Rangers beaten but play their part

Crowborough Ath 2

Rangers played their full part in an entertaining match and probably were disappointed to come out of it emptyhanded.

The visitors were without Wayne Clarke and top scorer Sam Carrington, both suspended, but Michael Death, on loan from Horsham, and Junior Gomez formed a useful strike pair. Death opened his Crows account in the 11th minute with a close range finish after Gomez had beaten three players on the left.

Rangers had their moments and thought they had equalised when a free kick flew straight in but a linesman’s flag ruled it out for an infringement in front of keeper Nick Collick.

Rob Gordon saved from Death in a carbon copy move to the visitors’ goal, while at the other end Branden Fugl was just wide.

Rangers came out fired up after the break and Collick pulled off a superb save to deny them. But from the resulting corner on 48 minutes home defender Tom Barnes hooked the ball in for his second goal of the season.

The winner came on 67 minutes from Gomez, who responded first after a Death effort hit the post. He deserved that for a good display and later was the victim of a heavy challenge that earned Josh Bryant a booking.