Rangers U18s suffered a second consecutive disappointment as they slipped to a surprise 1-0 defeat to Fife Elite at the Rangers Training Centre on Friday evening.
David McCallum named a team which featured Leon King, Malcolm Ebiowei and Chris McKee, but the talented unit would pay the price for a lacklustre display.
After a goalless first half, Harris O’Connor and Dire Mebude were introduced in an effort to spark the hosts into life, but chances still proved few and far between.
The fixture looked to be petering out towards a stalemate before the visitors netted in the 86th minute to snatch a victory.
It was a scoreline and a performance that didn’t go down well with the coaching staff.
“I think it is a result that Fife Elite deserved, I thought for the duration of the game they created more chances than us and our keeper had more saves to make than what theirs did,” McCallum told Rangers.co.uk after the game.
“I think at the end of the game their keeper might’ve had two saves to make which gives an indication of our lack of imagination and creativity in the final third, which is not nice to say.”
It’s the second disappointment in quick succession for this age group, who are going through something of a slump.
McCallum’s side lost 2-1 away to Aberdeen in the semi-final of the Scottish Youth Cup last Friday, meaning that despite mauling Celtic in an earlier round, they will not successfully defend the trophy.
In 2019, there was a plethora of success for Rangers youth and development teams, with age group sides dominating the majority of domestic fixtures.
The recent U18s results are therefore surprising, and the coaching staff and players will no doubt be working hard over the coming weeks to identify and iron out the current issues.
