Scott won’t walk away as pressure mounts

Rangers suffered another painful defeat on Saturday after throwing away a 2-0 lead against Limavady Utd.

Rangers lost 3-2 after an agonising collapse in the last 15 minutes – and like his players Scott is also feeling the pressure.

The defeat against their fellow relegation battlers leaves Glebe rooted to the bottom of the Belfast Telegraph Championship One.

When the Times tried to contact a member of the club’s committee, they were unavailable to comment on their manager.

However, Scott said he is expecting calls for him to step down but insists he is still the man to remain at the helm.

He said: “It’s very easy to walk away but I back myself to turn it around.

“The reality is that when the results do not go well fingers can be pointed.”

And Scott, fearing that his managerial reign could soon be over, added: “If Glebe Rangers believe that their interests would be better served by someone else I would wish them all the very best.

“However I do not think there is anyone better in Irish league football to turn it around and that is what my intention is to do.”

Saturday’s result gave third-bottom placed Limavady three vital points to move five points clear of the relegation zone.

Glebe will look for a much-needed victory at the Riada Stadium against Bangor this Saturday.

The eighth league defeat for Glebe has added even more suffering to their troubled season in which they were thrown out of the Steel & Sons Cup for fielding an unsigned player.

Scott believes the crisis-hit campaign may have contributed to Saturday’s loss.

He said: “I believe that the lack of results meant we were unable to hold on to something we deserved

“I’m devastated for the players who did enough to get a result.”

During Saturday’s match Glebe started brightly and took the lead on 8 minutes when Turner had a simple task to head home from close range.

Limavady were rocked but could have equalised five minutes later when Friel beat the offside trap but Doey just got a hand to the striker’s chip and McLaughlin fired the loose ball wide with the goal gaping.

The home side could easily have fallen further behind two minutes later when Elder cut inside and let fly with a low shot that McCormick did well to save.

Glebe were gifted their second on 41 minutes when McCormick mis-kicked and Turner gleefully pounced on the loose ball to slam the ball into the undefended goal for his second.

In the second half Glebe carried the greater threat and it was not until the 72nd minute that Limavady had a chance.

Gareth McConaghie made no mistake as he fired in a trademark free kick past the wall and into the corner, but there was no sense that this was anything more than a consolation.

After an Ian Parkhill miss, Limavady sensed their chance in the closing stages and with five minutes left drew level.

Friel wriggled free of his marker and whipped over an accurate cross that Divin met inside the box and this time keeper Doey could do nothing. It was almost a carbon copy of Glebe’s opener and it was a hammer blow to the visitors.

If this was bad enough, worse was to follow in the last minute of regulation time as Limavady poured forward in search of an improbable winner which arrived in the most unfortunate of circumstances.

McLean was on hand to force the ball over the line from close range after the unfortunate Doey saw the ball bounce off his chest out of his grasp, and straight to the on-rushing Limavady midfielder who could not miss.