Report: Rangers 4 v 1 Otley Town

KDRAFC Media
Sep 12, 2020
4 min read

Rangers took a 3-1 lead into the half-time break.
Ashley Tatler scored his second goal to make it 4-1.
Management happy with the result, but want more concentration.

It was a good afternoon for Rangers who claimed a rare win on the opening day of the season against a side who will be in the mix at the end of the campaign.

Rangers took their pre-season form into this match, and straight from the start, Ashley Tatler tormented Otley's right back before Jake Little lobbed the goalkeeper but put the ball wide.

The first goal came after two minutes of play, and again Little was instrumental as his determination to get to the ball saw the keeper fail to collect cleanly. Following up was Rob Holliday who lifted his long-range shot over the last defender and into the net.

As expected, the visitors forced their way into Deighton's area and won a corner. Thankfully it was the blue-shirted defence that headed clear the set-piece.

Little came close to adding a second when his flicked header from Holliday's cross went just wide.

Another spell of Otley pressure saw them equalise after ten minutes. A shot had been tipped over by Jonty Smith, but the custodian could do nothing as the resultant corner found the man at the back post, and he scored via the post.

Match Photo — Joe Barden watches the ball against Otley Town.

Rangers surged forward again looking to re-establish their lead, and Harvey Ribbons and Tatler had shots which weren't too far away.

Conor Buckley put Rangers back in front in the twenty-fourth minute. Receiving Little's pass, his shot deflected off a defender and wrong-footed Otley's keeper who, despite getting a hand to the ball, could only push it into the net.

The attacking play for Deighton was penning the visitors back, and Little and Josh Bhandal came close, but it was a penalty by Tatler in the thirty-fifth minute after Little was fouled that opened up daylight in the scores.

A failure to play to the whistle nearly cost Deighton in the closing minutes after Otley beat the offside trap but shot wide leaving Smith to berate his defence.

Half-Time: Kirk Deighton Rangers 3 v 1 Otley Town

It was the visitors who ventured up the pitch from the start of the second half, but Josh Buckley teamed up well with captain Joe Wilks to shut the door on them.

Finding their feet again, Rangers started passing the ball around, and Little slipped the ball to George Widdows. However, the referee stopped play believing Widdows to be offside.

Tatler grabbed his second of the match in the 53rd minute with a well-placed shot past the keeper. The build-up had seen a foul committed and Wilks's free-kick was controlled by Little before he set up Tatler to finish with aplomb.

With a solid lead behind them, Rangers took their foot off the accelerator a little and the match got dragged into a midfield battle, which suited neither team's attacking style.

Rediscovering their rhythm, Otley had a shot which went wide before Conor Buckley nearly scored a second after his half-volley was saved by the visiting glove-man. From the corner, he again rose highest to pluck Holliday's corner out of the air.

Otley were left incensed when the referee waved away their penalty claims after Josh Buckley produced a strong tackle to dispossess their player in the area.

Smith was forced into action as he dived to his left to push away Otley's free-kick from just outside the area.

The visitors were having their best spell of the game. A strong run down the right-wing was stopped when Wilks showed great composure to step in and rob the attacker just as he was set to shoot.

With Josh Barden and Ali Thompson replacing Tatler and Widdows, the momentum swung back to Rangers and Thompson was unlucky not to find the net twice, being denied by good saves. Even when he did beat the keeper, the ball hit the post following a deflection off a defender.

Rangers were looking the more likely to score again as substitutes Dubery and Woodward both had shots that went wide.

The final action saw Wilks composed as ever as he produced a block to deflect Otley's shot wide.

Full-Time: Kirk Deighton Rangers 4 v 1 Otley Town

In review: A deserved win for Rangers who dominated large periods of the game and took their chances well. There is room for improvement, but it was a superb statement against a strong team who will be challenging for promotion at the end of the season. Jake Little had a great match and was involved in nearly everything that Rangers produced before being substituted.

Report by KDRAFC Media

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