Scarva left mulling over what could have been

Moira Albion 2

IT was a match of what might have been and it summed up a season of what might have been for Scarva Rangers.

They might have won this game comfortably such was the catalogue of chances they created, including two squandered penalties.

But in the end they had to rely on a brilliant late equaliser to grab a point.

So many times this season the side has contrived to come away with a result that failed to reflect their collective quality.

Rangers were on the back foot in the early stages of last Tuesday night’s league clash at Scarva Park and Gareth Dillon and Rodney Douglas made crucial interventions to prevent the visitors taking an early lead.

But after that shaky opening Ryan Dodds released Gareth Fulton with an incisive through ball and Fulton forced the keeper to produce a fine save.

Alex Hammond forced him into action again a short time later with a stinging shot from outside the penalty box.

Gareth Dillon went close with a header from a Ryan Dodds corner and Moira’s busy keeper was forced into another crucial save from Stephen Anderson’s well executed long range effort.

When the keeper couldn’t save his side a defensive colleague stepped into the breach to scoop a goal bound Fulton shot off the line.

The breakthrough was coming and it finally arrived when Stephen Anderson fired a dangerous cross into the Albion penalty area and Alex Hammond steered it confidently into the net from close range.

Gareth Fulton was upended inside the Moira penalty area by the visiting keeper and the match official had no hesitation pointing to the spot.

But Alex Hammond blazed his spot kick over the crossbar and the hosts had to settle for a single goal lead at the interval.

As the second half wore on and Moira levelled the game, then forged 2-1 ahead, Scarva seemed destined to rue not making more of their first half dominance.

Their plight would have been even more desperate if Gordon Magill had not produced a terrific point blank save.

The realisation that the game was slipping from their grasp stirred Rangers.

Gareth Fulton was tripped up inside the visitors’ box but the Moira keeper easily saved Mark Bicker’s spot kick.

With time running out Rod Douglas strode out of defence and swept the ball to Alex Hammond, who fed Ryan Dodds, by now playing wide on the right.

Dodds exploded past one player, slipped the ball through the legs of another and curled his shot inside the left post of the Moira goal to earn his side a share of the spoils.