The Ducket Blog - Independent Berwick Rangers Editorial & News

Hello again

Apologies for my absence, if I wasn't a secret agent I'd be able to tell you where I've been, but alas...... anyway Tuesday nights game, wasn't there but what a disappointment after last Saturday. The only comment I've heard was that it was "shite", says it all really. However the good news this week so far is that apparently Jamie Ewart is the first player to sign on for next season. If true great news.

Back to much happier memories and last Saturday at Ochilview, here's a Cook report

Berwick Rangers turned in one of their best 45 minute spells of the last five years to blow title hopefuls East Stirling off the park in a superb match at Ochilview on Saturday. Darren Gribben grabbed the headlines with a slickly-taken hat-trick, but it was Rangers’ teamwork which destroyed one of the best Shire sides in recent memory. Shire had come into the match as the Third Division’s form outfit, with six wins from their previous seven matches. The margin of Rangers’ victory looked an unlikely prospect at half time after Shire had embarked on a mini-blitzkrieg following Gribben’s opener, but such was the extent of the Gers’ domination after the break that they could have won by seven or eight clear goals.

Already handicapped by the loss of their influential captain Stuart Callaghan, Rangers suffered a further blow when right back Graham Guy injured himself in the pre-match warm-up. This meant John Dillon moving to an unaccustomed right back spot and Peter McMahon taking over at left back. With a mistral howling down from the Ochil Hills, and the drastic plastic having one of its random bounce days, a long afternoon looked in prospect. That fear was hardly diminished by Shire centre half and ex- Ranger Michael Bolochoweckyj’s exit on a stretcher with only five minutes on the clock after a clash of heads with McLaren. Unsurprisingly, it took both sides time to settle and it was’nt until the 14^th minute that the game exploded into life, Barclay brilliantly tipping Stevenson’s rocket on to the bar to keep Rangers level. The casualty count continued to mount and Stevenson limped off in the twenty second minute. By this time Rangers had finally eased themselves into the action, and it was Gribben who slotted home a low McMenamin cross from close range to give his side a twenty eighth minute lead.

Shire’s retaliation was pretty much instantaneous, and for the next quarter of an hour they demonstrated why they’re many pundits title favourites by moving the ball around quickly and with bite, but Jamie Ewart and his colleagues were in “they shall not pass mode”, which made for an increasingly enthralling contest. Eight minutes from the interval, Graham missed a sitter for Shire, volleying wastefully over at the back post after Ure’s cross had beaten the Gers rearguard, but he was outdone on the stroke of half time by David Greenhill. McMahon had sent Gribben in on goal with a peach of a through ball, but Peat parried his shot straight to Greenhill’s feet, only for the midfielder to hoof the ball high and wide of an empty net. The half-time talk on the terracing was all about the miss coming back to haunt Rangers. Yep, we’ve been there too many times before.

The second half continued where the first had let off, Shire sub McKenzie belting a long - ranger inches wide in the 52^nd minute. Fraser McLaren went even closer two minutes later, outstripping the Shire defence to beat Peat only to watch his shot bounce back from the foot of the post. Next came the moment that sent the Shire support apoplectic with rage, ref Willie Collum red carding another ex-Ger, Eddie Forrest, for deliberate handball after he prevented Gribben from closing in on goal. It looked a touch harsh, but then if you’d watched the officials stiff Rangers at home to Dumbarton a few weeks ago you’d remember that what goes around comes around.

Rangers went for the kill and dispatched Shire in brutal fashion. With sixty seven minutes on the clock, and Rangers piling on the pressure, Peat’s weak kick-out was collected by Gribben who ran on to slide the ball past the stricken keeper with cold-eyed precision. Five minutes later, Greenhill battered a 20 yarder off the junction of Peat’s post and crossbar, and although it looked as if the ball had crossed the line Collum decided not to give the goal. By this time Shire were shellshocked, and things would have taken another turn for the worse had McLaren not failed to tap home Greenhill’s clever pass from virtually on the goal line. With six minutes remaining, Gribben collected another excellent McMahon pass, advanced on Peat and rifled an unstoppable 20 yarder into the top corner. Cue wild celebrations in the away end and Mad Bill going completely mental in the home stand. Despite the hammering they were taking, Shire rallied and Barclay had to make another excellent save at his near post from a Graham header, before the same player clipped the post with a close range flick. The pain was’nt over for the home side however, and McLaren knocked the final nail into their coffin with a cracking finish from McMenamin’s through ball two minutes from time.

Jimmy Crease and Ian Little have worked a modern day miracle at Shielfield, and you can only wonder where the team might have been placed had they been in charge at the start of the season. Their greatest achievement is to get their charges playing as a team, and that spirit has grown increasingly evident in performances that have laid waste to the top three in the league over the previous four games. A special mention must be made of Jamie Ewart, who gave one of th best defensive performances I’ve seen since Alan Neil was in his prime seven or eight years ago. Ewart is some player, and it’ is imperative that he stays at Shielfield.

Barclay 8; Dillon 8; McMahon 7; Ewart 10; Forrest 9; McMenamin 6; Bonar 6; Mearns 6; Greenill 5; Gribben 8; McLaren 8.