Match Report
Match Report - 21 Jan 2012, St Francis Rangers FC 1st Team drew with Ringmer
Rangers 0 Ringmer 0
Rangers ground out a draw against a Ringmer side containing several new faces with plenty of County League experience. In their side was Tom Lyons, lining up against Rangers for the 3rd time this season, each with a different club!
The draw doesn't do either side much good in their efforts to avoid the drop but overall it was a fair result.
Rangers welcomed back Matt Carruthers and Aaron Walsh but Daley Clark missed out with food poisoning. His absence meant Pamment moving in middle of the park with Matt Whiteford on the left, playing his second full 90 minutes in less than 24 hours!
Both sides made a quiet start to the game, with the bobbly pitch making it difficult for both sides to pay any conductive football. Neither goalkeeper actually made a save over the 90 minutes, although both sides had their chances.
It was Rangers who got in to the game early on with Leppard and Perry pace their main threat. It was that combination that set up Whiteford for the best chance of the half but his shot hit the bar. Soon after Whiteford drove in to the box, beat 3 players but rather than shoot moved the ball to his favoured left foot and was tackled. Pamment was having an excellent game and it was his intervention that set Pople away but his finished lacked accuracy.
Lyons became more of an influence for Ringmer as the half wore on. He cleverly dropped in to the hole and linked the play. Minutes before the break he should have given Ringmer the lead but he blazed well over, then he missed a header from close range.
Rangers just about shaded the first half and despite the difficult pitch they managed to play some decent football. Cooper industry was at the heart of everything good for the home side.
The second half saw Ringmer take advantage of the strong wind and it was the visitors who created the best chances. Twice Aaron Walsh made heroic blocks when it seemed certain that Whiteman and then Macmillan would score.
Souter headed accross goal but this time it was Leppard back defending who got the block off.
As the Rangers players tired they couldn't get their passing going in the second period and with the ball failing to stick the defensive were over worked, but the coped well with Walsh outstanding.
Ringmer had the better chances but a draw was probably a fair result overall.
Team: Gordon, Dodd, Walsh, Carruthers, O Neil, Cooper, Whiteftord, Pamment, Perry, Pople (70 mins Blake), Leppard
MOM: Cooper and Walsh, for various reasons but honours shared
St Francis Rangers FC 1st Team 0 - 0 Ringmer