Alcock and Balls Up

Rangers managed to grab a share of the spoils in a crazy encounter against Barnsley at Oakwell. Rangers seemed to have done enough to win the game only to see the Tykes hit the front and then peg them back in one of the most dramatic five minutes of football you are likely to encounter.

Holloway made changes to the line up despite the comfortable win over Grimsby on Saturday. Camp remained in goal but there was a change to the back four. Rose replaced the injured Carlisle to link up with Bignot, Gnohere and Edghill. Palmer came in for Bean in midfield alongside Bircham with Ainsworth and Gallen filling the wide roles. Cureton and Furlong continued their partnership in attack.

Rangers started the brighter of the teams with Furlong finding the frame of the goal with only a few minutes gone. Referee Alan Wiley had already blown for an apparent freekick when Furs got to the ball but I am not sure that keeper Beresford was getting there. Ainsworth then attempted to hammer a strike past the keeper from the best part of forty yards. Had it gone in it would have been identical to his second at Rushden…but it didn't!

Barnsley took the lead after 22 minutes courtesy of some woeful defending. A corner from the right was floated in and nobody seemed to know who was supposed to be marking who and the ball landed at the feet of the grateful Craig Ireland. The Tykes skipper didn't need a second invitation and smashed the ball past the despairing dive of Lee Camp.

This was not the first time that Rangers had been caught out defensively on a set piece and unfortunately, it wouldn't be the last either. Rangers immediately went looking for a response and Holloway decided to swap Cureton and Gallen over to make the former Barnsley man Furlong's new strike partner. The two set about their task with gusto and a collision between Furlong and Beresford would prove the turning point of the game.

Beresford wasn't able to continue and was replaced by youngster Daniel Alcock after 28 minutes. Just a few minutes later he was picking the ball out of the net. Furlong chased a ball that seemed to be running harmlessly out of play and managed to hook a cross back across the penalty box. Anthony Kay then intervened and managed to turn the ball past Alcock and although Barnsley thought they had cleared the ball the lino signalled a goal and the scores were level.

Furs then headed over the bar as Rangers ended the half very much in the ascendancy. The start of the second half would be much of the same as Rangers showed renewed vigour as they went in search of a vital three points. Furs should have scored the second when Cureton played him in behind the Tykes back four. As Alcock advanced from his line Furlong tried to lob him only to see him palm the ball away. I don't think he realised the amount of time and space he had as there was time to get the ball down and make certain.

Cureton then had two chances to put Rangers ahead but missed the target both times. First a Gallen cross picked him out on the far side of the box but his shot lacked direction. Biggy then played him in on the edge of the area but he scuffed it and sent a bibbly-bobbly one wide of the post.

On the hour mark Cureton was on the receiving end of a disgusting tackle from former Fulham man Steve Hayward. Hayward went straight through the back of the little striker and players both sides piled in as the respective benches moved in to try and restore order. Hayward should have gone but Wiley instead chose to only caution him as well as booking Furs for his part in the melee. How you can pick one player out of about twenty is beyond me but I suppose these are the supreme skills that have taken him onto the elite list of match ruiners, sorry, referees.

With a little over 15 minutes left to play Rangers grabbed the goal their second half dominance had deserved. Palmer took a throw but found the ball back at his feet, he steadied himself and sent a cross in on top of the shaky Alcock. The youngsters didn't disappoint anybody in the Rangers end as he fumbled the ball straight into the path of Furlong who prodded home from no more than a foot.

Rangers managed to get the ball back straight from kick off and Cureton hit a shot that the Teflon gloved Alcock once again managed to fumble, unfortunately there was nobody on hand to take advantage of this slack piece of play. Rangers paid the price for this soon after as Barnsley hit them with two rapid fire goals.

Danny Nardiello, on loan from Manchester United, was awarded the freedom of Oakwell by the Rangers defence as they attempted to defend a corner. The ball fell to him and he had time to take a touch before rifling the shot past the helpless Camp to bring the scores level. Clearly rocked by this Rangers seemed to start sitting deep and allowing Barnsley to force more and more pressure.

This came to a head when Gnohere, who was having an absolute 'mare, gave away a freekick thirty yards from goal. Barnsley sent two men to stand in front of Camp and on a signal from the taker; they started to walk slowly away from him, masking his field of vision all the while. Then as they got onside, David Murphy sent a stunning freekick over the wall and into the corner. Although it is hardly in the spirit of the game to use such tactics you had to take your hat off to Paul Hart for such a brilliant and innovative routine. I wouldn't be surprised to see Rangers try this one before the end of the season.

The R's fans now felt like they had been kicked squarely in the spuds and you could almost hear the howls of derision floating up from Ashton Gate. Marcus Bean was substituted despite having been on for barely six minutes as a replacement for Curo and Tony Thorpe was thrown into the fray. In one last desperate throw of the dice Rangers loaded the ball into the box in an attempt to salvage a point from a game they should have won.

Cometh the hour, cometh the man as Furlong suddenly found himself facing the goal with the ball at his feet. A left footed poke at the ball seemed to take a slight deflection as it rolled its way toward goal and in off the right hand upright. The R's fans and players were delirious and people poured onto the field to mob their heroes as Furs was lost under a pile of bodies.

Anybody viewing the celebrations at the end would have thought we had won and in truth, we probably should have. Plenty of chances came and went in the second half and if we had taken just half of them we may have been looking at a handsome win. This was the third time we have scored three goals away from home in a game and only ended up with one point to show for it.

On the whole the Rangers players performed well. Bignot was solid but Edghill got a bit of a chasing at times. Rose was solid and calm and had to be next to Arthur who had a stinker from start to finish. If Clarke is fit next weekend then I think Gnohere should make way and not Rose. Palmer and Bircham battled hard in the middle and Gallen, Ainsworth and Cureton all worked hard. Once again though, the star man was Furs who is leading the line like a man possessed at the moment.

Everybody will be hoping that Plymouth can do us a favour tomorrow in the massive encounter at Ashton Gate. If they can pinch a win that will see us four points clear with a very winnable game against Stockport at home to come. If it is a draw then no panic, still a three point gap with a vastly superior goal difference. A Bristol City win though will see some seriously twitchy folk in W12!

simon@qprnet.com