Neil 11
Meiklejohn 43
Match Information
Attendance: 37,000
Referee: William Bell (Motherwell)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
This was a bonnie fight. For 80 minutes Ibrox Park was a cauldron of seething excitement. First we had Rangers going out to demolish the deficit of a goal scored by Nel after 11 minutes, and after they succeeded, battling with all their resourced to obtain a winner, which was delayed until nine minutes from the end. It would take yards of space to do justice to the thrills and adventures, the breathless episodes of a game that will not be forgotten for many a day by those who were there – and there must have been nearly 40,000. For the most part it was a throbbing duel between the Airdrie defence and the combined forced of Rangers’ half-backs and forwards, but the Broomfield attack, deprived for a considerable period of Wood’s help, could never be treated lightly. Those Airdrie forwards could make ground with surprising speed, and their methods so opened up the Rangers rear that scoring chances would crop up in a way that added to the tremendous tension among the crowd. When Rangers at last equalised, eight minutes from the interval, it was curiously enough, not one of the heavy firing forwards who did it. Meiklejohn was the man, and I rather think he was surprised when his long, drooping lob through the centre went into the net. The winning goal came nine minutes from the end, when after a series of terrific bombardment, Archibald placed a corner kick and McPhail headed into the net. Then, and then only, did Airdrie accept defeat. Their defence had put up a might resistance, and though frequently lucky – as when Meiklejohn and Cunningham smashed a ball against the wood – every man in the rear divisions could take credit for having risen nobly to the occasion. But I should think that Currie is still wondering how some of the shots whipped at him did not get in. Crapnell and McQueen were two lion-hearted backs. For bringing the ball on Bennie was not excelled, although in this respect nothing could have been better then Muirhead’s driving runs. McDougall stuck to Fleming like a brother, and his height was a priceless advantage. Neil and Murdoch were a go-ahead, clever wing, and Sommerville wasted no time in putting the ball where it was likely to be most useful. The line had nothing like the power of the Rangers’ attack, but it took a lot out of itself. Rangers played well enough to have beaten almost anything except a defence that seemed charmed. Hamilton was not, however, happy with the ball that beat him. Gray’s recovery was splendid, Meiklejohn strong in defence, and Cunningham and Archibald a fine wing. McPhail’s game was rather mixed, but he gave Morton some dainty passes and the left winger made good use of them; he deserved to score when he made his great run in the second half. And let me say that Rangers had the wind in the first half but played beat against it
