TWO home cup defeats for Rathfern Rangers on the spin, again tumbling out on extra time, and are still awaiting their first ever win in the Border Regiment Cup, with this defeat against a side a Division below them, Dunmurry Young Men.

Rathfern manager Ian Bustard recognised what was wrong, insisting "we have to battle for the 90 minutes, you just cannot afford to just play well for the first hour or so. We totally controlled the first half, but apart from the Sirocco match, we just haven't come out of the blocks for the second half, where they outmuscled us, they might not have looked like scoring much, but they picked up all the second balls, they were definitely better than us, after we were the only team in it in the first half. Apart from that, we're still conceding many, ten now in the last two games, even though they did go to extra time!"

Rangers opened the scoring when Mark McKay stole in at the back post to meet David Moore's right wing cross.

Colin Andrews and strike partner Moore could have had Rathfern more comfortable, but, with keeper Ken Langley still awaiting his first test, Bustard's Boys, for the second week in a row, 'scored' one at the wrong end, with Neil Lovell following on Stephen Logan's example the week before, slashing an attempted clearance into his own net.

Andrews, however, repaired the damage on 36 minutes, bundling in McKay's left wing cross.

Rathfern were nowhere near as convincing in that second session, although a David McCrea chip was just marginally high. Yet they seemed to have done enough, until they were made to pay the price for attempting to spring a creaky offside trap just seven minutes from time.

Rangers, nevertheless, almost won it at the death, when Andrews hoisted a Moore cross over from a mere six yards.

And so into extra time where two quick goals put Dunmurry in the driving seat, although Andrews swiftly reduced the arrears, nodding the ball over the advancing keeper and then screwing it home from an unhelpful angle.

In the second session, Rathfern huffed and puffed, but it was Dunmurry who held on for a hard earned place in the next round.

After these two cup exits, Rathfern will be glad to get back to league action next Saturday when they visit Knockbreda.

Rathfern Rangers: Langley – Docherty (Patterson), Soloman, N Lovell (S Bennett), N Crawford – McCrea, Logan, Gardiner, McKay (Duncan) – Andrews, D Moore.