Match Report
Match Report - 15 Nov 2008, St Francis Rangers FC 1st Team lost to Molesey FC
Molesey 3
St Francis Rgrs 0
By Chris Francis
RANGERS made a somewhat disappointing exit from the Vase on Saturday, picking up some needless bookings for dissent and generally failing to do themselves much justice.
In the end they were soundly beaten and could have no complaints but in terms of possession, they were always well in contention.
Manager Dan Bryan felt it was a tie his side could have won and may well have done had they accepted a chance with barely two minutes played. He probably had a good case.
To be fair to leading scorer Sam Jeremiah, however, he seemed to do everything right and it was a good save by home keeper Matt Nash after excellent work by Russell Harris and Iain Wood had put Jeremiah through one-on-one.
The same could not be said of Molesey’s Dan Coombes six minutes later when a cross by Sam Lampard left him in acres of space 15 yards out and with only Simon Lehkyj to beat. The first priority in such circumstance is to get your effort on target but Coombes failed miserably as he lifted the ball yards over.
Despite that miss, there was not much to choose between the teams in the opening 25 minutes and Rangers looked well capable of putting out a side languishing just below midway in the Combined Counties League after being relegated from Burgess Hill’s Ryman 1 South Division.
It was a little out of the blue when Moles went ahead on 26 minutes. Rangers skipper Dan O’Farrell appeared to have Lewis Ackerman covered as he broke down the left but he managed to get over a cross that eluded Lehkyj at the near post and left Matt Baxter a tap-in from one yard.
Rangers did manage a fairly positive response and Chris Maynard had a shot deflected wide by Joe Yeates. That brought three corners in quick success, the second of which was played short to O’Farrell, who saw his dangerous cross headed from under the bar by home defender Rob Lewis.
If Rangers were unlucky to be behind, their sense of injustice was heightened on 40 minutes when Ackerman was again the provider, this time for Liam O’Leary to provide the finishing touch.
In the second half, Rangers had the greater share of possession but it was the Moles who looked the more likely scorers with some telling breaks.
Their third goal came in that fashion on 74 minutes. Andy Graves did well to gain possession on the halfway line and his incisive pass released Ackerman on the right to provide his third assist and leave the grateful Baxter another routine tap-in.
After only one yellow card before the break, Rangers took that particular contest 4-3 as there were needless bookings for Messrs Gacias, Wood, Maynard and Slade.
It all looked unnecessary from the side but referee Mark Engelbretson was clearly showing little leniency and players should have cottoned on to that.
One could understand manager Bryan’s disappointment, especially as he did everything he could by using all three subs in a positive way. But he readily accepted his side simply did not perform on the day.
True, they were missing the suspended Phil Gault and the holidaying Palmer twins but Bryan accepted the squad should still have been strong enough to have got a positive result.
Molesey FC 3 - 0 St Francis Rangers FC 1st Team