Dr Marshall 7, 22
B McPhail 30
Match Information
Attendance: 22,000
Referee: T Small (Dundee)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
Rangers were top dogs for most of the game at Love Street yesterday and gave a display of football worthy of the high position they hold. St Mirren are not a bad team – far from it indeed – and against less talented opposition would have been a difficult set to beat. Marshall who deputised for Fleming in the Rangers centre, made an auspicious start, and his two early goals may be said to have definitely settled the issue. They were gems of opportunism, and quite up to the Fleming standard. After this the centre quietened somewhat, but he proved a veritable thorn in the St Mirren defence whenever presented with anything like a chance. The home crowd had little to shout about in the first half, and the outlook at half-time, when the two Marshall goals, supplemented with a grand score from Bob McPhail, stood to the Rangers account, was anything but promising. Then came the revival that made the game spicy. Saints showed their best paces in the early stages in the second half, when McCrae scored, and at times I thought a little luck would have reduced the deficit further. However, it was not to be. Rangers gathered their forced and laid another siege upon the goal guarded well by Sam Page. McPhail, who had had been shooting from all positions, at last got his reward in the shape of an extra couple of complete a hat-trick. While it cannot be said that the score flatters the Rangers. St Mirren put in a plucky fight, and the game at all times was interesting. The Saints’ youthful left wing seemed at the start a bit overawed, but once that vanished, they were very smart, and gave Gray something to think about with their rapid crosses. The Rangers, however, were a team all over, and from goal out not a weakling could be found. When they applied the pressure, it seemed odds-on a goal forthcoming, so deadly were the front rank. Had it not been for the excellent clearances of Page and his backs the score would have been a good deal more. Hay, who came onto the team to displace Lilley, was about the best back on the field, and times and again held up dangerous moves. I fancy he was lucky on occasion, but he never hesitated in his policy of going into to tackle. St Mirren faithful were undoubtedly unsatisfied with the result, but for a young team I thought they did remarkably well, and I shall be surprised if the same lot in a few weeks’ time are not collecting in enough points to place them comfortably on the right portion of the League table. The talent is amongst the youth, and time alone can put that right. What more can one say about the Rangers’ display? They have only to keep this up to waltz off with the honours again. Meiklejohn raised the first gasp with a tremendous wallop that almost reached the banking, and Morgan retaliated with a cut up the wing. The rangers were not having it all their own way in the opening minutes, but when Archibald centred a cunning lob and Morton shot it took all Findlay’s time to get it away a trifle luckily for a corner. St Mirren were again regaled by another sparkling raid, which finished with McCrae turning in a hot one for Hamilton to hold. Marshall took just five minutes to justify himself as an ample substitute for Fleming. In conjunction with Morton, he dashed between the backs, and with Page swithering whether to come out or stay in, lobbed it nearly home. It was a well-taken goal of the opportunist sort. After this St Mirren were forced to play under-dog, thanks to the wonderful Rangers combination. Page was in action on several occasions, Marshall again being the main danger. Archibald let go a crasher, which went over, and then St Mirren had a look in. Walker lobbed right into the goalmouth, and if someone had been lively enough a goal was open. Nobody was, and St Mirren paid the penalty of another goal. Marshall again was the marksman. Craig shot in, Marshall headed it in, and on its way to the line a Saint deflected the ball and put it out of Page’s reach. The ball had been little more than centred when the centre again went in. This time his hook went over, but it was a good try. While Marshall’s raids were the things that counted at the Paisley end, it was from Morgan and Gebbie that the thrills came at the other end. Another burst of pressure put Rangers three up. Cunningham meandered about the penalty-line and opened the way for McPhail’s to beat Page all ends up. Morgan was the star turn towards the interval, but he could not break through a sound Rangers defence. St Mirren put in a lively first five minutes to the second half, and Gebbie and Rankine each had good attempts. Connor, however, was better than any of them with an attempt from the wing that just missed the objective. One might be pardoned for calling this a St Mirren revival, for Rankine had the ball in the net only to be disallowed for off-side. Rangers, however, found their feet, and Marshall shot what looked all over a scorer, but Page brought off the best save of the day in making it a corner. Hamilton, too had to look lively in getting away another from Connor. Again, Paisley folk raised their voices in hope. St Mirren were playing for a goal, and sure enough it came. McCrae forced a corner, and it was indirectly from this that the centre found himself in position, a fact that he took no time in grasping. In a twinkling the ball was safely in the net. Page was the hero of the hour when saving from Morton. Rangers shouted for a goal when Archibald shot in, and Findlay kicked out suspiciously near to the line. After several attempts McPhail found his range, and once again Page had to admit defeat. Taken from 20 yards’ range it was a sparkling effort. McPhail completed a hat-trick minutes later when heading home an Archibald cross and was desperately near another before the close. Morgan put in St Mirren’s dying effort, but Hamilton was on the spot to deal with it. That finished it. Hamilton in the Rangers’ goal had quite an amount of work to do during the game, but it all seemed easy to him, and for this perhaps he had to thank the backs in front of him, who worried the Saints’ front line no end, and also Davie Meiklejohn, who stopped more than one pile-driver with that cast-iron cranium of his. On either side of the pivot Muirhead and craig were in good form, the skipper particularly so, and it was to their forcefulness that so much of the snap came inti the attack. Morton’s bouts with Findlay were much appreciated by the crowd, and in the end the winger had just a shade the better of the dealings. McPhail’s mighty drive proved the Rangers’ main scoring force, but all over the inside-left played a good game. So, too, did Sandy Archibald, who was up against a smart back in Hay, while Cunningham proved the general tactician. Marshall for one benefited from his colleague’s well-judged passes, but the snappy way in which he found the net showed him to be the right type of centre for a team of Rangers’ calibre. St Mirren did not make a bad bargain with the other Saints when they secured the services of Page, for the big Englishman was in no way to blame for the defeat. Only once did he hesitate – on all other occasions he was sound and beaten only by unsaveable shots. Hay looks like coming to stay in the left-back position. He will do well if he keeps up this form. Findlay was just a shade less dashing, perhaps, but then that was no great fault, and the pair on the whole were sound. The best middleman on the home side was Walker, who has come on a lot since last year. Miller was also effective, and Colquhoun clever, but not always too quickly away with the ball. In front Gebbie was as good as any, but Morgan was pluck itself, Connor and Rankine put in some good work in the second half, and deserve praise. McCrae when he was supported showed his paces, but he missed one or two chances early on. Still, it was not a bad line, and one that will improve.
