A Cunningham pen >45
Match Information
Attendance: 16,000
Referee: H Dickie (Glasgow)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
Not often do I criticise a referee. The man with the whistle is the arbiter of the contest – sacrosanct, almost! But Referee Dickie must blow to criticism. He was below pair in this game. We all have our days ‘off’. This was his. In his decision about the penalty that gave Rangers the points he was right. I admit – as Falkirk folks urged – that Henderson had lost control of the ball when Hunter tripped him up in the penalty area Ferguson had clutched the ball just as the Rangers’ centre was grassed. Of Course! But it was a penalty nevertheless; and the referee did the right thing when he put the ball on the spot – for Cunningham to score. His fault occurred in the next few minutes, when Moore tried to manoeuvre in the Rangers’ penalty area. Henderson elbowed, and wrestled, indeed, with the winger, and then went the whistle. ‘A penalty!’ everyone said – everyone except the referee, who walked determinedly to a spot a yard outside the area and awarded a free kick. Thar is where I join issue with Referee Dickie. In my opinion he was wrong. He was wrong too, five minutes later when McCandless nudged Bryce in the penalty area, and no award was given. Wring again when Archibald was ruthlessly brought down by Scott within the dreaded lines. Despite all that, the game ended just as it should have ended. Rangers one goal the superior – nothing more. In a thrilling game the Light Blues – in white – were a shade superior to Falkirk. They had more dangerous movements, better understanding, and more shots at goal. The first half was ding-dong. John Hunter had the best chance of the half to open the scoring. He diddled at Ibrox backs and was about to put ‘paid’ to Rangers’ account when Dixon – the untiring – appeared from nowhere and swished the ball from his toe. In the first minute of the second half Puddefoot delivered a glorious shot and succeeded only in proving Robb a class keeper. The peculiar awards of the referee after Rangers had scored upset the players, and though dangerous movements developed the respective defences were always able to cope with the attacks. On a sloppy pitch, and with excitement influencing every movement, both teams can be congratulated on a fine display. Robb, I have never seen do better. Manderson and McCandless, the latter particularly, were tiptop. Of the halfs Muirhead was best. That does not men that Dixon and Meiklejohn did badly. Nit at all. But the more I see of Muirhead the firmer my belief becomes that he is the best half-back I have ever seen with Rangers. Forward Henderson was the star. He put a wonderful amount of work on the ball. He was not the basher, the go-ahead, chance-it centre that many folks consider him to be. He was a real football player, even though he did not score. Falkirk’s luminary was Ferguson. A bright lad this! How he managed to get at those lobs from Morton and Archibald was wonderful. His daring saves of furious drives from Cunningham and Henderson elicited merited applause. Hunter excelled Scott by just a little. Dougall unquestionably was the star in the middle line. I should place him only a degree behind Muirhead in point of merit. Forward, I award the palm to John Huner. Puddefoot was a trier and did clever things but was seldom played to properly. Bryce, I fancy, will develop in course of time, and Marshall, when he subdues his tendency to fall back, will prove a useful inside man. But Falkirk’s team lacks something. It lacks the all-together-boys spirit of the Rangers
