The level of performance from Rangers against Fraserburgh overall meant that only one player could be considered for man of the match. Given his hattrick, that player is Josh Windass.
It was rather telling though that Murty wasn’t full of praise after the game when asked about him. In terms of overall play, Windass was as poor as most on the park. Decision making and passing was slow, inaccurate and rarely incisive. There were few moments of real pressure applied. Despite a difficult pitch and poor weather, it was still a performance that deserved some criticism.
There’s no doubt, though, that no other player deserved any real praise. Niko Kranjcar was involved in all three goals, but didn’t do much else. Daniel Candeias worked hard, but looked a little too relaxed in possession. Jason Holt may have been a contender, but the midfield struggled on a heavy pitch to look their best. The defence may have kept a clean sheet and rarely been tested, but that was to be expected.
With Windass, his three goals were well taken, and obviously made all the difference. The first came from the penalty spot, and it was good to see that he’s high up on the list of penalty takers now. He scored a good number whilst at Accrington, and is confident when hitting them. This one beat the goalkeeper despite him guessing the correct way.
His second goal came from some decent football, but still carried some luck. The shot from Cummings was going out for a throw-in before Windass ran onto it and put it away. The third goal was the pick of the bunch. Windass collected the ball out wide, cut inside on to his right foot and beat the keeper with a low drive at his near post. In a game where not much quality was on show, that goal was definitely the highlight.
Windass has been in good form under Murty overall. It’s promising that despite his goals, Murty still felt his performance was poor. The whole team will be tasked with being much better in the games to come.
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