Rangers lose Crewe loan star

The loss of the 19-year-old comes as a major blow to the Blue Square North club, just three days after his finest performance in a black and white shirt, scoring twice in the shock 4-1 drubbing of second-placed Gateshead on Saturday.

It is thought Gresty Road boss Gudjon Thordarson now plans to send the teenager on loan for six months to a club in the manager's native Iceland, to bolster his experience further.

None of this will help Brindley a jot, who now has another hole to plug in a vital position for the team.

Speaking from his Cross Keys public house in Hednesford, the Rangers boss could not hide his disappointment at losing another good player.

He said: "I think the Crewe boss is probably doing a mate of his a favour of out in Iceland, to be honest, because Clements is a good player.

"We wanted to keep him, but and it's a blow because our secretary Mick (Hughes, Rangers' club) secretary can't get anyone else in as a replacement now, because the deadline has now passed."

Rangers now prepare for tomorrow night's Staffordshire Senior Cup semi-final against Port Vale at Marston Road (7:45pm), before another arduous league task in a trip to league leaders and local rivals Tamworth on Saturday.

The corresponding fixture in August drew the second biggest home gate of the season at Marston Road, and another bumper gate is expected at the Lambs Ground for the Easter weekend game.

Then follows another important game, a crunch home clash against relegation rivals Solihull Moors on Easter Monday.

But Brindley's men will have their tails up after the way they took apart Gateshead, the sort of result the manager thought "had been coming."

He said: "It has given everybody a boost, it was a good win and we needed it. That sort of result has been coming, we have been playing well enough and have deserved more points than we have actually got.

"Now we must take each games as it comes, we have the cup game, Tamworth and then Solihull Moors, so it's going to be a busy seven days for us."