Rangers defeated in ‘scrappy’ showdown

GEELONG Rangers were swept aside 4-0 by Fitzroy City in their catch-up fixture at a windy and waterlogged Myers Reserve on Saturday.

The game itself nearly didn’t kick off, with the referee initially reluctant to play at all.

And only when it was shifted to the somewhat satisfactory third pitch was the match able to go ahead.

The Rangers went into the clash with three key players under an injury cloud, with the trio all subjected to a late fitness test.

Anthony Thomas was a late withdrawal, while Colin Hamilton and Jack Hamance just passed the test and took their places in the starting 11.

The first half was an even affair, with the home side strong defensively and looking to break forward at every opportunity.

But just before half-time, a heavily deflected shot got caught in the wind and went over Rangers keeper Hayden Vander Chys, as the visitors headed into the sheds with a narrow but valuable 1-0 lead.

In the second half, the home side conceded after just 15 minutes following some good work from the City striker.

The third goal came from some poor Rangers marking and a nice finish from the Fitzroy City winger, while the visitors’ fourth came late in the match from a penalty, which was given away by Hamilton.

To add further salt to the wounds, veteran Rangers centre back Ronnie Clayson suffered a serious hamstring injury.

Rangers’ coach James Blackburn didn’t mince his words at the end of the 90 minutes. “To be brutally honest, in my opinion, the end scoreline flattered them,” he said.

“But at the same time, we didn’t deserve to win. In the end, the tough conditions made it a real scrappy game.”

However, Blackburn said it wasn’t all doom and gloom.

“There were some positives to come out of today’s game and that was the senior team debuts by Maxwell Muscat as well as Jordan Bertucci, who came into the squad after some fine performances in the under-17s and the development squad (Reserves),” he said. “Also, Hugh (McMahon), who is only 19 years of age, I think, played really well today.”

The Rangers now turn their attention to Saturday’s clash at home against sixth-placed Westgate.

MEANWHILE,