DUTV
STORY OF THE MATCH | RANGERS (A)
25th November 2024
Johnny Russell was the star of the show as United turned in as professional a performance as you could wish to completely eclipse the SFL Two side Stranraer to advance to the Fifth Round of the William Hill Scottish Cup. The striker scored a hat-trick as well as setting up the other two goals scored by Jon Daly to make light of the long journey home for the celebrating travelling Arabs.
For United's first visit to Stair Park for 17 years, Manager Peter Houston was forced into one change from the side that lost to Motherwell in midweek. Sean Dillon failed to recover from his thigh strain, so Brian McLean switched to central defence and Keith Watson returned at right back.
The game kicked off in bright sunlight, but with the floodlights already switched on a bitterly cold afternoon in the south-west. After five minutes of the two sides feeling each other out, United were first to threaten. Keith Watson won a corner on the right and from it Willo Flood found Stuart Armstrong 15 yards out and he took a touch before curling in a shot which Stranraer keeper David Mitchell tipped over.
Play was largely confined to the Stranraer half, but with United's final ball preventing them capitalising. However, on 13 minutes came the opening goal and, for a change, it was United who got it. Barry Douglas played a diagonal ball into the box which took a fortunate deflection into the path of Johnny Russell who squeezed the ball inside the near post from six yards. Apart from a free-kick given away by Flood from which Mark Staunton's free-kick was blocked by the wall after 18 minutes, the home side were struggling to make any kind of impression. And United's dominance duly brought a second goal, Russell again the scorer. John Rankin sprayed a pass out to Douglas on the left. He played it in to Rudi Skacel whose cut back found Johnny Russell who swivelled to steer the ball into past an exposed Mitchell.
Indicative of just how much possession United were enjoying, it was 33 minutes before the Stair Park side won even a corner. Normal service was soon resumed with Flood firing a foot or so over at the other end within a minute. And another minute on, Mitchell denied Russell his hat-trick after he ran onto a through ball. Five minutes from the interval, the game was over as a contest as United scored a third. Barry Douglas launched a high ball into the box after a corner was cleared out to him. The ball eventually fell to Russell who had time to bring it under control before slipping it into the path of Jon Daly who side-footed home from the edge of the six-yard box.
Half-time: Stranraer 0 - 3 United
Predictably, Stranraer came out of the traps flying and immediately tested Rado Cierzniak's first save, only trouble the shot came from an offside position.But two minutes later, the Polish keeper was brought into more meaningful action following what was only the home side's second corner of the match.
A fourth goal looked certain 11 minutes after the re-start when Skacel swept the ball out to Douglas on the left and he drilled in a low cross first time that reached Stuart Armstrong whose side-footed effort was blocked for a corner.
Just before the hour mark, United again went close, Keith Watson's glancing header from a Douglas corner clipping the crossbar. And a minute later, from a Douglas free-kick, only a flying save from Mitchell prevented Russell getting his hat-trick with the keeper tipping over his powerful header.
But a goal was only temporarily delayed. From the corner Watson's header was blocked by the keeper, but fell to Russell whose close range effort was turned over the line by Daly. The home defence was being terrorised now and Skacel went close with a header and Russell had a shot blocked on the line.
But Russell wasn't to be denied his hat-trick. He played Michael Gardyne in and when his shot was blocked, Johnny tucked away the rebound for the fifth midway through the second half. Just a minute later, there was almost a fourth for Russell, his effort taking a deflection before hitting the outside of the post. With a minute left Russell almost got a fourth when through on goal, but his shot was deflected wide.
Stranraer: Mitchell, Staunton, McGregor, McKeown, Dunlop, Gallacher, Winter (Aitken 78), Phinn, Moore (One 66), Malcolm, Love (Agnew 78).
Subs not used: Wright, Cadwell.
United: Cierzniak, Watson, McLean, Gunning, Douglas, Skacel (Gardyne 65), Flood (Ryan 61), Rankin, Armstrong (Dow 70), Russell, Daly.
Subs not used; Banks, Lacny.
Referee: Stephen Finnie
Crowd: 1220
For United's first visit to Stair Park for 17 years, Manager Peter Houston was forced into one change from the side that lost to Motherwell in midweek. Sean Dillon failed to recover from his thigh strain, so Brian McLean switched to central defence and Keith Watson returned at right back.
The game kicked off in bright sunlight, but with the floodlights already switched on a bitterly cold afternoon in the south-west. After five minutes of the two sides feeling each other out, United were first to threaten. Keith Watson won a corner on the right and from it Willo Flood found Stuart Armstrong 15 yards out and he took a touch before curling in a shot which Stranraer keeper David Mitchell tipped over.
Play was largely confined to the Stranraer half, but with United's final ball preventing them capitalising. However, on 13 minutes came the opening goal and, for a change, it was United who got it. Barry Douglas played a diagonal ball into the box which took a fortunate deflection into the path of Johnny Russell who squeezed the ball inside the near post from six yards. Apart from a free-kick given away by Flood from which Mark Staunton's free-kick was blocked by the wall after 18 minutes, the home side were struggling to make any kind of impression. And United's dominance duly brought a second goal, Russell again the scorer. John Rankin sprayed a pass out to Douglas on the left. He played it in to Rudi Skacel whose cut back found Johnny Russell who swivelled to steer the ball into past an exposed Mitchell.
Indicative of just how much possession United were enjoying, it was 33 minutes before the Stair Park side won even a corner. Normal service was soon resumed with Flood firing a foot or so over at the other end within a minute. And another minute on, Mitchell denied Russell his hat-trick after he ran onto a through ball. Five minutes from the interval, the game was over as a contest as United scored a third. Barry Douglas launched a high ball into the box after a corner was cleared out to him. The ball eventually fell to Russell who had time to bring it under control before slipping it into the path of Jon Daly who side-footed home from the edge of the six-yard box.
Half-time: Stranraer 0 - 3 United
Predictably, Stranraer came out of the traps flying and immediately tested Rado Cierzniak's first save, only trouble the shot came from an offside position.But two minutes later, the Polish keeper was brought into more meaningful action following what was only the home side's second corner of the match.
A fourth goal looked certain 11 minutes after the re-start when Skacel swept the ball out to Douglas on the left and he drilled in a low cross first time that reached Stuart Armstrong whose side-footed effort was blocked for a corner.
Just before the hour mark, United again went close, Keith Watson's glancing header from a Douglas corner clipping the crossbar. And a minute later, from a Douglas free-kick, only a flying save from Mitchell prevented Russell getting his hat-trick with the keeper tipping over his powerful header.
But a goal was only temporarily delayed. From the corner Watson's header was blocked by the keeper, but fell to Russell whose close range effort was turned over the line by Daly. The home defence was being terrorised now and Skacel went close with a header and Russell had a shot blocked on the line.
But Russell wasn't to be denied his hat-trick. He played Michael Gardyne in and when his shot was blocked, Johnny tucked away the rebound for the fifth midway through the second half. Just a minute later, there was almost a fourth for Russell, his effort taking a deflection before hitting the outside of the post. With a minute left Russell almost got a fourth when through on goal, but his shot was deflected wide.
Stranraer: Mitchell, Staunton, McGregor, McKeown, Dunlop, Gallacher, Winter (Aitken 78), Phinn, Moore (One 66), Malcolm, Love (Agnew 78).
Subs not used: Wright, Cadwell.
United: Cierzniak, Watson, McLean, Gunning, Douglas, Skacel (Gardyne 65), Flood (Ryan 61), Rankin, Armstrong (Dow 70), Russell, Daly.
Subs not used; Banks, Lacny.
Referee: Stephen Finnie
Crowd: 1220
