ALL SQUARE AT LOFTUS ROAD
Saturday 2nd October 1999
Loftus Road
Attendance: 14,002
Ref:John Kirkby
| RANGERS | 0 |
| BLACKBURN ROVERS | 0 |
A draw with Rovers left Rangers fans disappointed at Loftus
Road in a game which could have told such a different story. Had
referee John Kirkby sent off the visitors' keeper John Filan
after 20 minutes when he stormed out of his area to fell Chris
Kiwomya when clean through, the scoreline would surely have
looked different. Filan went on to produce a string of fine saves
to earn Rovers a draw, including three in a first half which
Rangers could have ended 4-0 up.
Gavin Peacock and Stuart Wardley both had chances before Kirkby's
controversial decision not to send off Filan. Another Wardley
shot was saved and Filan managed to scramble across his goal to
prevent Chris Kiwomya's low shot sneaking in. Rangers' best
chance came in the 40th minute when Kevin Gallen's cross was
headed only as far as Gavin Peacock, who fired a shot towards
Filan's right. The keeper parried his shot to Richard Langley but
the midfielder hit the bar from six yards out. Rovers only chance
of the half came when Per Frandsen's 30 yard shot was collected
by Lee Harper at the second attempt. Rovers never really created
problems for the Rangers defence, even though they started the
game playing with three strikers. Five minutes into the second
half, Filan saved Rovers again, plucking a Danny Maddix header
out of the top corner following Ian Baraclough cross. Karl Ready
nearly gave the lead to Rovers on the hour when his attempted
clearance of Frandsen's square ball came close to his own goal
and Nathan Blake saw his header excellently saved by Harper after
Grayson's cross found the big striker unmarked six yards out.
Gavin Peacock had a late chance to steal the game but, as he
prepared to shoot, he had the ball taken away from him, whilst
Jermaine Darlington twice provided teasing crosses but none of
Rangers' players could make contact. This late pressure was in
vain and the failure to find a winner left them them collecting a
point, and sees them leapfrog Norwich City into 18th place.
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