First Team
Match Report | Rangers 1-1 Dundee United
23rd November 2024
With five unavailable for the very best of reasons that they were training with the first team, though Marco Andreoni was suspended any way, coach Stevie Campbell was forced to field a very young side indeed against Falkirk at North End Park.
Indeed, Ross McCord, Pongo's brother was starting a game at this level for the first time, while Ross Smith who was on the bench has only just passed his fifteenth birthday.
The team in 4-4-2 formation was - Gibson - McMechan, McGrath, O'Byrne, Pope - Milligan, Mathieson, Ross McCord Paterson - Feeney, Jeffrey.
It was the more experienced visitors who started the game much better. In fact being honest, they totally dominated the opening twenty-five minutes.
And it was no real surprise when they went ahead after sixteen minutes.
A shot was partially blocked and it fell to Kevin Moffat whose finish from the edge of the box was as cool as it was clinical.
Despite being under the cosh, the pleasing aspect was that by and large Falkirk had been restricted to shooting from long range.
However, gradually the tide turned and United got a foothold in the game though without testing their keeper before the break.
After the interval. However, United really turned up the heat, only to spurn a whole host of chances.
On three occasions - Robbie Feeney once and Chris Jeffrey twice - gilt-edged chances were passed up with headers that were fractionally off-target. In addition, Chris Jeffrey also hit the bar, but that pressure eventually bore fruit after 64 minutes.
And what a scrambled affair it was. It followed a goalmouth melee in which the ball bobbled about in front of goal before their keeper, on his line, tried to hack the ball away, only for it cannon off the in-rushing Chris Jeffrey at point-blank range and fly into the net!
When the visitors were reduced to ten men thirteen minutes from the end, after Kieran Stallard was sent off for something he said to the ref, three points looked a real possibility.
However, as is so often the case, the numerically disadvantaged side rallied and thereafter it was even-steven with both sides having chances to win it.
Indeed, only a flying fingertip save by John Gibson in the home goal prevented Brian Allison stealing victory five minutes from the end.
At the end coach Stevie Campbell was pretty pleased despite not winning.
He said, "Given how young a side we had compared to theirs, we were at a big physical disadvantage. While that perhaps showed in the early stages, once the lads got to grips with things, I thought we were the better side and definitely created more and better chances than them.
"Neither despite their youth neither Ross McCord who started the game, nor Scott Allan and Ryan Dow who came on for the last ten minutes looked out of place, which is very encouraging for the future."
Indeed, Ross McCord, Pongo's brother was starting a game at this level for the first time, while Ross Smith who was on the bench has only just passed his fifteenth birthday.
The team in 4-4-2 formation was - Gibson - McMechan, McGrath, O'Byrne, Pope - Milligan, Mathieson, Ross McCord Paterson - Feeney, Jeffrey.
It was the more experienced visitors who started the game much better. In fact being honest, they totally dominated the opening twenty-five minutes.
And it was no real surprise when they went ahead after sixteen minutes.
A shot was partially blocked and it fell to Kevin Moffat whose finish from the edge of the box was as cool as it was clinical.
Despite being under the cosh, the pleasing aspect was that by and large Falkirk had been restricted to shooting from long range.
However, gradually the tide turned and United got a foothold in the game though without testing their keeper before the break.
After the interval. However, United really turned up the heat, only to spurn a whole host of chances.
On three occasions - Robbie Feeney once and Chris Jeffrey twice - gilt-edged chances were passed up with headers that were fractionally off-target. In addition, Chris Jeffrey also hit the bar, but that pressure eventually bore fruit after 64 minutes.
And what a scrambled affair it was. It followed a goalmouth melee in which the ball bobbled about in front of goal before their keeper, on his line, tried to hack the ball away, only for it cannon off the in-rushing Chris Jeffrey at point-blank range and fly into the net!
When the visitors were reduced to ten men thirteen minutes from the end, after Kieran Stallard was sent off for something he said to the ref, three points looked a real possibility.
However, as is so often the case, the numerically disadvantaged side rallied and thereafter it was even-steven with both sides having chances to win it.
Indeed, only a flying fingertip save by John Gibson in the home goal prevented Brian Allison stealing victory five minutes from the end.
At the end coach Stevie Campbell was pretty pleased despite not winning.
He said, "Given how young a side we had compared to theirs, we were at a big physical disadvantage. While that perhaps showed in the early stages, once the lads got to grips with things, I thought we were the better side and definitely created more and better chances than them.
"Neither despite their youth neither Ross McCord who started the game, nor Scott Allan and Ryan Dow who came on for the last ten minutes looked out of place, which is very encouraging for the future."
