Ramsay
Duncan <45
McTavish
Match Information
Attendance: 18,000
Referee: J Matthews (Greenock)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
It is hats off to the Glasgow champions. I take it that the first two days of the New Year established Partick Thistle’s claim to the title for they drew with Third Lanark, when they should have won, then beat Rangers, who the day before had defeated Celtic. If you require additional title deeds you have only to recall that the Thistle on the last two Saturdays of the old year successfully triumphed over Clyde and Queen’s Park. But perhaps the Thistle don’t take the city championship idea as seriously as say, their latest success against Rangers. From the days when the Thistle played nearer the banks of the Clyde, a victory over the Ibrox rival always has been sweet fruit. Well, they have had a regular banquet of it this season. It was the Thistle who, in summary fashion, ejected Rangers from the Glasgow Cup ties. On that occasion good Rangers people were heard to say that the Thistle had found some form for the day that they might never repeat. I believe good Thistle people were prepared to agree. But the repetition was realised in the game at Firhill. From first to last the Thistle compelled the conviction that they would be the victors. They believe they hold the secret is a prescription of express passing, following up and quick shooting; keeping the ball on the move always, and if possible, never giving the Light Blues time to gather themselves together. The success of a knowledge of this kind depends entirely upon the ability to put it into practice. Partick Thistle possessed the ability. It is not too much to say that they outplayed Rangers for the larger past of the game – Rangers, that is, without Gordon, Craig, Logan, Bennett and Paterson of the side that beat Celtic. I would not make much of that point, however, for I believe that the Thistle would have beaten any team of any club on the form they displayed. For fully twenty minutes after the start the Thistle half-backs, and forwards held command of the game. If they failed to score during that time the credit is Hempsey’s. Many of his saves were brilliant, one or two superhuman. Excitement ran high as, time after time, he foiled the dashing, clever inroads of the Thistle forwards. When at length he had to admit defeat no discredit attached to him, for Ramsay’s hot, which followed hard on a futile penalty claim, and in the midst of hot pressure, was unsaveable. Hempsey hurt himself in a desperate effort to get at the ball as it went flying into the net, high up, and beyond his reach. It was only after this that Rangers came into the game as an attacking force, and Campbell had to say shots from Hendry and Cairns. While Rangers were busy trying to develop an attack, the ball was sent along to Whittle, who was standing well down the field. He went away with it at full gallop, clear of all the Rangers backs. It was left solely to Hempsey to challenge him, and with excellent judgment the goalkeeper sprang out in time to prevent the Thistle centre getting in his shot. Thus a great chance was lost to the Thistle, but it was no better than the chance that Whittle missed next minute. Each was a let-off for Rangers, who showed their gratitude by putting in an extra effort all round, and though beaten off repeatedly, were rewarded with a surprise goal almost on the interval. Duncan shot hard, and Campbell, in trying to turn the ball round the post, threw it into the net. Level pegs at half-time was not a reflex of the play. The Thistle were due a lead, but – all’s well that ends well. Everything came right for them in the second half. They began it in their rollicking style, and in the first minute Whittle had almost netted the ball from a partial clearance of Hempsey’s following a raking shot by Morrison. The critical period of the game then arrived. Rangers’ forwards – Duncan, Reid and Cairns especially – made it a matter of ‘now or never.’ With grim resolve they bored in on the Thistle defence, and several times were perilously near succeeding, for Campbell appeared to be slightly unnerved by his earlier misfortune. Had Rangers got a goal then the ending would probably have been altered, but they didn’t, and very soon after the Thistle had the match settled and the points secure. In some bustling attack shots were rained in on the Rangers’ goal. Whittle was making straight in when he was grounded, and before refusing the penalty claim the referee consulted a linesman. The ball had no sooner been in motion again, however, when Branscombe whipped on a second goal for the thistle, the ball going to him from a clearance by Hempsey. Branscombe was unmarked when he got the ball, for Kelso had gone in to assist Hempsey. I rather fancy the back erred in not keeping his own place, but, in any case, a third Thistle goal two minutes later by McTavish confirmed the superiority of the Thistle, Rangers’ defence could not live against the hurricane Thistle onslaughts. But though we all felt that the match was as good as over, the Ibrox forwards fought it out to the end, and both Reid and Cairns again were valiant in their attempts. The tide was running with the Thistle now, and though they lost Loney, who sustained slight concussion in heading the ball, they finished the best of winners. I have not seen Partick Thistle play so well this season. They were splendidly balanced, but the deciding factor was their superiority at half-back. Morrison, Loney and McMullan were the trio who helped to win the Glasgow Cup tie against Rangers in September. Their selection was significant. Loney was always in the best position to prevent the Rangers’ attack from developing. His headwork was perfect, and he set a rare example by his manner of playing his forwards. Both Morrison and McMullan responded so well that they laid the foundation of the victory. But we must not forget that the forwards also responded. There was not a failure in the line, unless Whittle cares to so describe himself on the strength of those two scoring failures in the first half. Ramsay and Gardiner were a clever right wing, thanks to the inside player discarding his wonted affection for the ball. He passed beautifully both ways. With Gardiner running strongly and centreing well, Hendry was overcome, and it was well for Rangers that Muir was able to contribute more than a fair share of defence. Muir has never played a more useful game for Rangers, for in his tackling he was as effective as in kicking. Rangers’ forwards suffered greatly from lack of adequate support. Brown and Hendry were both disappointing, and being unable to cope with the Thistle inside wing forwards, they threw tremendous burden on Pursell. He worked like a Trojan, and with Kelso, Muir and Hempsey stemmed many a menacing attack. Surely it is time the Thistle followers agreed to let bygones be bygones in regard to Kelso. Reid and Cairns were Rangers’ best forwards, but Duncan was erratic, Bowie lacked virility, and the occasion was a trifle too big for Thomson
