| FLYING FURS FELLS FISHY FOLK
Rangers moved
three points clear of Bristol City with a convincing victory over
Grimsby Town. The fishy folk looked like a team that was battling
for their lives, plenty of huff and puff but little substance and in
truth, this game was far more comfortable than the late goals might
suggest.
Holloway had changes forced on him
following the Tranmere game in midweek. Martin Rowlands had started
his two game ban for getting ten bookings and was forced out of the
Easter programme. Camp remained in goal following consecutive Man of
the Match displays with the back four of Bignot, Carlisle, Gnohere
and Edghill still intact. Ainsworth, Bean and Bircham kept their
places and were joined by Gallen in the left wing berth. Jamie
Cureton was handed his first start, a little over two months since
signing, to partner Furlong.
To say the first half an hour of this
game was dull would be a massive understatement. Neither team seemed
able to create any chances of note and there seemed to be a general
air of nervousness around Loftus Road. Whether this was transmitting
itself to the players or not it is hard to say but the free flowing
football we were hoping for wasn't there. Early in the half Furlong
managed to turn neatly on the edge of the box and fire a low shot
wide of Fettis' goal but the Grimsby keeper wasn't tested.
The Mariners had Jamie Lawrence
stretchered off early in the game following a heavy, but fair,
collision with Carlisle. It was ironic as midway though the second
half Carlisle would be the man carried from the field following an
awkward landing on his right ankle. Stacey Coldicott replaced
Lawrence and seemed to inject some urgency into the Grimsby play.
Grimsby forced the first effort on
target of the game with a far post header from a corner. Every
Rangers player had retreated into the box, including Curo, and he
found himself marking a much bigger opponent at the far post.
Needless to say it wasn't much of a contest and Antione-Curier's
downward header was on target and Camp made strides across his goal
to slap it behind. At the other end Furs had once again turned
neatly on the edge of the area before firing wide of the goal.
Beany had found his way into referee
Thorpe's notebook for a mistimed challenge and this stunted the good
work he had done up until now. Bean had been looking comfortable in
the middle and hitting some trademark thundering challenges before
getting cautioned for his only foul of the game. You have to wonder
whether some refs have ever played the game as they seem to have no
clue what it is like in the hurly burly of a match and to book a
midfield battler for one foul seems farcical to me.
Gallen was booked minutes later for an
alleged dive. Working his way in from the left he tried to burst
between two players and seemed to have done so before going down. It
looked to me as though both players had caught him as I am not sure
why he would dive when he had beaten them. Thorpe was quickly on the
scene to show Gallen his fifth yellow of the season, one which could
see him banned for the massive game at Plymouth.
Furlong went close again with an
overhead kick as the less tolerant amongst the crowd starting to
practice their booing ready for the half time whistle. Then suddenly
Rangers hit the front. A long freekick was pumped into the box by
Edghill and the all action Ainsworth got up with Fettis to contest
the high ball. Fettis looked to reach over him and the ball fell
into the path of Furlong who lashed the ball into the net to give
Rangers the half time advantage. The relief around the ground was
palpable and the team were cheered off when the whistle sounded.
The second half was a different affair
altogether with Rangers asserting themselves from the off. Gallen
had the first chance of the half following a foul on the edge of the
box. He stepped up to whip a freekick around the wall and just past
the post with Fettis in no position to do anything about it. Soon
after Carlisle was leaving the field on a stretcher to be replaced
by Matthew Rose. Another change was made only five minutes after
this with Bean being replaced by Palmer. Bean had been lost since
his booking and clearly fearful of putting himself about, Palmer was
booed by some as he entered the field and I would like to say to
those that did that you are an absolute disgrace and that if you
want to whinge and moan at your own players and boo them before they
touch a ball, piss off and support Spurs.
Furlong was spearheading the Rangers
attack and causing all sorts of problems for The Mariners defensive
line. Centre back Crane and Ford will know they have been in a game
this morning as Furs battered them all over the park as he tried to
grab the second goal. He came close with a header and should have
had a chance for another but Ainsworth had a rush of blood and tried
a volley from an acute angle when a cross was the better option.
Fettis denied Gallen in a one on one
situation when again, the pass inside to Furlong would surely have
brought the second goal. Fettis then produced three excellent saves
in quick succession to keep Grimsby in it. First he denied Furlong
after Ainsworth had managed to get a cross in under severe pressure.
Then moments later he again kept out a Furlong header and managed to
stretch out a hand to flick the ball off of the toe of Cureton who
was pouncing on the follow up.
Grimsby made a tactical change to try
and salvage a point when Paul Warhurst entered the fray at centre
back with Tony Crane moving into attack. Something of a slight on a
player that won an England cap at centre forward earlier in his
career! This proved to be the catalyst for Rangers though and two
goals in double quick time knocked this one on the head.
Gallen found himself free on the left
and floated in a delightful ball to the back stick where Arthur was
waiting to nod home. He managed to head the ball down but almost
onto his own foot but was alive enough to recover the situation and
feed Bircham on the edge of the area. Birch killed the ball on his
chest before crashing a looping volley past the helpless Fettis to
send Loftus Road into raptures.
Two minutes later it was all over bar
the shouting when Furlong grabbed the second goal his brilliant
display warranted. Jamie Cureton challenged for a ball on the edge
of the area and it ran into the path of Furs. He controlled and bore
down on Fettis before cracking a fierce right footed effort past him
into the net. We Shall Not Be Moved was now booming around the
ground and Ranger were hunting the fourth.
Cureton came within a whisker of
getting it but again found the outstanding Fettis in the way. The
diminutive hitman hit a fierce volley from thirty yard out that
Fettis tipped over the top. Cureton was unlucky and seemed to grow
in confidence as the game wore on, he was shifted into three
different positions on the day and didn't seem unduly fazed by any
of them.
This was a good win and the nature of
the second half display should send Rangers into the tricky game at
Barnsley on Monday full of confidence. It won't be easy by any
stretch of the imagination against a side that have only been done
twice at home all season. Defeat is simply not an option and I am
sure that the players will be battling hard for the cause until the
final whistle goes at Hillsborough on the 8th of May.
simon@qprnet.com |
