although it appeared to be accidental. McIllduff converted efficiently to bring them right back into the game. Rangers continued to push forward and made a few more scoring chances but with time running out it looked as if they might have to settle for a share of the points until with barely two minutes McStay sent CHRISTIE away and he finished well sending the keeper the wrong way before hitting a low shot into the net. A fitting climax to a good display by the youngster.
Included in the Rangers line up for the opening match were goalkeeper Ian Wilson, on trial from Pollok, full back Darren Ferguson ex-Dalziel Amateurs, Gary McSeveny from Shotts Bon Accord, Paddy Donnelly who scored against Kilsyth in the Scottish Cup while with Blackburn United and Chris Docherty who was with Dunipace last season.
Spotted amongst the spectators at Dunipace was former top referee Hugh Dallas running the rule over the match official. HYe had a good match, awarding each side a penalty but otherwise making few controversial decisions.
Sectional League Cup - Qualifying Section.
Cumbernauld United 2 Kilsyth Rangers 2
A rangers side reduced to the bare bones due to injury, call-offs and holidays, so much so that both manager Duncan Sinclair and assistant Benny Rooney were named as substitutes, were perhaps fortunate to come away from Guys meadow with one point on Saturday although they came within a minute of getting the win which would have kept them top of the table with Rob Roy.
Played in appalling conditions with non stop rain making the pitch a near lake it was United who looked the more likely to open the scoring in the early play but their finishing was such that McKenna had few direct shots to deal with in the first half hour or so. Rangers did come into it as the half proceeded and in thirty five minutes shocked United when McLAUGHLIN picked up the ball in midfield and fired in a terrific thirty yard drive to put Kilsyth ahead. The joy was short lived though, United were back level within a minute with a scrambled goal and that is how it stood at half time.
Once again it was United who dominated play from the restart but they still had few real scoring chances. Mid-way through the half and an accidental clash of heads left Paddy Donnelly bleeding from a head wound. He went off and manager Duncan Sinclair came on taking up a defensive role. Cumbernauld were still pressing, looking for a winner but with barely five minutes left Rangers again provided a shock when McCARROLL hit a great first time shot from the edge of the box to put them back in the lead. Entering injury time and it looked as if it would remain that way until United were awarded a free kick just outside the Rangers penalty area; the shot went low in to the corner of the net and that was that, a share of the points with Roy going clear at the top of the section with a decisive 6-1 over Dunipace.
Rangers failed at the final hurdle to go through from their section to the knock out stages of the Sectional League cup. Rob-Roy only needed a draw to win the section but for a large part of the match it seemed that it might not be the case and Rangers might win through. However in the final stages of the match it was the visitors who dominated although two goals in the final minute made the win seem easier than was the case.
The first chance fell to Rob-Roy following on from a corner but other than that it was Rangers who had the best of the early play. Donnelly got in a header following good work by Gooodwin then a little later McCarroll saw a good effort blocked. The visitors had come to Duncansfield with eight wins on the trot but there was little sign of it in their display so far. On the half hour mark Zok had a good shot hit the side net but almost immediately after McCARROLL split the Roy defence, dummied the keeper and fired a good shot to the net to put Rangers into a deserved lead. Rob-Roy tried to come straight back but it was still Rangers ahead at the interval.
Manager John Richardson had made some changes at halftime for the visitors, bringing on striker Broadfoot, and the effect was immediately apparent. They pinned rangers back into their own half and were getting in plenty of shots but the rangers defence were coping well under pressure. Zok had another good effort go just wide and ex- Ranger Paul Campbell also came close with a shot. Rangers replaced McCarroll with Gary McStay just on the hour but it was still Rob-Roy who were making all the running and it seemed only a matter of time before they made a breakthrough. The referee was showing quite a few yellow cards by this time although serious fouls were few. Rangers began to come back into the game and McStay was unlucky with a freekick from which Bell pulled off a great diving save, a scramble in the Roy goalmouth ensued and Goodwin miskicked with the goal at his mercy. With quarter of an hour remaining the equalising goal did come, BROADFOOT knocking in from a corner. Rob-Roy were now making plenty of chances as they went for the kill but McKenna pulled out some great saves and Galloway made several timely tackles. Goodwin made a superb run through the Roy defence but made a hash of his final pass, a minute later a ball hit the visitors crossbar as Rangers fought back. Their was action at both ends now but with the game into added time ZOK broke away and made it two for Rob-Roy. Straight from the restart they went upfield and BROADFOOT got his second to make it 3-1; a scoreline which flattered them but they now go through to meet Port Glasgow in the quarter final.
