RENFREW survived a second half fightback from Cambuslang Rangers to secure a vital three points in their first match of 2019.
The home team were 3-0 up in Saturday’s league match and appeared to be cruising to victory.
However, two goals from Rangers made it a nervy finish for the Frew faithful at New Western Park.
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There were chances for both teams early on but Renfrew took control with a quickfire double midway through the first half.
Rikki McIntosh opened the scoring by lobbing the Cambuslang goalkeeper from 25 yards before Jason Hardie picked up the pieces to power home a second.
It looked as if Renfrew had secured the points just a few minutes into the second half as
David McKenna tapped home after Ian Stewart had saved Hardie’s initial effort.
However, an eight-minute blitz by the visitors fired them back into contention as John Gemmell stroked home a penalty before a direct free-kick flew past Daniel McLeay to make it 3-2.
Former Clyde man Gemmell notched the visitor's first goal
Renfrew managed to hold out under pressure and now head into games against two teams they leapfrogged in the table after Saturday’s results.
And, although the result wasn’t as comfortable as it could have been, co-manager Colin Clark was just pleased to secure all three points and get the new year off to a winning start.
He said: “In the end, it was closer than it should have been.
“We could have been four or five ahead before they scored but the priority was getting the result.”
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This latest league win means Renfrew fans can start looking up the table – but Clark won’t be resting on his laurels.
He added: “It brings a lot of teams closer to where we are and we’ve jumped out of the relegation zone, which is obviously a positive, but there’s still plenty of work to do.”
First up is a trip to Petershill before they travel to play Kilbirnie Ladeside the following week.
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