CULLOMPTON RANGERS FOOTBALL CLUB

SO MUCH MORE THAN JUST A FOOTBALL CLUB

Rangers go down without a fight at Wadebridge. Once again early goals after only two and ten minutes left them with a mountain to climb at lowly Wadebridge. Maybe the exertions of Wednesday night's game at Holsworthy took their toll but the team was a shadow of the one that performed so well only 3 days earlier.

The Reserves had an excellent win at Sidbury. Goals from new signing Steve Kingston, Sam Buckingham and 16 yeard old Danny Barnard maent that Rangers second string cement their second place in the League. They now look forward to Halwill under the Speeds Meadow lights on Wednesday night.

Lee Jenner's third team went down 5-0 at Bickleigh. Lee said "we were outclassed."

Rangers face another game against a team near the basement when they travel to Wadebridge tomorrow. Lee will be missing influential midfielder Andy Rollason and centre back Darren Grabham for the trip to Cornwall. They are both serving one match bans for picking up 5 bookings. Lee commented "If we can avoid defeat tomorrow then we will have met the target of 4 points from the last two games as we strive to move even further up the league. We have some tough games coming up so it is imperative that we get something out of the Wadebridge game."

Cully Under 16's romped to victory over Moors last night with a 7-0 win. But for the heroics of the Moors keeper the score line could have been far worse. At 5-0 down at half time it could have been a far worse outcome but the visitors really stuck at it and put up a very creditable second half performance.

Rangers climbed to a lofty 14th position in the league last night following their hard earned win by 3-2 at basement club Holsworthy. Goals from Phil Stokes, Andy Rollason and an own goal were enough to secure three points. Lee was naturally delighted "It was'nt pretty to watch but the three points were all that mattered. We had a shaky start but after we had gone two up I thought we would win the game comfortably but a needless penalty on the stroke of half time gave them fresh belief. I thought the same after Roll's terrific free kick gave us two goal cushion but another soft goal from a free kick meant that we had to battle through to the end. We had a couple of one on ones at the end which would have eased the anxiety but in the end it was great to have a win under our belts after what seems an age. I was pleased with Peter Eveleigh's contribution tonight. It was his first 90 minutes for the Club and I am sure that will do his confidence the power of good."

Reserves were held to a 1-1 draw by Broadclyst on Tuesday night. The home side took the lead early in the second half when Sam Alford headed home his first goal of the season. Shortly after James Parker saw his shot rebound back off the post. The visitors were dangerous on the break and equalised 15 minutes from time. Both sides had chances to win the game but in the end the points were shared. Manager Andy Rawlings felt that it was two points lost. "That is two draws from our last two home games when we have sqaundered chances. Last night Broadclyst had a game plan to catch us on the break but once we had gone in front I thought we would go on to win the game, but our defending was a bit naive and we let in a sloppy equaliser. But fair play to Broadclyst they worked their socks off and made it extremely difficult for us and could have pinched all three points come the end."

Rangers face a real 6 pointer tonight when they travel to Holsworthy. Lee commented after Saturday's game "The last two games have needed a half time teacup throwing rant to kickstart the lads, so perhaps it would be better to dish up a half time rollicking before the game. The two games this week at Holsworthy and Wadebridge are huge, we simply dare not lose either and we need to be looking to take maximum points but I will settle for 4. I find it galling that I have to read about Rangers locked in a relegation battle, but it is a fact that we have simply not been good enough. We need to show more character now and hopefully things will look a lot better soon."

Rangers went down 5-0 to an impressive Parkway side 5-0 on Saturday. Their cause was not helped by going behind after just 30 seconds, and as against Tavistock they found themselves 4-0 down at the break. Again a more sprited performance second half restricted the opposition to a single goal late on. Lee was disappointed after the game "Once again we have given quality opposition an early lead which has knocked the confidence of my lads. I don't want to be giving team talks about salvaging pride at half time every week. All that I can say though, is that once again they showed some bottle in the second period. We now have two massive games coming up at Holsworthy and Wadebridge. Jamie Cottrell and Phil Stokes will be back on board so let's hope we can get something from both games. Perhaps we can play the second half first!"

Rangers Thirds were too good for a spirited Westexe team and ran out 3-1 winners. Two penalties from Reece Daniels and a supern individual effort from Ian Winstanley were enough to keep Lee's boys in third place.

Rangers Under 15's beat Willand Rovers 2-1 on Thursday night in a very entertaining match under the Speeds Meadow floodlights. Andy Barnard was naturally very up beat "I thought the lads did well, they passed the ball well and thoroughly deserved their win." Secretary Marcus Scott added "It is great that the Club has such a talented bunch of youngsters. Obviously Andy has had a great influence on their progress and, as a Club, it is vital that we ensure that they continue to improve and stay committed to Cullompton Rangers."

Cullompton Rangers have been chosen to stage the Throgmorton Cup Final at Speeds Meadow on 3rd May. Chairman John Chambers "I think that the League have recognised how hard we have worked to improve our facilities and feel that Speeds Meadow is a ground now worthy of such a prestigious event. We will do everyhting in our power to ensure that the day runs smoothly."

The semi final draw pitched Bodmin against Tavistock and Buckland will play the winners of Aplhington and Royal Marines.

Rangers went down 5-1 to a powerful Tavistock team at Speeds Meadow last night. The home team found themselves 4 goals down at half time and a penalty immediately after the restart put paid to any hopes of a Rangers revival. However a more spirited performance in the second half was rewarded by a stunning late goal from George Robinson. Lee commented "Basically we were outclassed by a very good Tavistock side. At half time I changed things around and told the players that they were playing for their pride and I was really pleased with their attitude. We were much tighter defensively and more of a threat going forward. In the first half we could not get any possesssion and they passed the ball around brilliantly. But we got amongst them second half and I think Phil Stokes in the middle of the park made a difference. So there were some positives to come out of the game and we look forward to the small task of taking on Plymouth Parkway on Saturday.

Rangers are almost certain to be running an Under 18 team next season in the Somerset Floodlight League. Hopefully it will be run by Chris Garnsworthy and Alex Howe but more helpers are required. Anyone interested in helping can contacy Marcuis Scott on 07740168072.

You can now check out the Reserves and Third Team sites for a revised list of fixtures until the end of the season, weather permitting!!

After a poor first half showing when Rangers found themselves two goals down at struggling Liskeard they staged a much better second half performance which could have earned them a share of the spoils. Lee could not hide his disappointment after the game on Saturday "We opted for a system aimed at frustrating Liskeard but the players failed to come to terms with it and we had Garno to thank for only being two goals down at the break. We decided to return to a 4-4-2 formation for the second period and although we would have got something out of the game if their keeper had no pulled off a great penalty save late on from Harry, I think that would have been more than we deserved. To be fair Garno kept us in the game but once Alex had fired home a great free kick they became really edgy and I honestly believe if Harry's penalty had gone in we would have gone on to win the game." Match report now posted.

The Reserves match at home to Beer was called off due to a waterlogged pitch. They now look forward to a trip to table toppers Seaton on Saturday.

The Thirds kept up their winning streak with a fine 5-2 win at Lords X1. A hat trick from Kris Yelland and goals from Ian Allen and Reece Daniels ensured a fine victory. 

Rangers second string were disappointed not to have won their match against Morchard Bishop. After an even first half Rangers camped in the Morchard half but were only able to manage an own goal for all of their efforts. The lads seemed to have earned the three points when Matthew Scott was upended in the box with 15 minutes to go. Matthew got up to take the spot kick but unfortunately the keeper pulled off a fine save and they had to be staisfied with a share of the spoils. Joint manager Andy Rawlings was upbeat though "When you think of the hammering we took at their place when they put 5 goals past us earlier in the season it shows how far we have come as a team to be gutted that we did not take all three points." Rangers remain in the runners up spot. They entertain Beer Albion at Speeds Meadow on Saturday.

Lee Jenner was chuffed with his team's performance at Samford Peverell where a brace from Ian Allen and one from veteran Andy Dickson earned the thirds a 3-2 victory, a win that keeps them up amongst the front runners in Division 5. Lee said "We had to work really hard and we had James Smith in goal to thank for some outstanding saves. But we stuck at it and in the end just about deserved the three points." The Thirds travel to Lords X1 on Saturday.

The Ladies reached the final of the Devon Cup on Sunday when they overcame Plymouth Marjons 5-2. Watch this site for the final date.

Another team to reach a final at the weekend was our Under 16's. They beat Holway of Taunton 3-1. This was a great performance against a team lying in second place in a higher division than our lads. They will meet favourites Blackbrook in the final at Taunton Town's ground in April.

The Under 15's also had a memorable victory at the weekend when they beat their bogey team Pinhoe by 1-0.

Rangers moved into the next round of the St Lukes Bowl with a victory over Clyst Rovers. The 3-0 scoreline probably flattered the home team a little but there was no doubt that the better team on the night went through to earn a trip to Barnstaple Town. Lee was chuffed to bits "I am sure that performance will do the lads confidence the world of good. I thought we passed the ball well and looked solid at the back. I was impressed with new lad Phil Stokes in midfield and he looks a good addition to the squad. We must now build on this and start moving up the league."

Lee Annunziata was upbeat about the team's performance at Ivybridge despite the team going down by the only goal. "The lads did everything I asked of them and the effort from everyone was a sgood as we have seen all season without exception. The only moan i had was that we did not take one of the four or five excellent chances we created but I can put the poor finishing down to our recent lack of games."

Lloyd Beech has left the club to join Bickleigh and Willand Rovers. We wish him all the best for whichever side he decides to play for. We have secured the signing of midfielder Phil Stokes who has had experience with Taunton Town and is currently studying at Plymouth University. Lee has also bolstered the squad with the signing of defender Peter Eveleigh from Clyst Rovers. All we want to do now is play football

Rangers put up a disappointing display against Crediton and were deservedly beaten by 2 goals to 1. The Rangers goal was scored by Roger Bonaparte. Lee felt that the better team won on the night and realises that it is now time some new blood was introduced.

Rangers go down at Bovey Tracey but there are wins for Reserves and Thirds.

After a lengthy lay off Rangers looked ring rusty at Bovey Tracey and it was well into the second half before they threatened the home team. A second half penalty by Harry Taylor seemed to have earnt the vivitors a pooint but a late strike from Mark Sneap ensured that Rangers went home empty handed. Lee was disappointed with the outcome "We were simply not at the races in the first half. I accept that we have not played for 6 weeks but I was hoping that that would have made my players hungrier. They seemed unhappy with the system in the first half and when I changed it to 4-4-2 the players upped their performances by 15% and we really took the game to Bovey and when we equalised it looked like we would go on and win the game but poor defending cost us the game in the end."

Two goals by Matthew Scott ensured 3 points for the Reserves at Elmore and cemented their third placed spot in Division 1. Any Rawlings said "This was a battling performance on an awful surface and I am naturally delighted to come away with the 3 points. The lads dug deep against a useful Elmore side."

Lee Jenner was equally pleased to take 3 points from Exmouth Amateurs "It was great to play on the main pitch although some of my players were struggling a bit at the end. We have worked hard at training and, in the main, our players finished the stronger."

Some new fixture dates for your diary:

Falmouth(H) 27th April: Bodmin(A) 10th April; Holsworthy(A) 10th March

Leading scorer Nick Murray has departed Speeds Meadow for East Division side Ottery St Mary. Nick says that he is unable to commit to Premier Division football. He moves on with our best wishes and thanks for the goals he scored for us. He will be difficult to replace but Lee has moved quickly to snap up Jack Drawbridge who has just moved to the area from the Midlands. Jack is a wide left sided player and has experience with Telford. He trained with the lads on Tuesday night and was giving a hard baptism as ex manager Ray Pratt put the lads through their paces.

Speeds Meadow has dried out considerably following the deluge last weekend but the weather forecast is not encouraging. Fingers crossed that we miss the storms which are scheduled to come our way on Thursday and Friday. The Thirds will be praying for a couple of dry days as they prepare for their Bill Slee Cup clash with Awliscome. Kick off is 2pm. The Reserves have a tricky fixture at Heavitree Social United who currently top Division 1.

The Reserves came back from University with 3 points on Saturday. First half strikes from Alex Greening, Kris Yelland and Matthew Scott put Rangers in control. But the students pulled a goal back early in the second and put the visitors under pressure for long periods. But the defence, superbly marshalled by Andy Carnell stood firm. Manager Andy Rawlings said "It is never an easy p;lace to go to and to come home with 3 points is a real bonus. We were excellent in the first half and could have and even bigger lead but Uni introduced a couple of substitutes which seemed to inspire them as they were a different team in the second half. The early goal put us on the defensive and we sat back too much but we rode out the storm and deserved our win."

Lee Jenner was less than complimentary about their referee at Exmouth Amateurs "I felt we were robbed of at leat a draw because the referees performance. We could easily have taken a point after having two stone wall penalties turned down and then their winning goal resulted from a free kick being taken 20 yards from where the offence took place. We all stopped expecting the kick to be taken from the correct place, they went on and scored and the ref allowed the goal." Rangers cause was not helped by having two players sent off.

Lee has completed the signing of 19 year old George Robinson from Exeter Civil Service "He is a quick lad with tremendous potential and it is down to us to bring the best out of him. It gives me a few options as he can play wide or up front." Speeds Meadow is very damp but we would have been ableo play there today. Groundsman John Chambers said "Tomorrow's game should go ahead providing that we do not get anymore heavy rain. Is is bound to be heavy going but fingers crossed that the Gods will be kind to us and we can see some action at Speeds Meadow." Tonight's SWPL game between Parkway and Bovey Tracey has become the first casualty of the weekend/The Thirds will be at home to the winners of Awliscombe and Colaton Raleigh in the next round of the Football Express which will be played on 21st November Cup/The Reserves now have a rearranged fixture at Heavitree Social Club on that day.

Lee was hugely disappointed after the second half performance at Parkway "We were superb in the first half, we hit the woodwork twice and their jeeper brought off a string of fine saves but somehow we went in all square at 1-1 thanks to the referee being conned into giving them a penalty right on the stroke of half time. That decision seemed to kill us off and we were simply not the same team in the second period. I'm not making any excuses we were simply not at the races. I need more winners and leaders in my team. Our fitness levels were not good enough. I will just have to look for replacement players if it carries on.

Lee was shell shocked after the embarrassing 5-0 defeat at home to second from bottom Launceston. "They were a different team to the one we played down there a few weeks ago but let's not talk about them, I would rather focus on what went wrong with my team. We were simply never at the races and I don't know why. We started with same line up which did so well against Saltash but you would have thought that it was a different group of players. We have an ideal opportunity to bounce back against Crediton on Friday night, but if we play like that again we will have a real struggle on our hands."

Rangers players put in a tremendous shift to lower the colours of unbeaten Saltash. Goals from Nick Murray and Harry Taylor ensured three points and a move up to 9th in the league. Lee was naturally "over the moon" with the display of his team especially with the fact that they kept a clean sheet for the first time this season. He commented "It is obviously a concern when you start shipping goals and then you come up against a strike force that Saltash have at their disposal, so I decided to play Danny B behind Darren and Gary with Jamie and Ollie operating as wing backs. After a scary first half hour when we rode our luck I thought the system worked really well and to keep a clean sheet was a bonus. When we scored right on half time it seemed to take the wind out of the Saltash sails and I thought that second half we created the better chances. We always looked dangerous on the break and looked reasonably comfortable in defence. Perhaps we will have to play all of our games under lights because it certainly brings the best out of my lads."

Match Report now posted.

Rangers staged a late comeback from 4-1 down at Falmouth but did not do enough in the end. Sloppy defending at two set pieces early in the second half was their downfall and but for some great goalkeeping from Garno the scoreline could have been worse before the introduction of Roger Bonaparte as a substitute put the home team on the back foot. Roger's two headed goals added to Harry Taylor's cool finish in the first half should have been enough to get something out of the game but Rangers paid the price for poor defending.

Rangers lost by the only goal at Tavistock. It came in the 82nd just minutes after Gareth Davis had clearly been fouled by The Lambs keeper in the penalty

Lee was naturally gutted"I still cannor accept the referee's decision regarding the penalty. I am convinced that he awarded the pen then changed his mind. He claimed their keeper got to the ball first yet it has ended up behind him. On reflection we had a lot of defending to do but I thought we were reasonably comfortable until the fateful mix up. At times like that I am looking for players to take responsibility and one of them should have just put the ball in Row Z. Apart from that one mistake I was really pleased with our defending but we missed Nick up front and did'nt work their keeper hard enough."

Lee reflected on the victory over Witheridge "I had to make a very difficult decision before the game, I wanted to play three up front in attempt to exploit the defensive frailties of the opposition but this meant that I had to leave out two of my best players from Saturday in Niall and Luke. But I am paid to make tough decisions and on this occasion the tactic paid off but I was delighted with the response I got from the two lads and they know that they are a major part of the squad. Fortunately Nick was able to get us two goals but last night he also showed us what else he brings to the team with his pace and work rate and he caused Witheridge problems all night. Although everyone played their part in the win I thought our central defenders were superb keeping a tight reign on Simon Bochenski and Matt Dawson, but the effort put in by everyone was immense and at the end of the game I was a very proud manager." MATCH REPORT NOW POSTED.

Nick Murray was a two goal hero as Rangers defeated Witheridge in the Mid Devon derby at Speeds Meadow on Tuesday night. Murray twice ran clear of the visiting defence and, unlike in the previous home game when the striker fluffed his lineson more than one occasion he more than made up for it with a brace of clinical finishes. With manager Lee Annunziatta back from his holiday and back in the dugout Rangers took to the pitch with a three man strike force of Murray, Alvin Pollard and Roger Bonaparte and the tactic worked a treat with those two early goals. Former Rangers player-of-the-year, Simon Bochenski,fired Witheridge back into the contest before the break but there were to be no further goals and Rangers ran out 2-1 winners and with that climb into the top three of the Peninsula League Premier Division. The nearest the contest came to a goal in the second half was when Lloyd Beech saw his bullet header from a Chris Bedford corner, somehow kept out by Witheridge glovesman, Chris Wright.

A first home defeat for Rangers as they go down 3-1 to a bright Bovey Tracey side who capitalised on some poor defending to seal their first win of the season. Nick Murray had fired Rangers level a minute before the break - this after the visitor's went ahead from the penalty spot after Gary Hunt had felled Lee Chapman and Liam McCauley scored. Murray's equaliser was the 4th really good oportunity the striker had had in a first half dominated by the home side. Debutant Roger Bonaparte also had a brace of opportunites and so, it was with some surprise that Rangers went in all square and not well ahead - 4-1 would probably have been a more fitting first half score line! However, after the break it was Bovey who looked the sharper, the brighter, and the more interested. They deservedly went 2-1 up through Chapman and then their sharpest player, Simon Revell, danced through a static back line to seal a 3-1 win.

CHECK OUT SOME SUPERB PHOTOGRAPHS NOW ON THE ACTION GALLERY FROM THE CAMERA OF BILL GOFF - he has captured the moment that 'Garno' is beaten by the opening goal. Also Match Report now posted.

Danny Burwood was disappointed with the second half performance of his team against Bovey Tracey. "I thought we did OK in the first half and should have led comfortably at half time but scoring goals is the hardest thing to do in football. Once we had equalised I thought that there would only be one winner. But I am afraid that we just went through the motions in the seond half and the fact that there keeper did not have a save to make says everything about our performanace. If we had won we would have sitting on the top of the table, I know that it is very early days but that would have been a nice feeling at the end of August. We must now get this out of our system, wotk hard at training on Tuesday night and be ready for the trip to Launceston."

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