McDiarmid
Match Information
Attendance: 8,000
Referee: unknown - to be confirmed
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
Rangers came well out of that stiff and unsatisfying encounter at Easter Road. They had the better of the exchanges to begin with; indeed, had their shooting been on the mark or forceful enough, they might well have had the point’s safe in their pockets before Hibernian had got the hang of things as an attacking force. They resumed command after the tea-interval; but in between, and again in the closing five minutes, matters were more than a bit sultry for the Glasgow top=notches. During the earlier period their goal had several narrow, not to say miraculous, escapes. Hempsey, despite the fact that the eager Miller was hovering round, was given two chances to get rid of a particularly sneaky ball from Meaney which looked like squirming home, and on the top of this, first McCandless and then Moir were baulked by the timber. Bowie and Cairns got through on occasions to test Templeton, but really the Rangers were not shaping well hereabout. As a matter of fact, they were confined pretty much to their own end. Their half-backs, never a convincing force, found it quite enough – at times more than that – to look after the Hibernian forwards to think much of their own, and to make matters worse Riddell’s leg gave out. After receiving first aid on the line he resumed, but was never happy. Gordon was keen, as he always is, in the centre, but the ball – a bad one, I thought – did not often run well for him, and when it did he invariably found Paterson at his heels. The Easter Road centre half-back saw to it that James E didn’t get much rope or many chances to shoot. Rangers resumed with Bowie among the half-backs, and Riddell in front of him on the right touch-line with Archibald as support. Right off the reel Templeton was called on to clear from Gordon, and, after Meaney had let McCandless away to waken up Hempsey, Archibald had his best try of the afternoon. A Lovely cross from McDiarmid found Templeton a bit mixed, but there was nothing doing, nor was McManus’s deputy any more at ease when a header from Gordon landed on the top of his crossbar. A fine run and a picture of a centre by McCandless found his brother forwards at fault, and after Templeton had saved from Dixon and a shot from Martin had been luckily blocked the Gordon-Smith ‘incident’ took place. The alleged culprits had hardly reached cover when McDiarmid landed the ball on to Templeton’s knuckles from which it glanced into the net. Thus Rangers, luckier than the Hibernian, lost a man and won the points – in almost the same breath, I might say. For the Ibrox side Hempsey made but one weak clearance, and Manderson I have never seen to more advantage. McQueen kicked nicely, Dixon was often beaten, Martin seemed stiff, and Bowie (both as a forward and as half-back) and Cairns were best of the others. I may add that Archibald made quite a good appearance as an inside-right. Templeton effected a few surprising saves; still, I have no fancy for the Paisley back as a goalkeeper. Dornan was easily the safer back, and on the day Smith had no superior on the field. ‘Barney’ is a splendid little middleman. Veteran Gordon never spared himself; and in front, McCandless was on his own. The Bradford Irishman’s splendidly taken corner-kicks were lost on his comrades. Meaney’s footwork was a treat at times, and the unorthosox Miller took a lot of watching in the centre
