Match Report
Match Report - 03 Jan 2009, St Francis Rangers FC 1st Team lost to Rustington
St Francis Rangers were again left kicking themselves after missing the boat in a 3-2 RUR Cup quarter final defeat in extra time at Division 2 pacesetters Rustington on Saturday.
There is nothing quite like a cup run to keep a season going and visiting boss Danny Bryan would have been particularly grateful as coming up with new and rousing team talks is sometimes difficult, especially when there is not too much riding on matches. Cup places up for grabs can do most of the talking for any team boss.
Certainly Bryan could have been forgiven for thinking his side had their name on this trophy when deep in stoppage time they played a get-out-of-jail card. But when more sloppy defending cost them a third goal in the extra half hour, there was no way back to Go.
Bryan blamed slack marking and lack of concentration for this latest odd-goal defeat - the side's sixth slender reverse in a poor run that has yielded only two wins in 11 - although he felt Rangers were the better team for lengthy spells.
Undoubtedly they may have been a shade unlucky to go out in normal time but you simply cannot afford to concede three goals and expect to win.
To be fair, Rustington were also in charitable mood at the back and without three of their main central defenders, they were definitely there for the taking on Saturday had more of the visiting players been on their game.
Rangers were gifted a half-time lead by home keeper Andy McCarthy but he more than made up for that with a quite remarkable save from the best passage of play all match.
That came at 1-1 in the 59th minute when Sam Jeremiah linked well with Chris Maynard on the left and Maynard's superb driven cross was headed goalwards by Phil Gault. It had 'goal' written all over it but somehow McCarthy managed to change direction and turn the ball over.
His less flattering moment had come on 29 minutes when under little pressure, he dropped Dan O'Farrell's floated free kick and when Iain Wood's prod came back off the bar, Maynard forced the ball in.
An early handling error by the home keeper could also have proved expensive had he not been awarded a foul when none seemed apparent.
These two clubs have made a similar meteoric rise through the ranks and there was little to choose between them on a hard, bobbly surface that meant errors were commonplace and one-touch football a lottery.
Simon Lehkyj pulled off a good save low to his right to deny James Butt an equaliser on the stroke of half time and at that stage one goal looked as if it might be enough to settle the tie.
But lack of communication between Ben Palmer and Elliott Butler cost Rangers a needless corner five minutes after the break and from it James Bennett was left unmarked to head his side level.
That breathtaking save by McCarthy and a Jeremiah header over from Jake Forward's deep cross denied Rangers before they fell behind on 78 minutes when a good build-up on the left finally enabled Bennett to force the ball in at the second attempt.
Three substitutions and throwing nearly everyone forward - including keeper Lehkyj for a corner three minutes into stoppage time - finally gave the visitors a second chance.
Rustington were incensed at the award of the fateful corner and Lehkyj's presence at the near post was key before Phil Gault was left a routine header at the far stick.
The feeling of injustice in the home camp was reaching a crescendo and two players were booked before the officials took another ear bashing when the whistle blew a minute later. Home boss Gareth Davies twice came on the pitch to remonstrate before extra time got underway.
The first half of that was largely uneventful, although Maynard blazed over a decent chance, and just after the interval Wood should have given McCarthy no chance when set up by Gault after a superb corssfield pass by Maynard.
Sadly for Rangers, the shot was at the kind of height a keeper should really save and less than two minutes later more woeful defending from a corner enabled home sub Sean Duffy to score the winner.
With a semi final tie against Division 2 strugglers Loxwood as the prize, Rangers could have reasonably expected to progress to their first senior final but it was not to be.
Rustington 3 - 2 St Francis Rangers FC 1st Team