Defeat for Ladies in baking heat

BANBRIDGE Rangers Ladies travelled to Mallusk Playing Fields last Friday evening to play Carnmoney Ladies in the baking heat as part of their NIWFA Division 4 League campaign.

The Banbridge Rangers girls got off to a confident start and held onto possession well against a team who they managed to score seven times against on the opening day of the season at the Tech pitch.

Striker Donna Donnell opened the scoring for the Gers early on in the game when she made use off her electric pace to beat the keeper in a race to the ball and finished coolly for her second goal of the season. Both teams came close to finding the net but it was the Belfast side who managed to find an equaliser just before the half time interval.

This goal gave Carnmoney Ladies the impetus to drive forward early in the second half with two quick goals in succession giving the Rangers girls an uphill battle as they trailed 3-1. With Banbridge Rangers pushing forward they conceded a fourth goal on the hour mark and were unfortunate to go 5-1 down with twenty minutes to go.

The Belfast side were in ascendancy at this point and were probably hoping to exact revenge by adding to the scoreline but their bubble was burst by winger Becky Thompson who scored a superb debut goal for the club unleashing a drive from over twenty yards out right into the top corner. Fourteen year old Becky has been a revelation for Rangers on the wing this season and joins sister Lauren on the scoring charts after impressing in recent games.

Banbridge Rangers Ladies were the team creating the better chances late on in the game and brought the scoreline down when Captain Claire Beckett strode through several chances before slotting the ball under the keeper to secure her fourth goal in four games so far this season from centre midfield.

The next two games for Rangers will be home games to be played at the Tech starting with Drumaness Mills Ladies coming to Banbridge this Thursday evening with kick off at 7.30pm. The following Thursday Banbridge Rangers will host Castlederg side Killen Rangers before making the short trip to Dromara Village the following week.