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Rangers came away from Boundary Park with a point against a resolute Oldham side but will look at it as two points dropped rather than one gained. The lion's share of the chances fell to Gallen and Furlong who could have been fighting over the match ball on another day.
Holloway stuck with the same eleven that had carved out an excellent win against Bristol City last weekend. Day remained in goal; the back four was Forbes, Carlisle, Shittu and Williams. The midfield quartet of Langley, Palmer, Bircham and Cook were spearheaded by Gallen and Furlong. The game started in explosive fashion as Oldham started at a high tempo. Thirty seconds had barely gone by when the first effort at Day's goal sailed over the bar. Rangers responded immediately and Paul Furlong managed to muscle his way into the box before firing in a right footer that Pogliacomi turned away for a corner. If this had been on Furlong's left foot I feel certain he would have opened the scoring. The game had a good ebb and flow to it despite some tasty challenges flying in from both sets of players. Langley had a weak header on target from a Cook cross and Rangers managed to force a succession of corners that tested Pogliacomi. The R's tactic of blocking him off seemed to be unsettling him as he had a real flap at a few. Referee Andy Hall, a part time Pukka Pies pin up boy, was soon infuriating the Rangers fans with a series of poor decisions. Lee Cook was clattered by Wijnhard and fell awkwardly off the pitch but with no recourse. Moments later Paul Furlong challenged David Beherall and found himself in the notebook. Hall also allowed Darren Sheridan to get away with a shocking challenge on Langley. Oldham began to reassert them on the game as Rangers concentration waned for a time. Clarke Carlisle had to be sharp to turn away a fine Murray cross and minutes later the former Rangers midfielder showed that his left foot hasn't got any better with a wild shot following a poor punch from Chris Day. Tom(my) Williams was having a good game from left back and embarked on a buccaneering run that we see all to seldom from him. He flew past three Oldham players before rifling in a shot that was well blocked. It looked on target and I feel sure it would have caused the Oldham keeper a problem. As the half drew to a close Richard Langley found himself cautioned for a challenge on Will Haining. He was adjudged to have gone in high but he won the ball cleanly. Haining must have been making a late bid for Oscar's night, as he was soon up and about with no ill effects once he had achieved his goal. Langley came close to scoring on the stroke of half time. Paul Furlong attempted to surge into the box only to be fouled by Murray right on the corner. Langley's free kick forced Pogliacomi into a punch over his bar when it looked as though a catch may have been the easier option. The second half began with Rangers still well on top of their hosts. It seemed that almost every attack was bringing a chance of some kind. Bircham and Gallen had shots blocked by the Oldham defence before Gallen was presented with a chance that he should have taken. Williams ran from deep in his known half and released Lee Cook. His neat through ball was perfect for Gallen but his snap shot was once again well saved by Pogliacomi. Only moments later and Gallen was in again. The Oldham defence seemed to play offside and Gallen took advantage of their hesitancy, unfortunately, his left footed effort was wild and flew harmlessly into the stand. Next it was Furlong's turn as he rolled back the years with a piece of vintage play. He shrugged off the challenge of Duxbury and sent a rasping effort over Pogliacomi's bar with the keeper waiving goodbye to it. Oldham replaced Carlo Corazzin with Wayne Andrews in an effort to inject some life into their lacklustre attack. Corazzin and Wijnhard had been nullified by an excellent performance from Carlisle and Shittu with the latter being simply immense. He even had time for a rampaging run up the right hand side as he tested out his new found attacking instincts. As the game drew to a close a chance from either team could have sealed the points. Richard Langley fired in a right wing cross which Gallen contrived to hammer over the bar. At the other end Wayne Andrews managed to slip the attentions of Padula, a recent sub for the knackered Cook, and send a cross shot across Day which beat the Rangers keeper as well as the post. This was a fine performance and it was a shame that the win didn't come as most of the teams around us could only manage a point themselves. Furlong and Gallen had enough chances between them to win two games and hopefully Cheltenham will feel the backlash from this on Tuesday night. For Rangers there were a number of excellent performances. Furlong and Gallen, despite their profligacy in front of goal, were excellent in open play. Palmer looked strong in central midfield and the whole back four were excellent. Man of the match though goes to Shittu as he managed to nullify the muscular Wijnhard for the entire game. We need to follow this up with a victory against lowly Cheltenham on Tuesday night if we want to claim a play off place. It is no good playing well against the better teams only to stumble against the minnows. Rangers have a habit of not rising to the occasions against these sides so lets hope all this is different in midweek.
simon@qprnet.com
