Plains Rangers opened the football season with good performances, but not quite the results they would have hoped for. On Saturday Plains Rangers men travelled to the Rotorua International Stadium to play newly formed club Lakes FC. Rangers worked well going forward, with player of the day Shane Baillie doing a power of work on the right flank. However, the home team hit the front with a great shot from distance. Lakes then began to pile the pressure on, with a well-structured game and Rangers were having trouble containing their attacks. The home team scored twice more to be sitting comfortable at 3 – 0 when half time came.
Rangers made some tweaks to their defensive formation in the second half and it immediately paid dividends. Five minutes in and a Rangers corner was headed in by substitute Russell Margan. Rangers gained the upper hand through some good play, winning several corners and going close to scoring. Captain James Hart was next to score, pouncing on the ball from another corner, then player-coach Christian Wetting evened the score up at 3 – 3, converting a penalty after Phil Ballingall was brought down in the box.
However, the home team had the final say. With only a minute on the clock, their striker intercepted a pass out from defence and scored the winner. Lakes FC 4, Plains Rangers 3. It was an evenly contested first game of the season, where probably a draw would have been a fitting result.
Rangers will now have to wait three weeks before their next outing, with Easter and Anzac Day in between times.
On Sunday, it was great to see Rangers women fielding a team after a year of not having the necessary numbers. Rangers were at home at the Edgecumbe Domain to Tauranga City. The play was very even in the first half, with both teams having good moments on attack. Stevie Clarke was strong on attack for Rangers and was unlucky to see a shot hit the post. Tracey Buckley did a great job as goalkeeper, getting off her line well to thwart several Tauranga attacks. However, the visitors did score after 35 minutes, to hold a slender lead at half time.
In the second half Tauranga City scored twice more to take the win 3 – 0, but Rangers would have been pleased just to be able to field a team and to have put up a promising first game. Player of the day was Alexaan-Kelly Puutu Dredge, who played really well on the wing and in the midfield.

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