It just wasn’t our day against Dundela, says Rangers boss

“Clearly, I am very annoyed at losing but I am not overly disappointed at the performance because it was a really tight game and I certainly think we deserved something from it,” said the Rangers manager.

“Often an early goal can shape the course of the game and we should have had one when Daniel Kelly was through one-on-one with their goalkeeper, only for him to blaze the ball over the bar. Had we gone in front, they’d have been chasing the game and I believe we would have a much different result.

“It just wasn’t our day, I think, because later on Kelly had another chance and a defender (Kyle Owens) cleared it off the line. He didn’t know much about where the ball was going and Richard Gibson was lurking with intent. Had the ball taken a path a foot either side of what it did, our striker would have put it in the net for sure.

“Simon Steele had only one good save to make in the first half while we had a number of chances to score and they didn’t create that much in the second either. Stevie McKay in their goal made a couple of wonder saves as we threw everybody forward. At one stage in the second half, I counted that we had six centre-forwards in their box trying to rescue a point.

“We kept kicking it into the danger zone, but the goal just wouldn’t come. Adam Dick was back for the first time since his injury in November and nearly grabbed an equaliser, while one of their men probably should have doubled the lead very near the end when he was one-on-one with the keeper and fired over the bar.

“And all that with us minus four key men, Conor McCloskey and Ben Roy suspended and family reasons causing the understandable last-minute cry-offs of both Jody Lynch and Ian West. But the guys who played all did their best and I am making no excuses, Ryan McCann and Damien Curran worthy of mention in midfield.

“I know things don’t look great at the top of the table now but, mark my words, there are going to be lots of twists and turns in this league title race and I believe we’ll be thereabouts at the finish if we can win six of the remaining seven games, and I am optimistic that this is achievable.

“We have time to prepare for that demanding assignment because we have no game this weekend, the next fixture being against Coagh United. I’m advised that we have only one more outing at Inver Park and then we are back to Taylor’s Avenue, which is looking in pristine condition at the moment.”