Report: Aberford Albion Res 3 v 4 Rangers (ST)

KDRAFC Media
Nov 15, 2021
3 min read

Following some heavy defeats in the league recently, the West Yorkshire League Trophy turned out to be the perfect diversion, as Rangers produced both superb football and some nerve-wracking moments to knock Aberford out in the first round.

With both teams looking to gain an early advantage, it was a lively start in this contest, and with only a couple of minutes on the clock, both keepers had been forced to sprint from their respective goal lines to clear the danger with strikers breathing down their necks.

Aberford tried their luck down the left wing, but the cross was too close to Kieran Arnett, who caught it.

Rangers took the lead after six minutes when a poor clearance by the hosts found Connor Weal. Beating two players before reaching the area, his shot took a slight deflection off a covering defender before hitting the inside of the post and bouncing into the net.

Deighton looked sharp in the final third, and two Brad Spencer free-kicks nearly created chances for the second goal.

The away side scored again after 14 minutes when another poor clearance was intercepted and passed to Andrew Wort by Liam Dean, and he lifted his shot over Aberford's keeper and into the net.

Deighton looked for a third goal when Dean's pass found James Harrison. However, this time a good save to his left by the keeper denied him.

A shift in momentum saw the hosts pin Rangers back, and Josh Buckley produced a towering header to relieve the pressure as the hosts attacked.

Aberford reduced the deficit in the 27th minute, despite Rangers believing there was an element of offside when a yellow-shirted player latched onto a lovely cross pitch pass and shot past Phil Turner and Arnett.

A Rangers counter-attack freed Weal, and as he went one-on-one with the keeper, he pulled his shot slightly but found Harrison charging into the area, but just as he looked to apply the finish, a strong tackle from a defender took the ball to safety.

Following a massive throw-in which Arnett collected, a collision with his own player saw the ball squirm from his grasp. Despite efforts from several Deighton players, Aberford turned the ball home for an equaliser after 35 minutes.

Despite seeing four goals, the game went flat and misplaced passes became commonplace for both teams. Rangers had a handball appeal turned down, and Aberford saw a shot blasted wide with the striker in a good position to trouble Arnett.

Half-Time: Aberford Albion 2 v 2 Kirk Deighton Rangers Reserves

Aberford quickly came out of the traps for the second half, and a header from a corner went just over. Minutes later, Deighton thanked the crossbar's intervention as a poor clearance fell to an Aberford player whose chip beat Arnett but not the goal frame.

A double substitution in the 54th minute saw Max Bladen and Harrison replaced by Matthew Lucuck and Andy Maxted.

Lurcock nearly made an instant impact when he raced onto a ball down the right flank and put in a cross, which just evaded the leaping Brandon Trower at the back post.

With Deighton gaining the upper hand again, there was an almighty scramble in the host's area, but despite Lurcuck, Maxted, Weal, and Trower all trying, Aberford managed to hack the ball clear.

Football can be a cruel game, and after catching his studs in the ground, Lurcuck couldn't continue and was replaced by Mike Tasker.

As had benefited Aberford, Rangers also had a touch of luck after a shot was diverted onto the post by Arnett's fingertips, and the ball rolled back across the goal line to the other stanchion, and an excellent tackle by Tasker took the follow-up shot over the crossbar.

A superb goal by Aberford in the 75th minute gave them the lead when the attacker nipped in between Deighton’s centre-backs and looped his shot over Arnett's dive.

A free-kick, which Aberford heavily disputed, led to Rangers equalising when Spencer's curling shot was parried clear by the keeper only for Connor Weal to hit the rebound into the roof of the net in the 78th minute.

With the play switching ends at breakneck speed, no sooner had Aberford shot wide than Rangers were celebrating the winning goal by Maxted. Receiving a pass just outside the host's area, his initial shot was blocked, but he hit his second one perfectly and looped it over the keeper in the 83rd minute.

A verbal altercation with the match official following an offside call saw Aberford’s striker sin-binned, and with the extra player, Deighton kept the ball to see out the game and claim a spot in the next round against Horbury Town Reserves.

Full-Time: Aberford Albion Reserves 3 v 4 Kirk Deighton Rangers (ST)