Match Report: Boro Rangers 1-0 Redcar Athletic

Our first defeat since the Matlock match back in October saw us fail to score against a play-off chasing Boro Rangers side from the step below

Three games in five days meant sooner or later, we were going to tire out, and it seemed like this was the match where that happened.

After trips across the country, it was quite strange to be at an away match so close to home, but as is the case with a County cup, you are going to be playing local sides.

Having taken out Middlesbrough’s U21S as well as the other Redcar side in Redcar Town, they put on a solid performance to stop the usually free-scoring Steelmen from bagging even one.

Truth be told, this was a game of goalkeeping excellence, with both Josh Mazfari and Boro Rangers’ Ollie Bailey doing superbly to prevent more than one goal being scored across the 90 minutes.

From the beginning, there were a few alarm bells, as a bouncy astro turf ground saw the Steelmen struggle to truly control the ball, with Mazfari called into early action as he tipped over a looping effort.

We spent most of the first half pushing for a goal, though we couldn’t get a goal as our attempts were all cleared away from danger.

In the 34th minute, we encountered a frustrating moment as Curtis pushed forward and swept a ball into the box that was met by Bosh. In the process of that move, though, Curtis was wiped out, with the ref blowing for a free kick despite there being a clear advantage.

The resulting set piece was dealt with, and the scores remained level, with the last chance of the half seeing Oscar Fletcher unable to properly connect with a chance, with the whistle following it very promptly.

Level at the break, and there were just 45 minutes between then and penalties

The next 45 saw us again start strongly, with Louis Johnson unable to keep possession of the ball due to a challenge from the Boro Rangers’ defence.

The first, and only, goal of the match came in the 51st minute, and it was frustrating for the hosts, as a corner routine saw one of their players retrieve the ball outside the box before launching a stunning volley into the top corner. Mazfari could do nothing about it, and we were now trailing for the first time since we began our cup campaign.

Straight from kick off, we nearly equalised, though, as Bartliff attempted an audacious strike from the halfway line that nearly went over Boro Rangers’ keeper, though the shot ended up smashing off the crossbar.

We made three subs as we pushed for an equaliser, with Brad Fewster, John Howard and Mark Anderson all coming on for Oscar Fletcher, Owen Burns and Curtis Round.

We had many more opportunities, though we couldn’t make any of them count.

The pinnacle of those chances saw Louis Johnson work his way into the box before laying off a pass to Rio May, who saw his cross headed wide by Fewster in what would be our closest attempt so far.

Boro Rangers would push for a second goal too, but Josh Mazfari did superbly to stop them from scoring as he dove low to tip an attempt away.

Our opponents would also blaze a shot past the post following a swift counter, much to the relief of our fans and squad.

John Howard would push for a chance as he evaded multiple challenges to get from our own half to Boro Rangers’ box, with his eventual shot being tipped away brilliantly by the opposition’s goalkeeper.

A Brad Fewster shot would be promptly smothered with the clock surpassing the 80th minute, and it was starting to look like it wouldn’t be our night.

We missed more chances, with Brad and Mark both coming close, and in the end, it was Josh Mazfari who had the biggest impact for us as a Boro Rangers counterattack in added time saw our #1 push away a shot, and then scramble to successfully deal with the rebound too

That would be the last real bit of action, with the full-time whistle bringing cheers from the home fans.

We would also like to wish the best of luck to both Boro Rangers and Yarm & Eaglescliffe in the final

We resume league action as we push to get 100 points, with two points from our final three games being enough.

Two away trips to Pontefract and North Ferriby sandwich our final home match to Blyth Town before we can draw a line under this season and prepare for life in Step 3

Hope to see you at our final three fixtures, and, as always, up the Steelmen