Title hopes hampered by Lisanally loss

Banbridge Rangers 1

Lisanally Rangers 3

BANBRIDGE Rangers’ title push resumed again on Saturday past in the first of a double header against Lisanally Rangers.

The two sides in Intermediate B went into the match with different aspirations with Rangers still in the hunt for league honours while their opponents face Hanover this Friday night in the Wilson Cup final.

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The match started with Lisanally hitting the home side for an early goal with their centre forward slotting past Anderson after only four minutes from a long ball through the middle.

This early setback saw Banbridge Rangers lift the tempo of the match and on 10 minutes Jason Gourley was left free from six yards out but scuffed his first time shot from a low cross.

Banbridge Rangers continued to press for an equaliser with complete territory and possession for the next 10 minutes with full backs Frazer and Cousins causing problems at every opportunity.

Lisanally were given a reprieve clearing their lines and won a corner on 25 minutes. The corner dropped in the area with the sliced clearance from Porter going up in the air and Lisanally capitalised when their forward beat Anderson to the ball to nod home an unlikely second in the match.

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The home side were rattled but continued to keep possession and probe for an opening but Lisanally's loan signing from Armagh City Ian Latimer was excellent at the back and held Rangers to long range efforts.

Gourley had another close chance on 35 minutes but this time his left footed shot went wide of the post. Lisanally rode their luck at times but went into the interval two goals to the good. At half time Jonny Porter was replaced by John Thompson as an extra forward and attacking threat.

Within 30 seconds Thompson had latched onto a through ball and turned his marker on the edge of the area before being brought down by the recovery challenge. Chris Chambers stepped up to take the penalty and scored his fifth goal of the season which is also goal number 20 in his five years at centre half with the club.

Rangers’ quick movement of the ball had the away side chasing the game but Lisanally always looked capable of scoring on the counter attack.

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Loney, Thompson and Cousins all had efforts thwarted before Lisanally scored the killer third goal of the game when their striker took full advantage of some casual defending by the home side.

Bradley Hughes was introduced with 10 minutes remaining as Lisanally were content to soak up the advances of the home side with the game being stretched all over the park. Rangers failed to score before the end after going close from several corners and Richie McMinn had a shot cleared off the line by the covering defender.

Banbridge Rangers have no match this Saturday and will instead travel to take on Lisanally again in Armagh on Tuesday night in their fourth last match of the season.

With Markethill beating Hanover on Saturday and the top four all still to play a lot of games amongst each other it will be the team that holds their nerve who will take the two places up for grabs for entry into Mid Ulster’s top stream for next year.

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