Report: Whitkirk Wanderers 1 v 2 Rangers

KDRAFC Media
Dec 13, 2021
3 min read

Rangers had to come from behind to win this game, and in doing so, they claimed their first "double" of the season over a spirited Whitkirk Wanderers.

With striking duo Roman Neal and leading scorer Ashley Tatler unavailable, Manager Dan Marshall pushed Luke Dubery upfront alongside Jake Little and Jack Cheetham. Liam Dean and Kieran Arnett were called up from the second team as substitutes.

Within a minute of the game, Deighton had a chance when the ball fell into Dubery's path, but he couldn't spin and shot goalwards.

Following a bit of play in midfield, Deighton penned Whitkirk into their own third, but despite a throw in nearly dropping for Little, the home sides defence marshalled Rangers strikers well.

Whitkirk showed their threat on the ball when a quick break down Deighton's right side needed Mason Sheridan-Hawley to intervene as the cross came into the area.

Rangers nearly created the opening goal in the 11th minute when Jack Cheetham just missed a Josh Barden corner, which resulted in the keeper fumbling the cross. However, he claimed it at the second attempt with Ryan O'Donnell pressuring.

Mike McCartney stopped another pacey counter-attack, but in attempting to set Little away, he overhit his pass, and the keeper claimed it.

Both teams played decent football in midfield, with Barden, Little, Cheetham, Rob Holliday, and Conor Buckley heavily involved for Rangers. When it came to finishing, Little put a good chance over, and Whitkirk shot straight at Jonty Smith.

Little tried to make amends for his original miss when he battled hard to win the ball, sprinting towards Whitkirk's area, his shot was on target, but the keeper reached and made the save.

Deighton began to push Whitkirk back again, and a free-kick fell to Holliday, who lifted the ball out to the right and Harvey Ribbons. Steadying himself, he let fly with a stinging effort, but his shot went wide.

The home side came close to scoring in the 38th minute, and it needed a combination of Sheridan-Hawley and Smith to block a shot after a superb run down the left side of the pitch and into Deighton's area. However, in the process, Smith received a kick to his temple, and it took some time for the custodian to return to his feet.

Half-Time: Whitkirk Wanderers 0 v 0 Kirk Deighton Rangers

With Smith deemed unable to continue due to dizziness, Second Team goalkeeper Kieran Arnett came on for the second half.

Rangers worked the ball into Whitkirk's half, and as Little looked to latch onto a pass, a defender managed to get in front of him and guide the ball back to the keeper.

An offside flag prevented Whitkirk from finishing an impressive team move. From the free-kick, Deighton attacked but couldn't score despite several attempts.

A foul on the edge of Deighton's area in the 51st minute saw Whitkirk take the lead when their player bent his shot around the wall and past Arnett's dive to find the far corner of the net.

Rangers picked up their second injury of the afternoon when Sam Murphy replaced Buckley, who limped off the pitch following a tackle.

Dubery was taking the fight to Whitkirk, and his shot forced a save out of the keeper, who then miskicked straight to McCartney, but he made amends by parrying the midfielder's return shot.

Deighton were back on level terms in the 55th minute when Barden's free-kick picked out the unmarked Dubery, and his flicked header beat the keeper's dive and nestled into the net's bottom corner.

A foul on Liam Dean, who had replaced Little, gave Barden a chance from outside the area in the 62nd minute. Hitting a low shot, he deceived the Whitkirk keeper, who dived too late and saw the ball pass him into the net.

Rangers had taken control of the game and looked dangerous every time they came forward, and chances fell to Cheetham and Dubery, which they couldn't convert.

Despite having a player down injured, Whitkirk attacked Deighton's right side. Cutting into the area, the striker shot towards goal only to see Arnett dive full length and catch the ball.

A throw-in found Dean, and his pass back to Ribbons saw the defender cross into the area. Despite trying, Cheetham couldn't get a solid connection, and his shot was saved by the keeper.

Deighton were trying everything to get their third goal, but the keeper pulled off a good save to deny Ribbons and Barden's curling shot went just wide.

With Rangers looking to safeguard the win, Josh Buckley replaced Cheetham, and it needed a well-executed block to deny Whitkirk following a run down the right-wing.

Dean unlocked Whitkirk's defence with a mazy run, but his pull-back bypassed his teammates who hadn't gambled on reaching the ball.

Just as the referee was about to end the game, the hosts launched the ball into the area. Coming off his line, Arnett rose high to catch the ball under pressure by a Whitkirk player.

Full-Time: Whitkirk Wanderers 1 v 2 Kirk Deighton Rangers