FIVE STAR RANGERS

Risborough Rangers close in on a guaranteed promotion spot with a heavy defeat of Wallingford Town at the B.E.P. Stadium. After this emphatic win Boro’ require just six points to realise that achievement.

Wallingford arrived in good form having lost only once in the last nine games. In the opening ten minutes it was a fairly even affair with both sides trying to master the swirling wind and with Wallingford facing the wind they deployed a higher line which Rangers were trying to exploit and one of these was punished when in the eleventh minute a ball over the visitors back line dropped into no-man’s land, out raced Auldsberry the Wallingford custodian who arrived first the ball and his attempted clearance went straight into the midriff of the advancing Kyle Faulkner, the momentum seeing the Rangers forward with an open goal and so netted his 15th of the campaign. Rangers had to extend their lead when Adam Morris was fouled just inside the box and referee Matt O’Riordan had no hesitation in pointing straight to the spot. Up stepped the goal machine that is Brian Haule who calmly stroked the ball home to double Rangers lead and extend his personal tally to 31 for the season. 2-0 soon became 3-0 when Sam Pekun teed up Kyle Faulkner on the edge of the area who curled a ball past Auldsberry and into the bottom left hand corner.
Just after the second half kicked off Wallingford were reduced to 10 men as Jake Smith was sin-binned, during this time Boro’ extended their lead when the lively Sam Pekun was played a ball to run onto as he outstripped the Wallingford defence slid the ball past the advancing Wallingford glovesman and put Rangers four up. Three minutes later and Wallingford were awarded a penalty of their own when Alex Sethi fouled a Wallingford player in the box and received a subsequent yellow card. Ben Rusher stepped up to take the penalty for the visitors and stuck it low to Jack Brooker’s left and was saved but unfortunately for Jack he pushed it into the path of the on-rushing Stuart Walker who couldn’t miss. The scoring was completed six minutes from time when a weighted through ball from Adam Morris put Sam Pekun through on the left hand side, Pekun raced into the box held of a challenge the hit a shot which wasn’t going to be stopped and wrap up a 5-1 win.

Rangers Man of the Match: Sam Pekun. A tough one to call between Sam and Kyle Faulkner today, but Sam edging with an assist, two goals and his constant harassment of the Wallingford defence.