Report: Rangers 1 v 2 Knaresborough Town Reserves

KDRAFC Media
Aug 18, 2022
3 min read

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Sidney Sutherland once wrote, 'If it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have any luck at all!' and if a saying ever befitted Rangers at the moment, it would be this one!

A reversal in performance from Saturday's 6-0 beating by Gomersal saw Deighton more than match Knaresborough Town Reserves all over the pitch. However, an injury to goalkeeper Jonty Smith not only saw the Blues concede at the worse possible moment but robbed the club of their senior custodian for the season.

The signs looked ominous for Rangers as the visitors pushed forward multiple times from the kick-off but found the defence hard to beat. On the one occasion they were breached, Smith came to the rescue with a double save.

A rare break saw a long ball beat Knaresborough, but Luke Dubery's volley went wide of the target.

Rangers' best chances were falling from the ball over Knaresborough's defence, and on several occasions, they had to rely on their keeper to get them out of trouble.

Both teams needed interventions from defenders close to the goal lines to prevent the deadlock from being broken.

Whereas on Saturday, Rangers were sloppy all over the pitch: this game saw the passing tighter, the moves flowing, and the decisions spot on, the only area that was lacking was the finishing, but that was more down to good defending by Knaresborough than poor shooting.

A move down the left wing saw Rob Holliday and James Harrison combine. Crossing for Roman Neal, Harrison picked out the striker, but his header looped over the crossbar.

A loose pass nearly cost Rangers as Knaresborough cut through the middle. As the striker was about to shoot, Ethan MacPherson pulled off a superb tackle to knock the ball away.

A flurry of half-chances fell Deighton's way when Neal pushed the ball past the Knaresborough keeper but was forced wide in doing so. Whipping a cross into the six-yard box, he threw his hands up in desperation that none of his teammates had made a forward run.

Minutes later, Stevie Delany showed some superb footwork to latch into Holliday's pass. However, he couldn't get a clean connection on his shot, and the opportunity had passed.

As the half dwindled to an end, it was Knaresborough who nearly scored when the striker tried to lift the ball over Smith from the end of the area. Thankfully for the home side, his aim was off, and the ball bounced wide.

Half-Time: Kirk Deighton Rangers 0 v 0 Knaresborough Town Reserves

Rangers started the second half on the front foot, and Elliot Anderson's dangerous free-kick was headed wide by Dubery.

Dubery was having an excellent match, and he outpaced Knaresborough's defence. Getting his cross into the danger area, he was equally vigorous in his frustrations that none of his teammates had also gambled.

Deighton had a let-off in the 52nd minute when Knaresborough crossed towards the back post, and the unmarked player just needed to nudge the ball home, but he steered it back across goal, and the defence cleared the danger.

The play was now frantic and changing between areas at breakneck speed. No sooner had Smith claimed a cross than Neal's shot had cannoned off a Knareborought defender and the subsequent corner just evaded Luke Trower's head!

In the 64th minute, the game changed radically. A long ball into Deighton's area saw Smith engage in a race with the onrushing striker, all of a sudden, he collapsed, writhing in agony, and the striker dinked his shot over the stricken keeper and into the net. After nearly eight minutes, Smith left the pitch, and with no keeper on the bench, Dubery donned the gloves, and Jack Holliday entered the play.

Soon after, Jack Holliday got his first chance when a ball over the defence set him scampering down the right side, but, again, Knaresborough's keeper won the race.

Rangers were pushing forward and nearly got their reward when Rob Holliday's quick feet saw him beat the last defender, but not the goalkeeper who beat his shot away.

The scores were level in the 78th minute after Neal latched onto a long ball. Although his initial shot was saved, he kept his composure and lifted the rebound into the back of the net.

Both teams started throwing caution to the wind as they searched for the winner. Unfortunately, it was Knaresborough who scored it in the 83rd minute when a cross was powered home past Dubery by an unmarked player.

Full-Time: Kirk Deighton Rangers 1 v 2 Knaresborough Town Reserves