Rangers 4 Kilmarnock 3 U19s CAS Elite League

Kilmarnock’s unbeaten start to this season’s Under-19s CAS Elite League was brought to an end by Rangers last night.

Kris Doolan’s side fell to a narrow 4-3 defeat at Auchenhowie on Tuesday evening, with Cole Burke, Ruari Ellis and Cole Bickerton finding the net.

The hosts made Killie pay for a slow and sluggish start, capitalising on some mistakes inside the opening 10 minutes to race into an early two-goal lead.

Cole Burke slammed the ball home to pull a goal back for Killie on 25 minutes, as the visitors hit Rangers with a quick move on the transition, also involving Adam Law and Noah Simpson. Despite Killie making their control of the game count after a difficult first 15 minutes of the match, Rangers restored their two-goal lead moments later through Luca.

In the main, Doolan’s team put in a positive performance, and were unlucky not to take something, with their three-game winning streak in the competition coming to an end after earlier wins against Hibernian, St Mirren and Motherwell.

Despite playing the better stuff and showing dominance throughout large spells of the game, Rangers would add a fourth not long after the interval.

However, Killie got the goals their performance deserved with Ellis scored from the spot on 53 minutes after Simpson was fouled inside the box. Then just two minutes later, the lead was wiped to just one goal as Bickerton added another for Killie. He lifted the ball high into the net after meeting a cutback from Law, who brilliantly got the byline after a jinking run.

Doolan’s men pushed hard for a leveller, but couldn’t quite manage to earn a point. Another pleasing enough night for the U19s, who will take the learning curve of having to start a match in more solid fashion moving forward.

Starting XI: Morrison, Davis, McMurray, Leddy, Spence, Ellis, Bickerton, Foster, Law, Burke, Simpson.

Subs: Sweeney, Reidford, Frew, Feeney, Peacock, Obaisiuwa.