RANGERS LOSE AT DUMBARTON
Rangers 1 (Mols 29) Livingston 2 (McMenamin 40, Bahoken 83)
Missed chances cost Rangers three points when they were defeated 2-1 by Livingston in an SPL Under-21fixture at Dumbarton tonight.
Fielding a strong side with Bob Malcolm, Bert Konterman, Russell Latapy and Michael Mols all included, Rangers in all probability lost because the balance of the side was upset by the necessity to give these four first-team squad players match practice.
Mols should have opened the scoring in 13 minutes when Latapy released him through the middle, but Livvie goalkeeper David McEwan deflected the Dutchman’s shot wide with his legs.
Six minutes later Konterman broke through on the right only to see his shot take a deflection into the arms of the goalkeeper.
Bob Malcolm was solid in the centre of the Rangers’ defence, and saved the day in 23 minutes when his challenge denied Colin McMenamin a goalscoring opportunity.
A superb Konterman pass found Latapy clear through on goal, but a weak finish enabled McEwan to save easily.
Two minutes later however it was 1-0 to Rangers when Mols took advantage of a Steven McLean pass to open the scoring.
Livingston snatched a somewhat fortuitous equaliser in 40 minutes when McMenamin deflected Alan Walker’s drive past Graeme Smith.
Two minutes later Konterman’s thunderous drive caught McEwan by surprise, but as the ball bounced off the goalkeeper’s chest Chris Burke’s header from the rebound was inches wide of the target.
With Tom Brighton replacing the ineffective Latapy at half-time, Rangers resumed determined to atone for the missed chances of the first 45 minutes – but within seven minutes of the restart Mols was blasting a Burke cross over the bar from close range.
Graeme Smith had to be alert in 64 minutes when he made a point-blank save from a McMenamin header.
Rangers were robbed by a dreadful offside decision three minutes later when Steven McLean shot home from a Tom Brighton pass, then Jimmy Gibson should have done better than blast the ball straight at the ‘keeper from a McLean pass.
The Ibrox men paid the penalty for too many missed chances in 83 minutes when Gustav Bahoken blasted a 22-yard free-kick straight through the defensive wall into the net.
There was no way back for a Rangers side that have now lost two consecutive home fixtures.
Team: Smith; W. Gibson, Hutton; Malcolm, McLeod, Konterman (Adam 62); Latapy (Brighton 45), J. Gibson, Mols, McLean (Dobbie 76), Burke
Unused Sub: McHale