| 5 STAR R'S STRONG AS STEEL AS
'POOL ALL FALL DOWN
Rangers kicked off
their assault on the Division 2 title with a stunning 5-0 battering
of Blackpool. A dream debut for Gareth Ainsworth and solid
performances all over the park saw Blackpool capitulate in the
blistering heat. What is more satisfying is that I think we can play
better than this.
Holloway sprang no surprises with his
starting line up. Day was in goal behind the expected back four of
Forbes, Carlisle, Shittu and Padula. Gareth Ainsworth, the only one
of the new boys to make the starting eleven, lined up on the right,
with Langley on the left, and Palmer and Bircham in the middle.
Experienced strikers Gallen and Furlong resumed their partnership in
attack.
There was no thought of acclimatising
to the searing heat of the day for Rangers and they flew at
Blackpool from the off. With only three minutes on the clock Rangers
won a corner and Gino swung in one of his deadly deliveries. The
ball found its way to the far post and Gareth Ainsworth stabbed home
from close range for his first official goal in the famous blue and
white hoops. The ball took a serious deflection on the way though
and I wouldn't be surprised if this one is later changed to an o.g.
Blackpool managed to get the ball in
the net ten minutes later when lively midfielder Neil Danns burst
past the front two before slotting home. The whistle had already
gone for offside so he met no opposition but this was just about the
most serious threat the languid Tangerines were to offer all
afternoon.
Paul Furlong found himself cautioned
for a crunching challenge on a Blackpool defender and must have had
his heart in his mouth midway through the half when he chased a
Palmer ball only to clatter into keeper Barnes. Luckily referee
Taylor used his common sense and the award of a freekick was
sufficient. Credit must go to Taylor's handling of the game as he
frequently allowed the players to take extended breaks for drinks, I
am sure that didn't happen at a lot of yesterdays games.
Richie Wellens tested Day with a
deflected effort and also found himself booked for a foul on
Bircham. This would come back to haunt him in the games dying
minutes. At the other end Kevin Gallen was now starting to find
space for himself and sent two efforts toward the Blackpool goal.
The first was a left footer that flashed over the bar, the second a
right footer that was straight at Barnes.
Furlong should have scored when he got
on the end of an Ainsworth cross only to find his header sail over
the top rather than in. He seemed to jump to early for the ball but
he wouldn't let this deter him as the game wore on.
Former Rangers trialist Martin Bullock
showed that he could still be a threat with a jinking run that was
brought to a halt by the hulking frame of Danny Shittu. Almost as
soon as the threat was dispelled Rangers charged to the other end
and added the second.
Paul Furlong smashed a shot toward
goal and Barnes pulled off a stunning save. The ball was still
looping toward goal and Hilton managed to clear, the ball only fell
as far as Gallen who crossed for Richard Langley, scourge of
Blackpool, to fire high into the net from six yards. That goal was
Langley's sixth in his last four games against McMahon's men, they
must be sick of the sight of him by now.
Despite finding themselves two goals
to the good Rangers were still allowing Blackpool to knock the ball
around in some dangerous areas. This all changed after the break as
palmer and Bircham kicked it up a gear and harried the Tangerine's
midfield into errors.
It should have been 3-0 only minutes
into the half as Furlong coughed up another solid gold chance. Marc
Bircham made room for himself on the right and flung over a cross
that took Barnes out of the equation completely. Furs got up at the
far post but managed to head the ball into the ground so hard that
it ballooned up and over the bar.
Luckily, this miss didn't cost Rangers
and ten minutes later the third goal arrived. Once again Paul
Furlong found himself bearing down on Barnes and once again the
Blackpool keeper denied him with a fantastic right handed save. The
ball rolled toward Gallen and as he went to shoot Mike Flynn nipped
in to clear. His clearance managed to smash Gallen in the knee and
flew into the top corner of the net. Not exactly a goal of the
season contender but the goal that killed off any hopes Blackpool
were harbouring of a comeback.
With a little over twenty minutes left
Ainsworth was on the scoresheet again and there is no danger of this
one being taken from him. Surging into the box his quick feet took
him past Davis and he brilliantly nutmegged Barnes to make it 4-0.
Wild Thing then treated everybody to his best air guitar playing and
rock and roll salutes. I have a feeling we are going to be seeing a
lot more of these as the season wears on.
Ainsworth and Furlong were taken off
to standing ovations with fifteen minutes left as Holloway handed
debuts to Martin Rowlands and Eric Sabin. Sabin could have scored
moments later as his pace carried him past two Blackpool defenders.
His shot was wild though and flew high over the bar. Undeterred he
went looking for work wherever he could and looked a far more
confident player than the one we had seen in pre-season. He came
close to scoring with a header following a superb Terrell Forbes
cross. Barnes was well beaten but the ball missed the far post by
centimetres.
Many times in the past you have willed
Rangers to go on and add another to really knock the game on the
head and it never happens. Well not this time. As the game was in
its death throws Rangers won a freekick that Padula sent to the far
post. The Skipper stole in behind everybody to send a brilliant
header into the opposite top corner. As if to compound their misery,
Wellens was dismissed for a second yellow card when he went over the
ball on Carlisle. Some refs may have given him a straight red; such
was the reckless nature of the challenge. Carlisle resumed after
treatment but I wouldn't be surprised if he sat out the game at
Cheltenham on Tuesday.
This was a tremendous performance and
the thing that stood out more than anything was the willingness of
people to work hard for each other. This was epitomised by Bircham
and Palmer in the middle who chased every ball, harassed every
player that came near them and set up so many attacks. Bircham in
particular seemed to find a more incisive range of passing and this
for me just shaded him the man of the match award.
Ainsworth looks like a legend in the
making and the only shame is that he doesn't have the pace to back
up the rest of his game. I don't think this will matter a great deal
though as his crossing is so good from all areas that he doesn't
need to beat his man. When he does, his feet are quick enough to win
most battles. In attack Gallen and Furlong never gave Flynn and
Davis a moments piece and at the back all four men were as solid as
you have come to expect. Langley looked a little out of sorts on the
left but once he learns the position I have no doubt that he will be
as big a threat from there as he is from other areas of the pitch.
On to Cheltenham now and everybody
will be hoping that the cup hoodoo will finally be banished. If we
play like this I have no doubt it will be, but then you can never be
too sure, the cups do funny things to Rangers
simon@qprnet.com |
