WICKERS BRING RANGERS BACK DOWN TO EARTH

But just how far they fell below those marvellous efforts at Broadfield Stadium, when they lost only 2-1 to the Conference side in the Sussex Senior Cup, was a source of some concern for manager Danny Bryan.

''We've been inconsistent all season and it's only lucky all the other teams in the division have been the same,'' he said. ''But it can't go on. Sooner or later someone will start putting together a run and I just hope it's us.''

To give Wickers their due, they played some decent football at times and fully merited what was only their second league win in 12 attempts although Bryan was right in saying the scoreline was flattering.

But it would be wrong to assume the sending off of Chris Maynard just before half time was a significant factor. Rangers were already trailing at that point and it would have been 2-0 had Maynard not touched over goalkeeper-style Grant Bean's well judged shot after a poor punch by Simon Lehkyj.

The unfortunate Maynard knew the consequences immediately and while everyone would have felt sympathy with him for what often seems a reflex action, it was only right Rangers suffered some kind of penalty especially as Lehkyj made amends by pulling off a fine save to his right from Archie Macabie's spot kick.

Erasing a 1-0 deficit was clearly still well within Rangers' capability and the introduction of Tom Gilligan and Sam Jeremiah at half time proved a good move. It hardly looked as if the hosts were a man light in the second half and they had chances to equalise long before great work by Elliott Butler set up Gilligan on 70 minutes.

The flow should have been with Rangers from there but within four minutes Jamie Stidford had missed a clear chance for Wickers and then they had restored their lead when Paul Elliott did well and deserved his bit of luck as the ball took a bounce over the diving Lehkyj.

A further 10 minutes on and it was 3-1 when Lehkyj beat out Elliott's shot only for sub Wayne Joseph to score with what was probably his first touch.

In stoppage time insult was added to injury when Rangers conceded a fourth as a shot by visiting captain Ricky Timms took a deflection to loop over the helpless Lehkyj.

The seeds for the defeat were sown in the first half when Rangers misfired quite badly despite a couple of early chances for Phil Gault and Maynard. After that the closest they came was when super-veteran keeper Keith Cheal did well with his footwork after his own defender Harry Constable deflected goalwards a cross by Gault.

Wickers' opening goal on the half hour was down to the excellent work of Bean on the right. He left two defenders for dead and crossed for Adam Steele to just get enough on the ball to get it over the line in far from convincing fashion.

Had the penalty gone in it could have been all over a lot earlier than eventually it was. Whatever, no doubt it was a case of after the lord mayor's show for out-of-sorts Rangers.

RANGERS: Lehkyj; Barnes, Philpott, O'Farrell, Butler; Mullane, Day, White, Maynard; Gault, Breeds. Subs: Jeremiah, Gilligan (Mullane, Breeds, 45), Saunders (White, 85).

SOUTHWICK: Cheal; Lipscombe, Constable, Timms, Thompson, Stacey, Macabie, Stidford, Elliott, Bean, Steel. Subs: Joseph (Stidford 70), Roberts (macabe 75), Donoghue (Steele 85), Shepherd.

Att: 43.