S Archibald (2)
B McPhail
Match Information
Attendance: 45,000
Referee: J Thomson (Burnbank)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
No need to ask this morning, “Where are the Scottish League champions?” Rangers victory over Aberdeen yesterday has practically assured the Ibrox people of another League flag. Only a sensational collapse of the leaders, and a brilliant spurt by some other club can bring about any other result. When Rangers definitely hoist the League flag, they will be getting their just reward. Aberdeen have proved themselves to be the second best team in Scotland, and yet yesterday at Ibrox, they were never quite in the same class as their opponents. Rangers were all over the better team. There was no flaws in their armour. No chinks were there for that superb little player, Yorston, to find a way through. Neither was there any of the unsteady stiff about the tackling and clearing of their backs that characterised the play of Jackson and Legge. It was a good thing for Aberdeen that Fleming was not in the centre. Marshall, put into the berth for the day, was a tireless worker, but he lacked punch, and missed several chances that should have floored the Dons before half-an-hour had gone. The Aberdeen lot can retaliate and point to the weakness caused to their forward rank by the absence of Love, but even with the right-winger I do not believe the result would have been different. He might in the second half have equalised matters, but he certainly would not have been of much assistance to the defence, and that was where the Aberdeen weakness lay. At the very commencement of the game, it looked as if Rangers were in for a rough passage. Cheyne slipped in one of his wicked shots that have done so much damage in the past, but it was not sustained, for Rangers, as if ashamed of their previous week’s performance, started giving of their very best. During that first-half delightful football was purveyed by the two wings: McPhail and Morton being particularly brilliant. Pushed on wholesale by Craig they were a storm in themselves, and poor Jackson had my sympathies in his efforts to stop the rot. Even the most seasoned of backs might have done worse than the young Don. It was from one of these moves that Rangers went on the lead 17 minutes after the start. Alan Morton took the ball on the touchline, centred for Marshall and Brown to have a try; both failed to connect, however, and the ball lay dangerously in the goalmouth. It looked as if a clearance would be effected, but Archibald dashed in, and with one of his tremendous drives near tore a hole in the back of the net. Muy own opinion is that the goal should never have been scored. When Alan Morton was gathering his pass the ball appeared over the touch-line. The linesman was behind Alan and was probably unsighted. It seemed as if both Morton and Black expected the flag to go up, for both hesitated very visibly. Rangers might have been several goals to the good in the first half-hour, when the Aberdeen attacks were few and far between. It was not out of place, therefore, when 32 minutes from the start, the second goal was put on. Again, the damage was done on the left. McPhail, at this period at the very peak of his form, sent Alan Morton cantering off down the wing. He held on just long enough to allow McPhail to run in on goal, and then sent in an accurate centre. McLaren was up in attendance with McPhail, but the Ranger’s head bobbed up first, and it deflected the ball into the near corner of the net. After this was over, and just when we were thinking that the match was all over, Aberdeen awoke to the grim realities of their position, and for the rest of the half and for the most of the second period they put in a much stouter opposition. Rangers still had the upper hand, but the fighting spirit of the Dons always made them a force to be reckoned with. Then 15 minutes after the interval came a surprise and a new life to the game, Falloon, who had been playing second fiddle to his fellow country man, ‘Barney’ Hamilton, suddenly dashed clear and centred. The ever-up little Yorston was there to take advantage, and worrying his way into goal, lured out Tom Hamilton. The keeper, however, had to admit defeat and as a last resource brought Benny down in the areas. There was no other decision than a penalty, for the centre was dead set for a goal, and it was good thing McLaren capped a grand day’s work by from the spot. Only a goal to the bad put a new complexion on the Aberdeen state of affairs, and for the nest twenty minutes there was a lively contest. Falloon was left on beautifully, but he failed to notch the equaliser. Rangers, feeling the insecurity of their position, let out another reed, and rained shot after shot at Yuill, who has surely never given a more sparkling display between the sticks. His save from an overhead kick by Morton was a masterpiece. So too, were the saves in quick succession from Brown and McPhail. Luck probably was on his side, but that does not detract in the very least from the merit of his work. Then came another Ibrox goal. Six minutes had still to run when Archibald scored his second. Bob Hamilton sent a long kick towards goal, Morton helped it on, and once again the Aberdeen backs were in a mess. The upshot was that Sandy nipped in and crashed one of his 100 mph specials into the net. Where rangers had the most glaring advantage over their Northern rivals was at full back. In other position, too, they were probably stronger, but it was not so noticeable. Gray and Hamilton except on rare occasions, never had much cause for anxiety. They nipped in or held back with rare judgment and rarely gave the Aberdeen wings much room for developing their activities. Legge and Jackson, at the other end, had a much sterner task on hand, and they early showed that they were not too confident of their ability to do the needful. There was always the suspicion in my mind that they might at any moment upset the applecart. That happened on several occasions, and but for the grand keeping of Yuill more goals would have been chalked up against them. For all that the Dons need not despair, for the lads they played yesterday are young enough. With more experience behind them they will vastly improve. Both kick a beautifully clean ball; that was the redeeming feature. Legge was a shade better of the two. Meiklejohn had as tough a morsel to contend with as ever had had, and it can safely be said that he stopped Yorston as well as nay man possibly could have done. He was well supported by Buchanan and Craig, who, however, seemed to fade out in the later stages of the game. The strength of the Rangers’ attack lay largely in the scheming of McPhail and Brown, and this, allied to the trickery of Morton – as dazzling as ever it was – and the strength and speed of Archibald, made the attack a good one. Had Marshall managed to take his chances I would have said that he did not badly in the middle. I have pointed out that Yuille was the hero of the second half. I have never seen the Vale of Leven man display such fine form. The same remark applies to McLaren, who was a storm in the Aberdeen middle. He was not content only with watching Marshall, but also went out to help when the backs were flying signals of distress. Hill, on his left left-hand side, was another brilliant middleman, but Black was not quite so good. He was in difficulties with McPhail and Morton. In front Benny Yorston was the start. He hardly received one ball to his liking in the whole game, but for all that he always worrying, worrying away at the defence. His opportunism fairly caught the fancy of the crowd. McDermid started off playing a binder of a game, but he faded out following a nasty knock he received in the first half, and with his falling off so, too, fell off his partner Smith. It was not to be expected that Falloon should know all Cheyne’s tricks, and in the circumstances the Irish lad played his part. Cheyne did his best to open out the play, but he lacked penetration and often resorted to the pass back
