Match ended 0-0
Match Information
Attendance: 80,000
Referee: W Graham Holburn
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
Unsatisfying! Tragic! By these two words will the latest Rangers-Celtic battle at Ibrox Park be remembered. The almost 80,000 people who came out to see must have been grievously disappointed. I was. They could have got over the absence of goal, but the scrappy play stuck in their throats. Of course, the tragedy was the terrible and regrettable fatal accident which befell poor John Thomson five minutes after the interval. This I have my first column. (Hesitating just the fraction of a second as he saw Sam English come on, John threw himself at the ball, and was deflected past the Parkhead right-hand post Celtic were defending the eastern goal. John Thomson had made one of the greatest saves of his life, but most unfortunately, it cost him his life. To avert a score, he realised that to go out was the only way, and thus the tragedy.) But before the disaster, and after it, when Celtic were playing a man short and two men short for a while the play fell ar below what we are led to expect when Scotlands best meet. As a combine as a team, who finished at the back-end as Scottish Cupholders I looked for the better stuff, for most of the real football, coming from Celtic. But they were little better than the scrappier, still unsettled Rangers, who seldom struck a forward game of any consequence. For this, their too much defensive tactics were much to blame. If Jamie Simpson had a mission to put the stranglehold on Jamie McGrory, he was certainly successful; but as a help to his own forwards the big Ibrox centre half-back was almost negligible. And against Bert Thomson, Bellshill McAulay from the USA was even more successful. The Ibrox left back, whose tackling did not nearly satisfy me at Motherwell, in this match, never well, hardly ever put a foot wrong. His game was reminiscent of another I saw him put up at the back-end against Partick Thistle at Firhill. As a consequence, Bert Thomson was subdued blotted out almost. I have never known the little fellow so much under a cloud. At Times McAulay simply would not let him come into the field, so to speak he ran him out over the line. And this subjection was almost complete before George Brown got a proper grip of himself. But in the second half the Ibrox schoolmaster was easily the number one Rangers middleman, defensive and aggressive; before it I give the palm to Davie Meiklejohn. Forward, the inside men were erratic. Bob McPhail did many clever things, but the big Barrhead fellow was too often a fourth half-back, and as often, when a chance to go forward cropped up. He was terribly slow to get going. As for Jamie Marshall, there was no harder worker afield, but his style does not, and did not, make for combination of the sustained order. All this affected the touch line forwards, neither of whom was a Prince Charlie. Jamie Fleming, often in two minds, might have done better with a couple of none too easy first half chances, and with almost the last kick, Alan Morton might easily have won the points. How Alan shot over instead of under puzzles me. While I wont say that the little blue devil was any more enterprising or aggressive than Willie Nicholson would have been, he delighted just the same with one or two masterly first-half touches, which relieved a drab exhibition, in which perhaps the outstanding component parts were shies, byes, and freekicks. It wasnt a dirty game in the true sense of the word, but things were done which shouldnt have been done. I had taken a second notion of Willie McGonagle, who compared favourable with the other three fellows holding positions in his division, when he fell from grace and that badly. He may have received provocation I admit, but such retaliation is not done, Willie. He had a few words said to him later for a much less heinous offence; otherwise, he was almost as good as any other back afield. Which is saying something, with Dougie Gray, Willie Cook and McAulay, as I have told you, each at his best. I have referred to Davie Meiklejohn, Jamie Simpson and George Brown; but for consistent half-back play of the true type, commend me to Peter Wilson and Jamie McStay. As a dainty as ever, Peter Wilson, with Bob McPhail not worrying him too much, could afford to take the ball along and push or kick it forward. Which he did. Those angular balls driven across the goal were ever a source of worry to the Ibrox rearguard. But as Simpson was playing now and then he was behind his backs and with Jamie McGrory and Bert Thomson tied up or nearly, Dougie Gray, McAulay and Jerry Dawson were not played on as they otherwise might have been. Alec Thomson, sometimes on the left, got things moving on occasion, but neither Alec, Peter Scarff, nor Charley Napier did much until late on. As a matter of fact, we were well within ten minutes of tea-time before an angular shot from the left proclaimed that Charley was really in the game. Really it was pretty much a match of checkmate, and this more so by the Rangers. Too often did it smack of the cat-watching-the-mouse variety. The men simply would not take their courage in both hands and try to force things open it out and go in for the winner, I mean. From this category I must, however, exclude Jamie McStay. After John Thomsons retiral, he did two mens work, and mostly so during the little while Willie Cook was off. As a defender he was a half-back and a half; at times Jamie was a full-back too. But before it, like Peter Wilson, Jamie pushed things to some purpose. If Geatons is nit nearly so clever as his half-back colleagues, he played a mans part throughout. Just an honest-to-goodness-do-as-best-you-can middleman, once he had pulled John Thomsons scarlet sweater over his head, he kept quite a good goal, if he didnt altogether shape like a goalkeeper at times. Mt notebook shows that Chic brought off several quite difficult saves, one at least a double-handed affair off his knuckles. This in the last ten minutes, after Alec Thomson from the left, had sent across a likely ball which didnt find a taker, Alecs namesake Bert was lying well back now, well away from Master McAulay. Then English, near the near post, turned head over heels; again Geatons, beaten, turned back and picked up the ball from the goal-line almost. Hereabout Rangers might have won the points had they been good enough, had English got the balls he should. This young man, ever up, is sharp as a needle both with head and feet, but what can a centre-forward do when the balls that do come his way come too high or find him covered? Nothing. I thrust that the deplorable accident will not affect his future progress. My sympathies go out to Sam English, as I have already said it goes out to the late John Thomsons people and the Celtic. Yes, Sam was the victim of circumstances. I cannot close without saying a special word for Peter Scarff and Charley Napier after Geatons had gone into the goal frame. Scarff stepped back alongside Jamie McStay, but ultimately came forward again to carry on alone on the left touchline with the object of carrying Celtic through. Once after a solo spin he was beaten by numbers close in. This just before Alan Morton had a chance which, had one of his old-time lobs followed, victory might have been with the Rangers. At this time Charley Napiers defence was grand, with which statement Jamie Fleming and Jamie Marshall will doubtless agree. Charley can destroy as effectively as he can construct. A draw is perhaps the best ending we could have had to such a poverty-stricken contest. The tension was great; still, we want, we must have, we will have better football from out top-notchers
