YFS
Rangers reached the final of the girls’ 17’s Scottish Cup following a comfortable 4-0 victory over their Old Firm rivals Celtic at Ravenscraig.
The early pattern of the match saw Celtic retaining the ball well in the opening stages, spraying the ball from touchline to touchline confidently. Nice touches were displayed by Monica Harty in particular, who was central to much of Celtic’s possession and their efforts to dictate the match. With Harty standing out for Celtic, displaying good touch and vision, Chelsea McKay was pulling the strings in the middle of the park.
It didn’t take Rangers too long to work their way into the game however, and they did so through influential players such as Sarah Robertson and Amanda Traynor.
The game’s first attempt at goal came from a Rangers corner kick when Erin Cuthbert sent a header bouncing agonisingly wide of the post. Rangers came close again shortly later when a sweet exchange sent Kirsty Elizabeth Howat on her way towards goal but she crashed her right footed effort off the crossbar.
Before long, Rangers took the lead through a well worked goal finished clinically by Howat, despite a despairing sliding attempt at a block by Megan McFadden.
It was a sensational finish into the roof of the net by the striker and gave her side a deserved lead.
Celtic had their fair share of possession but Rangers were having more influence in the final third. Rangers nearly doubled their lead when Robertson skimmed the top of the crossbar after Celtic failed to clear their lines.
The second goal did come when Dana Baird pounced on a rebound to tap the ball home from close range. The opportunity came following Howat’s long range shot, which thundered off the crossbar, but Baird was the only player to react and got a goal for her opportunism.
The first half came to a close with Rangers in the ascendancy but despite piling on the pressure Celtic held out, and the half finished 2-0.