Recap

The game got off to a bad start for Rangers as they found themselves a goal behind as early as the fifth minute.

Elliott Hughes beat Beto Gomes to the ball following a long clearance from Jacob Poytress and turned inside the Stafford defender before curling his shot beyond the reach of Leon Phillips.

The Stafford keeper had to scramble to his right to push away a shot from Sam Burns as the home side dealt with the conditions more effectively.

Rangers, who lost Mitch Clarke through injury early on, had been ineffective in attack but pulled themselves level on 23 minutes when Luca Navarro charged down an attempted clearance from Liam Morris and cut in from the touchline before hammering a shot into the roof of the Lower Breck net.

The goal was against the run of play but triggered a period where Rangers looked a little more assured.

That was until Luke Denton restored the home advantage on 36 minutes when he punished some poor defending.

Connor Millington and Sam Burns both went close to increasing the lead but half time came with Lower Breck holding a 2-1 advantage.

Half Time: Lower Breck 2 Stafford Rangers 1

Graham Deakin made three changes at the break with Todd Ferrier, Ellis Horan and Kyle Sambor coming on for Navarro, Wealth Da Silva and Ty Webster.

Rangers created a couple of early chances, Scott Bakkor missing out both times, before they levelled again on 57 minutes.

Horan’s corner came out to Kyle Sambor whose shot was deflected in via a Lower Breck defender.

Again, parity was short lived as Luke Gill put the home side ahead from the penalty spot on 64 minutes after Andy Burns had handled.

Harvey Washington headed against the cross bar from Tom Tonks’ throw but it was Lower Breck who extended their lead on 72 minutes when Gill was first to Sam Burns’ free kick, controlled and fired past Phillips.

The topsy turvy game continued when Horan scored his third goal in three appearances since his arrival, netting Rangers’ third on 87 minutes when he converted Sambor’s centre.

Hopes of salvaging anything from the afternoon disappeared in added time when Tonks was caught napping and Hughes nipped in with a first time shot. Phillips was caught out of position but should have done better as he let the ball slip through his fingers.

Full Time: Lower Breck 5 Stafford Rangers 3

Lower Breck: 1 Jacob Poytress, 2 Liam Morris (14 Liam Morris 82m), 3 Danny McKenna, 4 Billy Edmondson, 5 William Lawson, 6 Jack McCourt, 7 Luke Denton (15 Will McNulty 86m), 8 Connor Millington, 9 Luke Gill (16 Jackson Burns 90+4m), 10 Sam Burns, 11 Elliott Hughes.

Stafford Rangers: 1 Leon Phillips, 2 Beto Gomes, 3 Joe Dunne, 5 Andy Burns, 6 Tom Tonks, 9 Scott Bakkor, 12 Ty Webster (7 Kyle Sambor 46m), 14 Wealth Da Silva (16 Ellis Horan 46m), 15 Mitch Clarke (18 Harvey Washington 17m), 17 Luca Navarro (4 Todd Ferrier 46m), 19 Remi Efunnuga (10 Jack Birch 70m)

Referee: Peter Leonard

Cautions: Stafford: Burns 20m, Sambor 60m, Bakkor 80m, Washington 90+3m

Goals: Lower Breck: Hughes (2) 5, 90+1m, Gill (2) 64 pen, 72m, Denton 36m. Stafford: Navarro 23m, OG 57m, Horan 87m

Att: 352

Report by Chris Elsley