Broomhill 0-2 Rangers B

Broomhill 0-2 Rangers B

Lowland League

Friday 25th February 2022

Another night and another game; this time as Rangers 'B' made the journey up to Broomhill in the Lowland League on another bitingly cold night.

Temperatures weren't quite as baltic as the previous two nights but it was still absolutely freezing and in many ways the groundstaff had done well just to get the game on considering the snowfall the previous day.

Although 'Broomhill' carry the name of an area in Glasgow and were one of the early members of the Lowland League - joining in its second season in 2014/15, the club don't actually play their home games in Scotland's second city. Formerly known as BSC Glasgow, they spent their first two years at Lochburn Park in Maryhill but soon relocated to Alloa Atheltic's Recreation Park (some 34 miles away!) where they've remained ever since.

Having entered the Lowland League set-up amidst a wave of controversy last summer, it's fair to say Rangers 'B' have made a good impact at this level. Attendances and interest in the league as a whole have increased partly through their involvement, and with Bonnyrigg Rose having pretty much already wrapped up top spot, the only questions that really remains is whether Rangers will finish higher than Celtic's 'B' team who possess a near-identical record.

The two Old Firm matches (yet to be played) are likely to go a long way in deciding that, but in this clash against Broomhill, the youngsters overcame a sluggish opening 45 minutes to emerge as comfortable and deserving winners.

The game started in a bizarre way as Broomhill implemented FIFA tactics by having a shot at goal straight from kick-off which caused a wry smile, but they soon went close in more orthodox fashion when Rangers ‘keeper Jay Hogarth saved at a tight angle at his near-post from Darren Smith following some sloppy play by the defence in a dangerous area.

Nevertheless, Rangers looked a good team; they popped the ball around positively, had players who appeared to be comfortable in possession and took the lead on 10 minutes when Arron Lyall finished on the back of some good build-up play including a right-to-left switch by Ross McCausland to Cole McKinnon which helped to find the space and some good work thereafter.

Broomhill nearly responded with an immediate equaliser as Smith got in-behind and saw his instinctive toe-poke come back off the post with the Gers ‘keeper rooted, before McCausland (the best player on the pitch) saw an effort parried away at the other end.

Despite the baltic temperatures which seemed even colder because of the heaps of snow at the side of the pitch, there was a real zest and youthful energy about the game and the hosts certainly acquitted themselves well.

Although the Ibrox youngsters remained 1-0 to the good, Broomhill found themselves in the ascendency for some prolonged spells in what remained of the first half and went close again on a handful of occasions.

Kyle McClelland made an important block with his chest from Finlay Gray, Regan O’Sullivan let fly with a speculative half-volley which narrowly cleared the woodwork following a partially-cleared corner on the half-hour mark, and then, closer to half-time, Smith spotted Hogarth off his line and went for glory with an effort that wasn’t actually that far off-target in the end.

At the other end, Rangers’ threat was quite sporadic although they had some nice snippets of pattern play. Kane Ritchie-Hosler copped for some rough treatment at times but their brightest sparks, likely to ignite something special, were McCausland and McKinnon; the same duo who combined in the build-up for the opening goal.

And in the second half, the visitors upped their performance level substantially to produce a dominant display where they dictated matters and meant they were worthy winners in the end.

A second goal to double Rangers’ lead almost came on 54 minutes. Juan Alegria was involved on the right flank before the ball was cut-back to Lyall whose blistering effort would have found the target had Stephen Barr not pulled off a splendid save. The Broomhill ‘keeper was soon in action again; this time as he thwarted McCausland who showed a good touch, technique and nifty movement to weave his way into a shooting position.

McCausland lashed a shot over from 20 yards at the midway point in the half, as he continued to search for the goal his own performance deserved, but the Northern Irish youngster was involved when the Gers finally made it 2-0 not long afterwards. 

This time, he found space on the right and played a defence-splitting pass towards Adam Devine on the overlap. His attempt was parried by Barr but Alegria was on-hand to follow-up at the far-post and put his free header into the empty net.

With Rangers having worked hard to get on top and in command, there were also a few physical encounters across the pitch which the youngsters stood up to in a positive way - showing they couldn’t be bullied or intimidated. McCausland was ‘nibbled at’ by a Broomhill player, wanting to spark a reaction in one instance, whilst both McClelland and Robbie Fraser (the skipper playing at centre-back) also kept their composure and gave as good as they got without breaching anything that isn’t within the laws of the game.

Despite having been on the back foot for almost the entirety of the second half, Broomhill almost set up an exciting finish when a long-range shot by O’Sullivan rattled the crossbar on 84 minutes. Some last-ditch defending prevented the rebound from that chance being put into the net and Hogarth also made a couple of saves from other moves to protect a clean-sheet which he deserves a fair amount credit for.

Rangers quality ultimately showed in the end and the three points is what they deserved. With home and away ‘B’ team derbies against Celtic coming up between now and the end of the season, they’ll fancy their chances of finishing above their Old Firm rivals in the Lowland League this season. They’re certainly possess more quality than Celtic, in my opinion, having watched them a couple of months ago when they won at East Kilbride.

The player who I’ll speak positively about in the aftermath of this game (and who I was Googling on the train back to Edinburgh to find out more about him!) is Ross McCausland. On a freezing night when the proverbial sleeves needed rolling down as well as up (and a few coats might have been useful for those out on the pitch), he warmed the appetite with a good showing. He had a definite style about his play, caused problems, was good with his feet, looked troublesome, tracked back to carry out his defensive duties and was direct with his technique/movement. There were lots of little but really good contributions and it’s one of those individual displays which left a really good impression. 

He deserved a goal; it didn’t come but he played a key part in both goals and I’ll be keeping an eye on him between now and the end of the season to see what he produces in other matches. It’s no surprise, based on this game, that he’s already been in and around the first team set-up at Ibrox.

Next Up: Edinburgh University vs Bonnyrigg Rose.