Another game where Rangers Under-19s dominated and controlled the ball ended in defeat on Tuesday night. A failure to finish chances, combined with conceding preventable goals, led to the Young Gers being eliminated from both cup competitions in the space of a week.
A 4-3 defeat to visiting League Two side Clyde ended hopes of lifting the Glasgow Cup.
The game was an entertaining one. Clyde took the lead inside five minutes when too much space was afforded to Barry Cuddihy, whose strike from distance took a deflection that wrong-footed Alfie Halliwell in goal.
Zebedee Lawson equalised with a moment of real quality. Receiving a cross-field pass out on the right wing, he cut inside, gliding past a couple of defenders before curling a stunning finish into the top-left corner from just outside the box.
Clyde restored their lead through Nathan Cannon, whose shot from outside the box was too powerful for Halliwell to keep out, with one hand not being enough.
Rangers equalised through Arran Kerr; his run in behind was found by Lawson, and an attempted cross looped over former Rangers academy goalkeeper Brian Kinnear at the back post. The first half ended 2-2.
The second half continued in the same fashion. Clyde took the lead with a splendid Kyle Connell free kick, and Rangers responded immediately through Lewis Stewart after some tremendous skill from Calum Adamson in the box, before squaring for Stewart to tap home.
Clyde struck with twenty minutes to play, the winner coming from a long throw into the box, where Scott Williamson finished well in a crowded area.
Opportunities for Lawson and Stewart presented themselves with five minutes to go, but were not taken as the visitors ran out 4-3 victors.
Fine Margins Prove Costly Again
Rangers Under-19s have become the architects of their own downfall in recent weeks. It is a shame, as they play some tremendous, free-flowing football and look capable of blowing teams away with their quality in moments.
A Rangers side will always look to dominate the ball and hold the majority of possession, which in turn is supposed to correlate to more goal-scoring opportunities and fewer chances conceded. The Under-19s play with a fearlessness at times; on the one hand, it can be fantastic to watch, with players flooding forward looking to create. On the other hand, it can invite mistakes which, against a side like Clyde, can prove costly.
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Of late, there have been many well-rounded performances where the Rangers team should have won, but that has not been the case. Tuesday's semi-final saw the same outcome, Rangers failed to convert enough of their chances while conceding sloppy and, at times, unlucky goals.
A large deflection that took the ball away from Halliwell was enough to put the visitors ahead. A shot that would otherwise have been comfortable for him put Rangers on the back foot early. The second was one Halliwell will feel he should have saved; getting a hand on the ball was not enough to stop Clyde retaking the lead despite Rangers' control.
Malky Thomson's side did equalise twice in the first half, but could have led comfortably had they not been caught out by fine margins in conceding. They could also have been further ahead had they been more clinical, with Burnside and Lawson both having chances to get on the scoresheet more than once.
The second half proved equally costly. Conceding a free kick from 25 yards is never ideal, but Kyle Connell deserves credit; his effort was excellent. The fourth and final goal was conceded from a long throw-in. The Under-19s did not look comfortable from set pieces throughout, with Clyde holding a clear upper hand in size and physicality.
At the other end, Rangers created and squandered numerous chances to go ahead or draw level once more.
It may read as a negative, but games like this are exactly what Under-19s need to develop into the players the first team demands. To be clear, it was a game that should not have been lost. On the positive side, it allows the Young Gers to understand just how important fine margins are at the professional level. This has cost them the chance of a trophy, one they have won in each of the last two years. It will hurt, but the lessons that follow will be vital in their development as Rangers players.
A Positive Right-Hand Side: Lawson, Kerr and Adamson
Tuesday offered a collective brilliance from a trio of players down the right-hand side. Arran Kerr played at right back, Calum Adamson in the right of central midfield, and Zebedee Lawson on the wing. From kick-off, the three linked up intricately with varied rotations, runs and movement.
Adamson would drop deep and take the place of Kerr at full back, giving Kerr the freedom to come inside or stay high and wide. Lawson's movement did the opposite, forming a triangle that worked in tandem throughout.
All three were involved in each of Rangers' goals in some capacity. The first, from Lawson, was a piece of individual brilliance; throughout the game, he looked extremely threatening in one-on-one situations, enjoying much success against his opposite number. His goal came from a brilliant touch inside that created the space to go past a second defender, before he finished emphatically into the top-left corner.
The second goal saw Lawson and Kerr combine, with the latter coming inside to allow Lawson to receive wide. Kerr continued his run and was found by Lawson with a lovely chipped through ball, looping one over the goalkeeper to find the net at the back post.
The third goal involved all three, with excellent awareness and movement used to brilliant effect. Jack Wyllie received the ball at centre back and found Lawson wide, with Kerr drifting inside once again. Lawson played Kyle Glasgow in behind, who held the ball well before laying it off to an overlapping Adamson, exploiting the space created by the rotations. He dribbled into the box wonderfully and set it on a plate for Stewart to finish.
These are deliberate movements designed to create space and opportunities on goal, and they evidently did so successfully. Adamson has benefited from a loan spell at Alloa, where he has developed further into a more well-rounded midfielder, and the same can be said of Kerr as a full back during his loan at Stirling Albion.
In a Danny Rohl team where Tuur Rommens and Mikey Moore have been so effective doing something similar on the left-hand side, it is encouraging to see the principles of the first team filtering down and being applied effectively in the Under-19s.
All Eyes Now on the League
Unfortunately, the Under-19s are now out of both the Glasgow Cup and the League Cup; however, it gives them clear focus to go and win the league in the battle against St Mirren and Hibernian. Rangers sit top of the Under-19s league with 23 points, three clear of Hibs in second, who have played two fewer games. St Mirren sit third on 19 points with a game in hand.
With three games remaining, Rangers will be hoping for a favour from elsewhere, having already played both league fixtures against Hibs this season. What does work in their favour is that they still have to face St Mirren, and the Buddies also have to play Hibs before the season concludes.
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With St Mirren to come, along with fixtures against Celtic and Dundee United, Rangers will look to win all three and apply maximum pressure on Hibs between now and the end of the season.
These final three games will be a real test of mentality within the Under-19s squad. There is an expectation at Rangers to win every game, and the youth level is no different. Coaches are, of course, looking to develop players, but Thomson perfectly encapsulated what it means to be at this club when he told the Rangers Review just over a month ago: "It's about winning here at Rangers." If the Under-19s were to finish the season without a trophy, it would be a real disappointment, but the opportunity remains, and with it comes the chance to deliver.
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