Glentoran 2 - 1 Rangers (young guns) Tues 10/08/10

Nacer Barazite did his chances of winning a contract with Rangers no harm at all with a promising display in the 2-1 defeat to Glentoran.

The Arsenal winger joined the Light Blues on trial yesterday and played all bar the last 13 minutes of the friendly in Northern Ireland.He showed some good touches and went close to scoring in both halves, giving coach Ian Durrant something to think about as he prepares to report back to manager Walter Smith.

It now remains to be seen if the 20-year-old will be offered a deal by the SPL champions - and if anything will be done in time for Saturday's league opener against Kilmarnock.

But he should fly back to Scotland tonight feeling he has done himself justice in front of a decent travelling support in Belfast.

Durrant had only Andrius Velicka to call upon from Walter Smith's senior squad and he made his first start for the club since the 1-1 draw at Hibernian last May.

The ex-Hearts striker completed 58 minutes and as he continues his comeback from a cruciate knee ligament injury, he'll see his run out as another key point in his rehab.

Jordan McMillan, Gregg Wylde, Rory Loy and Kyle Hutton were the only other players who made the first XI who had any top-team experience.

Glens were keen to make a good start and went close early on through Shane McCabe and the lively Daryl Fordyce.But neither could find a way past Gers keeper Grant Adam, who was playing before linking up with the Scotland under-21s ahead of their friendly against Sweden tomorrow.

Velicka had a great opportunity to open the scoring when Archie Campbell swung in a fantastic inswinging ball from the left.But the big Lithuanian missed it by a matter of inches when connecting would surely have broken the deadlock.

Barazite had a quiet opening but showed his first sign of intent when he linked up well with Rory Loy with a neat one-two.

He then took a touch to steady himself before curling from just outside the area and was unlucky not to find the net.

It was Glens who were to go in front just before the half-hour mark and the goal was deserved for the way they had started the game.

But their goal came from a mistake by Kamil Wiktorski, who was too slack as he tried to take the ball out of the area.

The Pole flicked up past McCabe but the ball clipped his opponent's hip before it was smashed across goal and into the top corner past Adam.

Before the visitors could compose themselves it was 2-0, with Hutton the guilty part this time.

He was caught in possession and when Rhys McCabe consequently brought his namesake Shane down in the area it was a clear penalty.Fordyce slotted it home as he sent Adam the wrong way - but within 90 seconds Gers had pulled one back.

Jordan McMillan was the architect, sending in a pinpoint cross to Velicka and he nodded down for Loy to scramble in from close range.Barazite went close to a leveller shortly before the break when he wriggled away from his man and slipped the ball under goalie Elliott Morris.

But he was always stretching to shoot and the effort lacked the pace it needed to run over the line.

The former Derby loanee put more power into his next attempt after the break, a 30-yard free kick after he was brought down.

This time, however, the ball sat at a nice height for replacement keeper James Taylor and it was comfortably smothered.

Glentoran had a chance to make it 3-1 just before the hour mark when Adam brought down Peter Steele after he was rounded in the area.

But sub Jimmy Callacher's spot kick smashed off the underside of the crossbar and although it might have sneaked over the line, no goal was given.

Steele had a chance himself to score when he was played in but with only Adam to beat, he was off target.

Those opportunities aside, it was a much quieter second period and with each side making a glut of substitutions, the match lost a lot of its momentum.For that reason, it was with a whimper rather than a flourish that the game came to an end with Glens as 2-1 victors.

The result wasn't important in the grand scheme of things - but testing the players who'll back up the first team was and in that respect it was a worthwhile exercise for Gers.

Teams

RANGERS: Adam; McCabe (McCausland 88), McMillan, Cole, Wylde; Campbell (Kisuka 71), Hutton, Wiktorski (Hegarty 45), Barazite (Wright 77), Loy (Hunter 86), Velicka (K Naismith 58),

Subs: Drummond, 

Glentoran:

Subs:

Ref: Alan Black

Man-of-the-match:

Attendance: