Match Review: Gaelic Lions FC vs TGA Rangers FC

• DF Liam McGinley
• MD Sam Balls
• -- Anders Jensen
• -- Rob Church
• -- Brett Bowman
• -- Stephen Moran
• -- Neil Corrigan
• -- Brian O'Reilly
• -- Conor McHugh
• -- Kike Perconig
• -- Simon Lloyd

• MD Petesy O'Brien
• -- Christopher Banks

A shite game

Once again we had the ultimate wisdom of the gaffer not being on the sideline. He is somewhere in the States proclaiming his allegiance to Donald John Trump and everything he stands for. I really don’t have time to write this match report and therefore I won’t. There wasn’t really a lot to write about to be honest. Lots of headers and tackles won, both team failing to remember that the basic premise of a football match it to pass to your own team and a few squandered chances. Anyway because of this it was 0-0. MOM for the lions was Stevie. Played out of position at C half and did ok. MOM for Rangers – Was their No.16. He also did ok.

• Chris Jones DF
• Jonathan Cloak DF
• Hiromitsu Nakaue DF
• Elliot Jackson MD
• Nathan Bryer MD
• Stephen McLaughlin MD
• Angelo Gullota --
• Rob Whitworth --
• Dominic Booth --
• Rowan Anders --
• Nick Lenicheck --

• Kevin Slack DF
• Matt Francis --
• Ryan Cotterill Walsh --
• Jun Liang Yap --

So….. Rangers turned up to face the Garlics with a bit of a depleted squad. Oli was in Botswana - for those of you wondering how a skank from Stockport ended up in a mansion in Bukit Timah road - let me take you back. There was a movie, not so long back, that was about Oli. They were not sure who they would get to play the part, so they went Global. The biggest issue, was not the looks - as they basically just found an average middle aged man of mix race and digitally remastered the face based on a mixed race Pinocchio - but his voice. Nobody could reach those levels. All those Cosmo managers will know about this and even the refs. Think his favourite “We will have that please…” The movie was called “Blood Diamond” starring Leo DiCaprio & it is a biography on Oliver Wright. Hence, that mansion was no longer paying for itself, and rather than playing for Rangers, he is back in Botswana finding the next gem that really does beg to differ that ‘Crime does not pay’. So …. back to the game. Rangers turned up with 15, a few late drop outs and lacking any form of recognisable strike force. Such depletion resulted in bringing in Stevie for his first start in 3 weeks and it was clear to see. He had 0% pass completion and Ballsy & Lloyd were having an absolute field day. All was not lost. Rangers struggled to really gather any momentum, a lot of long balls and few connecting passes. It made for a scrappy game, more of a battle than a game of football. Garlics were indeed getting the ball down more often than Rangers in the early stages, but chances were few and far between, with the only incidents being some late challenges to keep the ref busy for the afternoon. Half time 0-0. Sharples - who is out for the next 36 months with a scratch on his knee - gave his assessment at half time and spoke of the need for the lads to focus on getting the ball down and look to bring Angelo into the game more. The long game was not working, with Garlics cleaning up all that was going their way. Second half started with the same 11, Rangers then switched it up and brought some pace into the game with JL & Matty Francis being added. The extra pace plus the forever rampaging of Beatts, made for a much more affirmative and dangerous looking Rangers. However, it has to be said that the Garlics did come close with a few near misses and a post being the difference between them and the breakthrough that could be said was deserved. It did continue to be scrappy and as the game went on, Rangers did make a few openings. Within the last 5 mins, a great break that freed Nick down the right, was squared into the box and a bit of ping pong took place. The end result, the ball fell to Nathan at the edge of the area and with time on his hands, he fluffed his lines. (Hence why he couldn't play the lead part in Blood Diamond - he’s s**t at auditions). That was the closest Rangers got, Anders had a solid game for Gaelics and the boys I think were relatively accepting that 0-0 was not an unfair result. Lot’s of football to be played and on another note, it was the farewell of Nick who is moving to LA to become a naked gardener. If anyone needs their bush trimmed, give him a call…. he’s a man with a plan. Always a pleasure playing the Gaelic lads. Top bunch and always a tough opponent. Best, Oliver Wright (1 in 1 - cosmo manager/title ratio)