MATCH REPORT
Date : 2nd August 2022
Opposition : Dalkeith Thistle
Venue : Home
Scorers : Craig Colquhoun
Booked : Adam Deans, Drew Cummings, Jack Forster, Niall Frampton
Sent Off : None
TRFC Man of the Match : Jack Forster
Attendance : 106
Match Sponsor : K Dixon Building Services
Ball Sponsor : K Dixon Building Services
Team Lineup :
Niall Frampton
Adam Deans
Rhys Dixon
Evan Smith
Craig Heath
Craig Colquhoun
Jack Forster
Drew Cummings
Regan Graham
Rhys Bloomfield
Craig Bell
Subs :
Joao Vieira for Adam Deans 65 mins
Yassine Essalhi for Craig Bell 71 mins
Melvin Sebastian for Rhys Dixon 71 mins
Jay Atkinson for Rhys Bloomfield 80 mins
Programme Cover :
To follow
Match Report :
On a balmy night, a very disappointing first home game of the season for Tweedmouth Rangers despite going in at half time level at one apiece.
FIRST HALF
Rangers sought to take advantage of kicking off downhill with the sun at their backs and, within a minute, Thistle keeper Aaron Jones was racing out to beat Craig Bell to Craig Colquhoun’s through ball.
Several times, Rhys Bloomfield beat the cover on Thistle’s left side, on one occasion going on to hit the outside of the net. Dalkeith posed very little threat until Jordan Mackie won the first corner of the contest in the 21st minute. Four minutes on, the Midlothian men’s first raid up their right flank produced the opening goal when Jack Burrows turned in Jack Morgan’s cross.
Working the ball down the right once more, Tweedmouth levelled eight minutes later. Regan Graham and Bloomfield conspired to split the defence wide open with Colquhoun running in to nudge the final pass from Bell over the line to the left of the stranded Jones.
In the final five minutes of the half, Adam Deans came across field to help out Evan Smith as Lewis Russell threatened to smash a bouncing ball goalwards. Rangers’ keeper Niall Frampton made a great save from Mackie whilst Graham’s deft footwork gave Bell the chance of a shot from outside the box which finished just beyond the post.
SECOND HALF
The second 45 had barely begun when Thistle were awarded a free kick which Ronan Clelland curled into the net to put the visitors back in front. Tweedmouth tried to hit back but a couple of attacks, Colquhoun and Drew Cummings featuring in both, ended in disappointment. Their most promising opportunity to level came almost on the hour when Bell was through but fired straight at Jones.
Dalkeith, looking increasingly confident, were further boosted when Duncan Muir assisted Burrows to score his second of the night. At full stretch, Frampton pushed away his header to deny him a third. Instead, it was Clelland who also bagged a brace with a great 76th minute shot which vied with Tweedmouth’s goal for the best on the night. It would also be the first of three Thistle goals in a six minute scoring burst. Substitutes Cameron Leslie—nailing the second chance after Frampton parried his first— and Josh Davidson, after collecting a stray ball, bringing the visitors haul to half a dozen.
The introduction of Jay Atkinson helped produce a late home flurry but Dalkeith defended as if hanging on to a slender lead rather than enjoying a five goal cushion, a single corner scant consolation for the home team.
SUMMARY
The sun had dropped by the time the second half began so had no bearing on Rangers’ performance. Rather, they were given a lesson in the art of decisive finishing by a side who may well be pushing for promotion this season.
Pictures :
No photographer present