A Cunningham 2
G Henderson (2)
Match Information
Attendance: 30,000
Referee: JM Dickson (Glasgow)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
Cold feet was a common complaint at Ibrox Park yesterday. Most of the sufferers hailed from Paisley. James Bowie remarked to me that no team could have lived against the brilliance of the attack set up by the Rangers in the first half. I have seen no better football this season than theirs maintained in the teeth of a rainstorm throughout the whole of the first half. Bowie did not exaggerate the quality of the play of the League champions. It was top-hole for half the game. An obvious slackening occurred later on, when there was no necessity to apply the same pressure. The Saints lost four goals in that period of bewildering Ibrox attack, and at half-time the men from Paisley had failed to score. Duncan Walker obliged with his usual goal early in the second half, and the feat harmonised with the position Paisley’s dashing centre forward holds at the top of the marksmen in First Division football. Close on the interval the ST Mirren leader had one of the most dangerous shots of the game, which gave Robb the opportunity to bring off what he himself described as the hardest test he has had all season. The closing match of the year made the Range’s' supporters happy. There were 39,000 spectators. The doom of St Mirren was probably sealed in the first five minutes. Their supporters cheered lustily when Cunningham was beaten in the spin of the coin, and the Light Blues had to face the storm that broke over the ground when Henderson kicked off. The enthusiasm was of short duration. Alan Morton piped a merry tune right off. He got in a perfect centre, Henderson could have picked it up, but seeing how well-placed Cunningham was, he jumped aside and allowed the ball to go to his captain. Cunningham took deliberate aim and shot low and hard into the net. That was the first symptom of the chill that affected the Paisley contingent. It developed quickly. Four minutes later a bright attack on the rangers’ left, and a quick pass from Cairns to Henderson, provided the big fellow from Forfar with an opening to score, of which he took full advantage. He got clear of the backs, and the anxious Bradford never had the ghost of a chance. The Saints could not strike their form. The backs exposed the goal too much, and the half-back were not quick enough to cope with the low, fast passing of the Rangers’ forward. The Ibrox combination was ideal. The accuracy of the passing showed up the faults of the defeated side. It was a case of one team getting what they played for and the other side endeavouring to tumble to a semblance of their usual form. The Saints forwards could not make any impression on the Rangers half-backs. Dixon was their greatest obstacle, but Meiklejohn was almost as resourceful as Muirhead was, and a shade more conspicuous in attack. The best goal of the match fell to Henderson after thirty-three minutes, when he had two opponents to beat before getting into the open position he likes so well to work. Once that was accomplished, the St Mirren goalkeeper was helpless. The third success of the Rangers was dispiriting to a side that struggled gamely but ineffectively. Three minutes from half-time Cairns headed another goal, and the Rangers enjoyed a four-goal lead at the interval. A finish to the game more in harmony with the ability of the St Mirren players characterised the second half, Walker’s goal after fully eight minutes inspired hope and instilled confidence in the men. The overworked half-backs found their feet. Clunas and Duffus, finding they could hold their opponents, forced the play more towards the Rangers goal. Lawson and Thomson got busier on their respective wings, and Gillies and Stevenson got in and out from among opponents who had baffled them in the first half. Now and again, it looked as Lawson and Walker would work a goal, but the Rangers defenders prevailed in a clean sporting game, distinguished by the early high-class form of the winning side. The Rangers won well. Their back play was immensely superior to St Mirren’s. McCandless kicked with elegance and coolness. Manderson was too speedy for Thomson and Stevenson, and his power in defence was unquestioned. All the half-backs revealed magnificent form. Dixon was outstanding, and occasionally one would see him covering-up his own backs when St Mirren were on the rampage. The Ibrox forwards played through their opponents against the wind and rainstorm, and it is notable of the effect of their deliberateness in combination that the three inside forwards scored. Henderson, who stood well up to his men, was delightfully aggressive and sure in his passing, although latterly he did not get the same scope. He shot well and freely. Cunningham was the life of the attack when supreme effort was required, and Cairns worked like a hatter. The two inside forwards were responsible for the success that attended that outfield sprints of Archibald and Morton, although the left winger early on made his own openings by deftness and pluck. The beaten side laboured all through from the effects of a bad start. The backs took too long to settle, and over the game they were not quite able for the task set them. Pringle was better than McAllister, but even this fine fellow was not seen at his beat. I heard that Joe Till, who has been always conspicuous when he played against Archibald, has had some little difference with the St Mirren Directors. The trouble arose in connection with his training. He would have been invaluable at left back in a match such as this one proved to be. The outsider need pass no opinion on the subject. The St Mirren officials are quite able to control their internal worries. Clunas and Duff were hard-working wing half-backs. The slow pitch did not appear to suit Sommers. I must congratulate Bradford for good goalkeeping in discouraging circumstances. The forward play of the Saints was unequal, and only touched a semblance of the ordinary standard for half an hour. Walker, Stevenson and Lawson, in the order named, were probably the most effective among them. Walker was always up and kept to position
