A Morton >45
Match Information
Attendance: 10,000
Referee: C Ritchie (Leith)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
The result at Muirton Park, yesterday when St Johnstone tackled Rangers was very doubtful both before and during the match, but Rangers just managed to scrape home, thanks to Alan Morton and a good opportunity. The League champions were stretched till the final whistle, but on the run of the game Rangers certainly deserved their win. Neither team could settle down quickly, and about half of the first period was nothing but experimenting in football tactics on very hard ground. Too much bounce in the ball and a very and playing surface spoiled the opening of what might have been the best game on Muirton this season. After much testing and trying the long-passing game was adopted by both teams. With the crowd on tenterhooks, both goals were visited frequently, and while Rangers were oftener on the attack than the Saints, their effort in front of goal were not so effective as those of the homesters. In the first half-hour only two shots that looked like scoring were delivered, and both came from Saints, Stevenson being the trier, but that usually clever player did not quite strike his game in the first half. Swallow played a real skipper’s game. He was everywhere, and Fleming was having a thin time under the centre half’s patronage. Rangers’ defence, excluding the keeper, was good so far as tackling and stopping were concerned, but the clearing was bad. Gray was a bad offender in this respect, several of his kicks going into touch when there was no need. Saints played a great first-half game and gave as much as they got. The great Rangers had nothing on the Perth Saints during the first forty-five minutes. The second half opened with st Johnstone attacking in spirited fashion, and the League leaders were sorely put to it at times to keep their sheet clean. Swallow was still playing the game of his life, and the Saints’ halfs, as a whole were just a shade better than the Muirhead, Meiklejohn, Craig trio. Alan Morton, ever the opportunist, gave Rangers the opening goal of the match. It was one of those opening which happen in the best of defences, and Morton happened to be there. No more need be said. McLaren had no chance with the shot. A goal up, and Rangers livened up considerably. The Ibrox half-backs got to work in earnest, and forwards put more vim into their movements, and the team, in general, brightened up to such an extent that the homesters were hard put to keep the lead down. All over the picture the champions were just a shade fortunate to secure full points. The hard, frosty ground to some extent prevented their usual sweet movements, but it is more probable that the dour tackling of the home half-backs had a great effect on the usual smooth running of the much-vaunted Ibrox machine. In the first period St Johnstone more than held their own, and they would not have been unduly flattered to have turned with a lead, but the shooting of both attacks was very weak, ball control being apparently difficult, and the first time efforts almost invariably off the mark. As a result, both pairs of backs had plenty of running about to do, but the respective goalkeepers, although always on the qui vive, dealt with comparatively few shots. McLaren had one splendid save at full stretch from a Muirhead foul kick, while Hamilton had an even better clearance from a first-time drive by Stevenson, the rangers’ keeper having to spring right across the goal to turn round the post for a corner. The two half-back lines were by far the most outstanding portions of the contesting sides, and of the six intermediate men none was more effective than the hefty Imrie on the home right wing. The Fife boy gave Alan Morton very little rope, and only thing of any note that the little Internationalist did was the actual scoring of the decisive goal. Credit for the point, however, must largely go to Muirhead and Fleming, who engineered the opening. About fifteen minutes from the close there was a spell when Rangers had the home lot completely demoralised, but otherwise Jack was as good as his master. Best for the Champions were Tommy Muirhead, Meiklejohn, Craig and Cunningham. The last-named put in a tremendous amount of work. The home half-back line shone, with Swallow, in a quieter way, quite as good as Imrie. Steele, Stevenson and Gavigan were the most effective of the others.
