Match Report - By Brechin City FC

BRECHIN CITY 1 THE RANGERS 2 (aet)

Brechin City gave Ally McCoist’s new Rangers side the fright of their lives in a very-closely run encounter at Glebe Park, taking the game to extra-time before eventually losing out to a Lee McCulloch goal in the 102nd minute.

Rangers had a whirlwind start, opening the scoring within the 4th minute when McCulloch slipped a great through ball to Andy Little who wasted no time in firing a low drive well beyond the reach of Michael Andrews.

City fans must have feared a goal deluge at this stage with the visitors who had six internationalists in their ranks well on top, but to their great credit, the home side forced their way back into the game and began to put their more illustrious opponents under some pressure.

A Craig Molloy 25 yard drive was well held by Neil Alexander while at the other end Andrews brought off good saves from Kirk Broadfoot and Lee Wallace.

City were gaining in confidence as the first-half wore on and were showing no signs of any inferiority complex and they shocked the Gers with a superb equalising goal from Andy Jackson two minutes before the break. Jacko picked up a long pass from Ewan Moyes wide on the left and bore in on goal, doing well to hold off a challenge from Dorin Goian before squeezing the ball under Alexander to the delight of the City fans.

Molloy had another chance for City within minutes of the restart when he collected a pass from David McKenna but he blasted the ball high over the bar.

Rangers then began to exert some pressure on the City goal with a dangerous Barry McKay shot deflected for a corner.

City though kept plugging away and a McKenna shot from the left side of the penalty-box was also deflected just over the bar.

Neither side could get the vital breakthrough and at the end of regulation time the score stood at 1-1.

City fans were still confident at this stage that their side could edge to a famous victory but their hopes were dashed in the 102nd minute when McCulloch rose to power home a header from a Lewis MacLeod corner.