U19s v Rangers

It was a good performance by the youngsters with Darren Stewart restricting Rangers to just one goal.

RANGERS 1 DUNFERMLINE 0

The Dunfermline U19s travelled to Murray Park on Friday afternoon to take on Rangers. With Davie Muir and Gary Leighton out injured and Greg Paterson, Calum Smith, Nick Phinn and Iain Williamson all kept back at Pitreavie to train with the first team, coach Hamish French found himself fielding a team that was light on experience.

It was a good performance by the youngsters restricting Rangers to just one goal even though they enjoyed much of the possession and created several chances. Pars keeper Darren Stewart played a major role in keeping his team in with the chance of a point right up until the end.

Sam Woods posed threat in the first minute with a fierce shot from a Rangers corner, but the Pars keeper saved well. Two minutes later Woods played through Rory Loy on to the edge of the box and his excellent first time drive was tipped over the bar by Stewart for a corner.

Although it was predominantly Rangers, they did need to defend at times with Alan Lowing snuffing out a Dunfermline counter attack in 19 minutes. Next Scott McBride was on the end of a Charlie Bradshaw cross but under pressure he screwed his shot wide.

Rangers posed some further problems for the home defence with John Fleck providing the perfect cross for Dean Furman in 27 minutes but the former Chelsea midfielder just couldn`t keep his header down.

A clever ball over the defence let Loy through for a chance at goal but when looking likely to net he sliced his shot wide. The forward who Rangers had paid Kilmarnock £50,000 for made up for his mistake however in 35th minute and it came from some poor play by the Pars.

From a pass back, Darren Stewart tried to find Sandy Nairn at left back but Woods intercepted and laid on LOY to score from 16 yards.

In the second half the visitors were by no means out of the game but they did rely on Stewart making three good saves. Both Fleck efforts after 58 minutes and again on 68 were thwarted by the former Ross County keeper. Loy and Steven Lennon also had their chances and although Dunfermline made a push in the final ten minutes when they sensed that something could be taken from the game, only the occasional corner and free kick was all that put pressure on Scott Gallacher`s goal.