Rangers 2
Co Tyrone 0
As the excitement built in the Jack Doherty stand at the Coleraine showgrounds, both teams, County Tyrone and Rangers, took to the field.
Rangers got the match underway and had the first real chance of the game. Jose Caleia Carlos challenged the Tyrone defence, but was soon stopped by Harry McKenzie, who put the ball behind for a corner. The corner was swung in and the ball fell to Cormac Christie who saw his effort saved by Michael Doherty in the Tyrone goal. Following this save, the corner was given and this time it was Conor Owen who got his head on the end of it, but it was saved by Doherty. Nothing came of the corner that followed.
Tyrone’s first chance of the game followed shortly after. Joel Kerr won a corner for the boys in red. He picked out Cead McGrath who couldn’t keep his header low. It flew high over the bar.
As time went on, Tyrone had a chance to open the scoring when Kerr showed fantastic skill in the box, although the shot was saved comfortably by Rydnn McGuire.
Tyrone kept pushing. Brandon Downey was played through by Smith, only to be stopped by the whistle of referee Louise Thompson. Offside.
With half time approaching, the remainder of the chances fell for Tyrone. Daniel Beatty had an opportunity just outside the box. A fantastic shot along the ground only to be saved by the Rangers Number 1, McGuire.
The best chance of the half came in the thirty-first minute. A nice bit of skill from Tyrone’s Harley Patton allowed him to set up Downey 5 yards out, who just couldn’t get enough power behind the shot to score that all important first goal. Plenty of chances for both sides but still no goals, nil all at the break.
Rangers came out all guns blazing in the second half and had the first opportunity when Jose Caleia Carlos broke through the Tyrone defence and found himself in a 1 v 1 type situation on the right side of the 6 yard box, but a strong hand from Doherty put the ball out of play for a corner. Carlos again entered the box, this time the left hand side, soon to be stopped by Josh Burton who made a great tackle, clearing the ball from danger.
Rangers broke the deadlock in the forty-second minute. The substitute Cameron Fernie hammered it home from inside the box to put the Gers ahead. Five minutes later Tyrone had the chance to grab one back and level the scoring, but after McGrath’s throw in found Kerr in the box, his shot soared just over the bar.
Rangers doubled their lead after a scramble inside the box. Alexander Smith smashed the ball into the top middle of the net on the fifty-sixth minute. Smith could’ve had himself a second, when he spotted Doherty off his line and tried his efforts. Unfortunately for him, the ball bounced off the crossbar.
Leading up to the final few minutes of the match, substitute Ruairi Tinney, stopped Rangers’ Max Cameron from making it three with a brilliant tackle in the box.
The game finished 2-0 to the men in Blue. Both teams are in action tomorrow as Rangers take on Otago at Seahaven, while County Tyrone face Hamilton Academical at the Heights in Coleraine.
Report by Joel Bell