Fleming 16
Match Information
Attendance: 10,000
Referee: T Small (Dundee)
Matchday: Tuesday
Match Trivia
Rangers risked something at Paisley, but the strength of their reserves met the requirement well enough to chalk up a tenth successive League win. The Ibrox lot were, in fact the better, and fully deserved to win. Although not a great game there were some nice touches, and there would have been more if the ground had not been so hard. It was a pretty movement that decided j-the match. Sixteen minutes after the start McDonald sent a ball away over to Nicholson. The winger took it on the run, went on and drew Fotheringham before lobbing to Fleming, who placed it in the net. I heard it suggested that Fotheringham should have stayed in his goal, but he had to come out to have a chance of spoiling Nicholson’s obvious intention. Fore and aft the inners were the better-looking team. St Mirren were sound in defence, but the forwards disappointed me. They were disjoined. I looked for something better from Rankine and Connor, but they never struck up the happy partnership I have seen them do. I would have liked to see McCrae in the centre for half-an-hour. To my way of seeing things, he does not get the best out of himself on the wing. He got injured and went inside for a little, but the game was won and lost by that time. Gebbie also got a knock early and it put him out of sorts. Stewart is a strong lad who should do well, but he was facing his own goal too often. He should have scored when, lying open the ball came through the centre to him. He was too slow away with it, and the chance was lost. It was not the fault of Fotheringham that the match was lost. He was safe and sound all the time, and I liked the lusty way he punched the ball away. He had two particularly fine saves – from McDonald and McMillan. Hay and Lilley gave nothing away. In the second half, Lilley saved an otherwise certain goal when Marshall, who was shooting consistently well, banged one for the corner of the net. Lilley was at the post and cleared. The Love Street half-backs all wrought hard, with Colquhoun the most successful. Miller was not so prominent as when last I saw him, but he was not a failure. As pivot, Bruce was a good understudy for Walker. I got the impression that the Rangers could have let out a reef had it been necessary. The ground demanded caution, but in the second half for forwards played some nice free football. It was then Fotheringham showed his mettle in dealing with shots from Marshall and McMillan. Tom Hamilton got little to do, for there was not much that passed Gray and Newry Hamilton. Hamilton seems to have got well on to his game, He was anticipating well, and that is half the job. Gray co-operated nicely with McDonald, who was a fine half-back. The two of them were a little too crafty for the St Mirren left wing. Simpson tackled well and cleared without any delay He is a useful man to have in reserve. Muirhead showed many of his very own touches in the position that suits him best of all. When he took it into his head, he could force the game and he mastered the conditions as well as anybody. Nicholson was neat and elusive. He beat his man cleverly and pushed it through on the ground with a nice glide. One of his best moves was that which brought the goal. He had an able partner in Marshall who took all the risks, went driving in with any amount of dash and shot well without having any luck. Without letting himself full out, Fleming was always where he was wanted. He showed us some of the light-footed touches I am told he exhibited against Kilmarnock, and he made no mistake about picking up the scoring chance when it came. The right wing did not come so much into it as the left – just enough to keep the line going
