J Bowie 8
W Reid >45, 84
Match Information
Attendance: 39,000
Referee: J.B. Stark (Airdrie)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
With but three minutes of the Cup-tie at Ibrox to go, Galt, the left half-back of the ground club, and Torrance, the outside right of the Greenock team, were ordered to the pavilion by Referee JB Stark. Their offence was the culmination of an undercurrent of feeling which had occasionally made itself evident in the course of the play. It could not be said that either of the two had done anything to infringe the rules previously; in fact it is difficult to recollect that a single foul had been given against either up to that point. They suffered, primarily of course, because of their own offence, but also by reason of what had transpired previously between other players. Little good can be done by labouring such a regrettable incident. But the trouble was not due to any of the manly shoulder-to-shoulder charges, of which there were many, not to the robust tackling which came from both sides, but rather to irritating side incidents which were wholly uncalled for. In these there were representatives of both teams involved. They called for Mr Stark’s interference so frequency during the second half that the burden had to fall somewhere, and when Galt and Torrance forgot themselves for the moment the extreme penalty was immediately enforced. Members of the Association Committee which will deal with the players were at the match. They saw the incidents, and all that took place before that. But for this affair one might have had quite a pleasant recollection of the tie, for the first half was so stubbornly fought out that it made up the falling off in the concluding portion. Had the Greenock forwards been able to respond to the attention they got from their half-back in the early stages the Rangers’ task after the interval might not have been quite so easy, but Gordon, Chapman and Galt – the latter two especially – took such a firm grip of the opposing attack that they were never able to move with any freedom, and latterly were well beaten. The experience and judgment of Bolton was badly missed, for his substitute was seldom seen in the game. And as the Ibrox half-backs gradually and certainly gained the supremacy over the Cappielow attacking line, Mercer, Stark and May, with the incessant work of keeping back the Rangers’ forwards, got worn down. Mercer began splendidly, but was often beaten in the second half. May was the most consistent man in the line, and Stark has seldom been seen to so little advantage. Galt, however, was probably the best of the six middle men. He was strong in his tackling, good in his placing, and backed up his wing men with great earnestness and effectiveness. Chapman as a spoiling half-back was great. He eclipsed Gracie throughout, and at a pinch could overtake the work of reducing the three inside men opposed to him to very feeble factors indeed. His long passes to the wing men were very effective. Gordon had frequently done better, his placing being most erratic. Between the two forward divisions there was no comparison. The Rangers’ five have played better on many occasions, but for all that they were immeasurably superior to the men in the same positions on the other side – individually or collectively. The dashes of Torrance alone brightened the Greenock attack, but he erred in shooting instead of centring when he got into position. One grand opportunity in the first half was wasted by this error of judgment. After beating Richmond, the right winger shot from and angle from which it was very improbable that a score would result. Gracie, O’Hagan and Lindsay each waited for the cross; they looked chagrined when the ball struck the side of the net. O’Hagan tried hard to steady the line, but it was of no avail. He was usually beaten before he had succeeded in working out the proposition he had set himself. The finest forward on the field was Bowie, and his play throughout touched a high standard. He invariably lay well apart from Hogg, and sent long forward passes between the opposing back and half-back to his partner, varying these by marking opportunities for Reid; or when pressed, driving the ball across to the opposite wing. He did nothing wrong, and had not done netter since leaving Hampden. Hogg responded very well to his partner’s attentions, and got across some nice centres, but his missing of an open goal was a bad blunder, of which more would probably have been heard had a goal been required at the finish. Bennett and Smith got on nicely together, but a tendency on the part of the inside man to try too much on his own account made the wing less effective than usual. Reid as an opportunist was magnificent. He went through alone very cleverly on numerous occasions, and on two of these he was successful n finding the net. His second goal – he team’s third – was beautifully taken. In one of his runs he was ‘stopped’ by Stewart, and was lucky to escape without injury, the back also being fortunate in that the only censure was a foul against him. Bowie had the first goal, the result of a ‘eute header from a foul placed by Galt nine minutes after the kick-off. Law and Richmond had a quiet journey compared with Stewart and Jackson, nut anything that did come their way was accomplished in such a fashion that suggested they were capable of more if it was asked of them. Stewart was the better of the Greenock pair, for Jackson broke down before the interval, and had to go off for part of the second half. There was a lot of good goalkeeping, Bradford with thrice more to do than Lock shining all the more effectively. He saved exceedingly well on numerous occasions, but ought to have stopped the ball when Reid got his first goal. The Rangers’ goalkeeper was very safe
