St George’s 0

Southampton Rangers 2

Shannon Burchall scored a goal in each half as Southampton Rangers booked the last spot in this weekend’s FA Cup quarter-finals, beating St George’s in last night’s first-round replay.

It was their first win over the East End side in four meetings between the teams this season, including three in the last two weeks after a last-minute equaliser by St George’s at Southampton Oval forced the replay.

Rangers, with a strong wind on their backs in the first half, sought to capitalise on the advantage as Keedai Astwood wasted a couple of good opportunities inside the first six minutes.

Long balls into the St George’s box by goalkeeper Corey Richardson set him up only to see Astwood put weak efforts straight at goalkeeper Charlie Marshall.

Rangers broke the deadlock on the half-hour mark when a cross from the right by Shaki Swan was side-footed into the roof of the net by Burchall from six yards.

St George’s made their three substitutions in quick succession early in the second half as Jarizinho Bassett came on at the start of the second period, followed soon after by Macai Simmons and then Mitchell Tucker, and very quickly St George’s began to look more threatening.

They came closest to equalising in the 71st minute when Simmons’s effort from a free kick on the edge of the penalty box hit the crossbar.

St George’s pushed captain Jarreau Hayward forward from defence in the last 20 minutes but Rangers stood firm as they absorbed the pressure, breaking upfield in the 86th minute through Burchall down the right flank before scoring past Marshall from an angle.

“I respect St George’s a lot, they are a gritty team, fight really hard and never let up,” Maurice Lowe, the Rangers coach, said. “Their coach [Kameron Fox] always keeps me on my toes by changing his tactics.”