Report: Rangers 3 v 2 Ripon City

KDRAFC Media
Aug 8, 2021
3 min read

Following a 7-0 win over Harlow Hill last Saturday and a 2-2 draw away to Tadcaster Magnets on Wednesday, Rangers hoped to make it an unbeaten week when they faced Ripon City. However, it needed a goal in the final second of the match to make that a reality!

Rangers started slowly and allowed Ripon to push forward, but as the shot came in, goalkeeper Kieran Arnett watched as it sailed above his crossbar and into the foliage behind his goal.

The visitors attacked again, and a pass through the area seemed to have picked out the unmarked attacker, but Arnett came out quickly and blocked the shot. However, the ball smashed back off the Ripon player and looped over the goalkeeper. Thankfully for Rangers, Mike McCartney was there to hook it off the line.

Arnett was needed again when he dived to his right and pushed a long shot away from the goal. Sensing the oncoming attacker, he quickly responded by diving on the ball to stop any further danger.

Rangers seemed to wake up, and the momentum shifted. A quick barrage of passes found Josh Barden on the right-wing, and he curled in a cross that evaded the defender, but Ash Tatler couldn't direct it goalwards.

The number of chances started to grow in Deighton's favour, but they couldn't find the final touch, although Roman Neal came close when he headed Ali Thompson's corner just over the crossbar.

Another delicious cross by Barden required a sliding intervention back to his keeper by a Ripon defender as Tatler waited to pounce.

Barden thought he had given Rangers the lead when he controlled Thompson's pass and smashed it goalwards, only to see the keeper produce a superb save to smother his shot.

It was now the turn of Ripon's custodian to be busy as he dived to his right to push Neal's shot wide.

With little time remaining in the first half, Ripon struck. Seizing on a loose ball, the Ripon player hit a powerful shot through several players, and despite getting his hands to it, Arnett could only push it into his net.

Half-Time: Rangers 0 v 1 Ripon City

Whereas the first half had seen Ripon the livelier at the start, this time Rangers forced the pace, and Thompson saw his initial shot blocked before firing the rebound over the crossbar.

It took a superb save from Ripon's keeper to push away Neal's header from Barden's cross as Rangers searched for an equaliser, but he was eventually beaten in the 57th minute when an exquisite pass from Joe Turley released Tatler, and he picked his spot from a narrow-angle to level the scores.

Ripon's hesitancy in defence allowed Tatler to win the ball and cut into the centre. Trying to shot back across the keeper, the gloveman produced another fine save to deny him.

Deighton took the lead in the 70th minute when Tatler broke the offside trap. Despite the visitor's cries that the striker wasn't level, the referee allowed play to continue, and in a carbon copy of his first goal, Tatler maintained his cool and finished well from a tight angle.

The blue shirts were showing no signs of relenting, and Tatler's cross from the left wing narrowly evaded Sam Little, who couldn't reach it to turn it home at the far post.

The introduction of ex Harrogate Town striker Paul Beesley saw Ripon gain a foothold in the game again, and Arnett had to react to smother a shot from outside the area after a free-kick had only been partially cleared.

A ball across the area saw the Ripon player about to shoot, but a superbly timed tackle from the side by Turley made sure this didn't happen, and Rangers cleared.

In the 77th minute, Beesley struck, and Ripon pulled level. Some good play found the striker, and his low shot into the bottom corner just beat Arnett's dive.

Picking themselves up, Deighton took up the attacking mantle again, and chances fell for Tatler, Neal and Barden, but try as they might, they couldn't beat the Ripon Keeper.

Fighting until the end proved to be Deighton's saviour, and Barden produced another dangerous corner. Stealing in at the back post was McCartney, and his header flew into the net to give Rangers the win.

Full-Time: Rangers 3 v 2 Ripon City