Guernsey Press

Rangers see red in 7-goal thriller

GOALS galore, a couple of red cards and tempers flaring throughout - the rest of the Division One campaign has a lot to live up to after an early season thriller last night at Blanche Pierre Lane.

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GOALS galore, a couple of red cards and tempers flaring throughout - the rest of the Division One campaign has a lot to live up to after an early season thriller last night at Blanche Pierre Lane.

It would be fair to assume, though, that referee Geoff Greening will not be on Paul Ockleford's Christmas card list.

'I am hugely disappointed by the officiating,' was all the Rangers coach was prepared to say on the matter afterwards, as he tried to keep his emotions in check.

Somehow Rangers had managed to go into the interval on level terms at 2-2 despite St Martin's totally dominating the opening period, but the visitors' chances of pulling off a remarkable win were dealt an ultimately fatal blow when they had two players dismissed in the space of five second-half minutes.

A simmering match eventually boiled over spectacularly quarter-of-an-hour from the end when a two-footed challenge from Marc McGrath left Jacques Isabelle writhing in agony, right in front of his own dugout. He would later show off the stud marks on his shin.

However, Greening felt the Saints striker had played the ball and no free kick was forthcoming, much to Rangers' disgust.

Then, to rub salt into the wounds, from the resultant bounce ball Saints went straight on the attack and took a 3-2 lead through, of all people, McGrath.

Before play restarted, Ryan Gontier was shown a straight red card, obviously for taking his frustration out verbally on the referee.

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