Rangers fall at the Final Fence

Maidstone Rangers 2 - 4 Blue Eagles

Report by Paul Edwards

Third Division Maidstone Rangers' great run in the Consolation Cup ended in a 4-2 defeat in the final at the hands of 1st Division Blue Eagles.

For much of the first half it was a closely contested match with Joseph Boyd and Aseem Rana having Maidstone's best chances but Blue Eagles made good use of the wind at their backs and put themselves 2-0 up by half time. At the break Maidstone were convinced that with the wind behind them in the second half they were still in with a chance of winning the match. Maidstone had a great chance to pull a goal back within a few seconds of the restart but Lewis Gibbons saw his close-range shot saved by the keeper's foot and then the same player had another shot hit the cross-bar. Maidstone did have the ball in the net a few minutes later but unfortunately the whistle had been blown following an injury to a Blue Eagles player.

As time ticked on Maidstone had to start taking risks by pushing players forward and unfortunately this left them exposed in defence allowing Blue Eagles to add another couple of goals on the break. However the Maidstone team didn't let their heads drop and were rewarded with 2 late goals from top scorer Aseem Rana.

So the final score was Blue Eagles 4 Maidstone Rangers 2. Our congratulations go to Blue Eagles but the whole Maidstone team can be proud of what they have achieved this season…..maybe now they have had a taste of being in the final the boys will go one step further next season.

Congratulations to the whole squad on a fantastic season that has seen us lose only 5 times in 21 matches.

On a personal note I would like to thank all those who have helped me out over the last few years in whatever way that has been…there are too many of you to mention!! I would like to wish John all the best for running the team next season. He has a tremendous bunch of lads and I feel very privileged to have had an opportunity to work with them over the last few years. Enjoy the summer tournaments and I hope to see you all at the presentation evening on Saturday 21st June.

Thanks again and best wishes

Paul Edwards