Rangers thump five past Ford

Lee Rangers 5-0 Chandlers Ford Youth

Mid Solent B League – 23rd February 2008

Richard had a bare 12 players available for this crunch game against the side Ford hammered by seven goals to one at the back-end of September 2007.

Included in the absentees were the likes of Daryl Winter and Josh Harrigan, both key members of the team, who were both missing along with injured goalkeeper Lee Robertson. This game proved to put a real dent in Chandlers Ford’s plans of picking up points to ease their way back up the table.

The first half was fairly even with the home side enjoying the early pressure on Liam Godfrey’s goal during the opening ten minutes or so but other than that the half belonged to Ford.

Michael Wall struck the woodwork at least twice with long range efforts and Alex Evens was clean through with just the goalkeeper to beat but the pressure got to him also distracted by the fact people were calling for an offside flag, which didn’t come making the miss all the more costly.

In this same fixture earlier in the season, Alex put four great strikes past the same opponents in by far his best game for the club but despite many opportunities in the return game just couldn’t quite find a way through.

Jozef Montigue did a good job in the right wing back role supplying sublime crosses from the flank though unfortunately, they were not put to good use by the forwards and attacking midfielders who should have been trying to get on the end of them.

Ford still looked the better side as the half neared it’s end but with the scores still level and the visitors becoming increasingly frustrated by coming so near, yet so far with their chances, there was always the possibility that Lee Rangers might just make them pay for not sticking one away.

This is exactly what happened. Against the run of play, Rangers took a 1-0 lead when the CFY defence let the ball bounce in front of goal instead of getting something on it. It was then chased down superbly by a Lee Rangers forward who went in fully committed and determined to win the ball, one which he never looked like getting to as he raced in from deep before sliding in on Godfrey (the ball was there to be challenged for), which he won before rolling into an empty net. A typical example of will to win and giving 110% effort for the cause, something perhaps that CFY did not show.

HALF TIME: Lee Rangers 1-0 CFY

Conceding the goal was very hard to take especially when they had been playing the better football and creating the most chances, and this took all the stuffing out of Ford who simply gave up in a dismal second half performance.

James Parsonage volunteered to go in goal to replace Liam, which was not the initial plan, but Richard was talked into go against what he would have liked to do in terms of changes and players playing in what position, something he feels definitely contributed to the manner of defeat and margin they eventually lost by.

As soon as the second and then third goals went in, it was the same story of losing faith and not bothering to try and change things around.

Michael Wall had hit the post earlier in the second half but this was the closest they were to come.

Two late goals resulted in a scoreline that well and truly flattered Lee Rangers and at the same time, humiliating Chandlers Ford who now have a goal difference of –10.

Men of the match – Jake Beattie and James Parsonage.

FULL TIME: Lee Rangers 5-0 CFY