Muirhead 42
S Archibald 50
Match Information
Attendance: 34,000
Referee: Tom Dougray (Bellshill)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
Clyde’s run in the Cup is ended, but they have nothing to be ashamed of. It is idle to speculate upon what might have happened had the conditions allowed the players to work the ball, and it will serve no purpose now to argue whether conditions such as obtained at Shawfield ‘are the same for both teams’. There is an argument in it. That Rangers were the better team there is no shadow of doubt. It would have been a surprise – wouldn’t it? – if they hadn’t been. The Clyde knew all about that, and so set themselves to play the only kind of game that could possibly counter the Ibrox confederacy. The trouble for Shawfield was that they did not play it well enough. While Fraser and his backs were putting up a valiant fight, and the half-backs were trying their hardest to turn defence into attack, the forwards were quite unable to link up into a cohesive force. It was one of the easiest days Tom Hamilton has had for a long time – dropped a ball which should have been easy to hold had he not been stiff with the cold. To Maguire and Blair, I must hand out a bouquet. Their defence in the first half revealed them as chokeful of courage. Blair may have taken too many risks, and he paid the penalty, but still one can admire the man who is willing to risk everything for his team. Play had run much in favour of the Rangers up till five minutes from the interval, and there was no scoring then. Muirhead had hit the post with a beauty; McPhail had just failed to place one into the net, but the bar was in the way. It looked as if Clyde would gain the reward of their resolute defence when they lost Blair. He jumped high for the ball in an effort to prevent Archibald getting it, fell awkwardly, and bumped his head on the pitch. Suffering from slight concussion, he was taken off on a stretcher, and a couple of minutes later, Rangers scored. Morton forced a corner – one of several – and placing it perfectly, Muirhead headed home. Fraser had no chance. Now it is possible, if Blair had been averted. No one can tell, but it is certain that Rangers deserved to be leading at last. Blair came out with the rest of the boys for the second half, but he was looking the worse for his mishap, and the Rangers’ players did not show any inclination to take advantage of his condition. With five minutes of the second half gone, the tie was won. Archibald and Fleming bustled through together, and Sandy applied the final touch from a few yards’ range. This move, and its execution, showed exactly what Rangers possessed and Clyde didn’t – power and penetration of a kind capable of turning an opportunity to advantage. The rest was pretty much a case of playing out time. Muirhead and McPhail did some marvellously clever things in an attempt to pave the way for more goals, but it was difficult to judge the shot, and there were only a lot of near shaves and some good saving by Fraser. Rangers’ half-backs were a telling force all through, and the inexperienced Clyde Forwards could make little of them at any time. Knox began well, but later fell a victim to Craig’s quick anticipation. Meiklejohn froze out Jackson. Jessiman was the one Shawfield raider likely to bring out any results. Considering, the burden thrown upon them, the Clyde half-backs came out of the game with credit. I have told you about the rearward trio. McPhail and Muirhead were the cleverest of all in controlling the ball. Fleming was always commanding attention by his breezy invasions, and both Archibald and Morton made the best of the difficult footing along the wings. Gray was a fine back, and Bob Hamilton good with both head and feet. And let me say that Clyde took their defeat as sportsmen should
