Report: Rangers (ST) 0 v 1 Headingley AFC Reserves

KDRAFC Media
Feb 13, 2022
3 min read

A penalty in the second half settled this game, and it was a harsh result on Rangers Second-Team, who had produced a battling display that had repeatedly frustrated Headingley's attack.

An early deluge of rain caused both teams issues staying upright, and an early skip by Kieran Arnett caused a few pulses to rise, but the young keeper stretched and claimed the ball.

A counter from Headingley saw them wing a free-kick which was headed clear for a corner, which came to nothing.

Rangers were moving the ball down the flanks quickly with Rich Jenner, James Woodward, Max Bladen and Phil Turner all involved, but like us, Headingley were in no mood to concede an early goal.

A long shot by Woodward forced Headingley's keeper into turning it behind, and from the corner, there was panic in the area before the visitors cleared their lines.

A pass from Bladen found Woodward, and after beating a couple of men, he released James Flynn, but the striker could only shoot wide.

Deighton were putting pressure on Headingley's goal, and a move involving Bladen, Woodward and Chris Plews saw the ball eventually come to Liam Dean. Cutting past his man, he tried to pick out Plews again, but a last-second intervention by Headingley ended the action.

Rangers used a slice of luck when Headingley crossed from the right, and their striker slid in to divert the ball past Arnett, but not the post. As the ball bounced back into the six-yard box, Arnett pounced on it.

Headingley came forward again, and it needed Jenner and Jacob Bollon to combine to clear the danger.

The blue shirts were using the wings well with Bladen heavily involved, and his cross took a deflection off a defender, which nearly caused his keeper trouble.

With a heavy pitch taking effect, the game became stuck in midfield. Both teams were trying to produce goal worthy attempts, but neither forced any saves from the two keepers.

The first half ended with Mike Tasker producing a strong block to deny Headingley, while John Ahern was denied in a similar fashion just outside the visitor's area.

Half-Time: Kirk Deighton Rangers (ST) 0 v 0 Headingley AFC Reserves

The first action from the restart saw Headingley win a corner which ended in a shot going wide of Arnett's far post.

Arnett caught a cross into Deighton's area, and his long goal kick picked out Plews. As the veteran striker looked to turn, he was nudged off the ball by a defender.

With the greasy pitch still an issue, Bollon slipped, but instead of shooting, Headingley tried to go across Deighton's backline, and Phil Turner intercepted the pass.

A foul just outside the area saw Headingley shoot across Deighton's goal, however reading it well, Arnett saved low to his right.

An injury to Ahern saw Manager Kris Macdonald forced into his second change, having replaced Bladen with Finlay Appleton minutes earlier. This time, John-Paul Williams was the player to take to the pitch.

A surging run down the left wing by Plews saw him try and pick out the overlapping Williams, but his pass was too short, and a defender was able to divert the ball away.

Andy Wort, who had replaced Plews, capitalised on a mistake just outside the Headingley area, but the keeper sprang to his right to make a good save.

Headingley were awarded a penalty in the 63rd minute after the referee deemed Tasker's challenge to be illegal. Diving to his right, Arnett could only watch as the ball went just offset of middle the other way.

Trying to mount an instant response, Rangers pushed Headingley back, but Turner's shot went wide of the right-hand post.

Turner was also involved in the next attack when he had looked to have broken clear and produced an exquisite chip to beat the Headingley keeper. However, the referee thought differently and pulled the game back for a foul in the build-up to the visitors.

Headingley produced some lovely counter-attacking football as the game ebbed and flowed between the two areas. A run down the left saw a dangerous looking cross headed back out and straight back to an orange shirt. Thankfully for Rangers, the shot went wide of its intended mark.

Rangers were knocking on the door, but Headingley were defending well, and a half-chance fell to Work, but his speculative half-volley went wide.

A well-worked break by the visitors saw their tall substitute race clear and into Rangers area. Shooting from an angle, Arnett was equal to it and pushed the ball into the side netting.

Full-Time: Kirk Deighton Rangers (ST) 0 v 1 Headingley AFC Reserves