White 90
Match Information
Attendance: 24,342
Referee: J Hudson (Glasgow)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
At Tynecastle yesterday Hearts set Edinburgh afire with enthusiasm by a dramatic victory over Rangers after a hard and gruelling game that kept a rain-sodden crowd on the tip-toe of excitement. The only goal of the game scored by White with the last kick. It was truly a thrilling finish. For a big part of the second half Hearts virtually played with ten men. Massie was off with a leg injury for ten minutes or so, and when he returned it was hirple about the right touchline. All the elements of the dramatic were provided at Tynecastle, for Hearts with actually the last kick of the ball won a game that kept a tensely excited crowd bawling from the first minute to the last. So far as Rangers were concerned it was a finish that stunned, for Hearts it was an ending that made them jump with glee. There is less than a minute to go. Just over the halfway line, slightly inside the Rangers territory, Murray gets the ball. Gray races alongside him, puts in his foot to tackle. Murray slips in the sodden turf but keeps the ball within the circle of his curved body. Gray stands over him, allows the Hearts winger to rise. Murray then tricks Gray, and races on. From midway between the corner-flag and the goal he shoots. It is a powerful shot. Hamilton, at his left-hand post, stops the ball. He does not gather, and the sphere leaps out to the waiting White, four years away. First time the centre shoots. The goalkeeper is powerless to prevent a score. How the faithful of Hearts cheer. They go frantic. Caps, hats, are thrown into the air, their owners reckless of whether they ever come back again. Some of them even invade the field, and there is the spectacle of a policeman throwing one to the turf. The others race across the pitch, sending the law to perdition. The final whistle blows. The Hearts players surge round Murray and White. These two are hugged, slapped on the back aye, actually kissed. And around the maroon-jersey figures is a mass of excited humanity. Cheer after cheer rents the air as the Hearts struggle their way to the pavilion. What of Rangers? They present a disconsolate picture. They walk slowly from the field, as though not understanding exactly what has happen, and the last of all to reach the path to the pavilion is Gray. His face mirrors the misery of his thoughts. He is the picture of misery following behind the tableau of joy, unrestrained. He takes a furtive look at the stand, where everyman, it seems is doing his best to shout himself hoarse. And then he breaks into a run to disappear. I felt sorry for Gray. There is no denying his slackness in allowing Murray to make a recovery that led to the goal that gave Hearts victory. Yet I pick him out as the star of the Rangers team. He may have been responsible for the loss of the one goal of the game, but his earlier play, especially in the opening period of the first half, was such he prevented Rangers finding themselves one, or perhaps two goals in arrears. It was a gloriously hard game. The players, like heroes rose above the trying elements. Te ground was heavy, heavy with mud, and at parts water-logged, while the rain teemed piteously. Despite these handicaps a terrific pace was set. The crowd, which undoubtedly would have been bigger, if the weather had been less inclement, had come for excitement, and they meant to have it. You know that great yell which heralds the start of a Scotland-England game at Hampden. Here it was at Tynecastle, and the players responded to it. Rangers in the opening few minutes made attempts to settle down to studied football. Hearts would have none of that, they tore in, and with wide open assign they make their way towards Hamilton, and then stayed there. For fifteen minutes on end the Edinburgh team were top-dogs. Every ounce of energy they threw into the assault on Rangers goal, and how Hamiltons charge escaped at times was a mystery. Every other minute R Johnston slung balls from his side of the field. They went sailing gracefully in front of the Rangers goal or tore across it. Most of them went to the far side, where Smith or Murray lay in wait. Sometimes one or the other made contact with either head or foot, but very often Gray stepped in with delightful anticipation to foil an effort to score, or punt clear with a cleanly-taken kick. Left-back Hamilton was not too safe at this period, while McDonald was searching to find his feet in the centre-half berth. Rangers, under those circumstances, adopted the safest policy. They indulged in safety-first tactics in a really masterful manner. Hearts, nevertheless, should have scored, but I attribute their failure chiefly to the hot-headedness of their inside forwards. Time after time Smith and Coutts and White also banged the ball against an opponent when a cute slip to a better placed club-mate would have proved more profitable. Rangers in their attacks did not reveal that forcefulness which one was intuited in expecting. Smith was most inept except of two occasions, when he neatly slipped Anderson. McPhail as though looking after his affected ankle was not inclined to put is usual strength into his play. English was gripped as in a vice by Johnston, Marshall could not get the ball to run to his liking, and as a result, Archibald suffered, although when the winger did get going he was not given much rope. At half-time the players retired to the pavilion to loud applause. They had served up exiting stuff, but I thought Hearts should have held a lead. But they had failed to take advantage of many exciting goal incidents, and that thanks to the recklessness of their inside forwards. The second half was an even break all through. Both goals had narrow escapes. Half-way through the period Massie was brought down by Marshall and was off for ten minutes. I thought then that Rangers would go on to win, but Hearts kept going at it, and there was still nothing between the two lots. First one and then the other would get away, but in each case a stubborn defence refused to bend the knee. Massie was off for a dozen minutes and when he returned, he was still limping, and took up position in the outside-right berth. His reappearance was greeted with a joyful shout, and it led to a Hearts rally, but there was noting doing and three or four minutes from the end Rangers by very forceful offensive methods, looked the likelier to score. Then in the final seconds came the one goal, and Hearts retired winners. Maybe they deserved to do so. In a game that was always had and full of excitement, yet never abundantly supplied with football of the clever type, they were the superiors so far as gaining territorial advantage was concerned. Encouraged by their success against Motherwell a week ago, they threw themselves into this fray with abandon. They never allowed Rangers to settle. The Light Blues never got a chance to play with studied effect. They were thrown completely off their balance. It was hard going all the time, but despite the quickness of movement and the keen tackling all around, mistakes were not common. The play too, despite the toughness of the going was remarkable free from shady tactics. There were, as a matter of fact only two stoppages for injuries, when first Massie and then English were the victims. When I say Hearts at the beginning of the season at Firhill I commented on them as serious League challengers do well. Their two most recent results have proved me correct. Their present points total suggests them as serious League challengers. Maybe they will be even better Cup fighters. After reading accounts of John Whites play against Motherwell I was a bit disappointed in his showing yesterday, but that goal of his retrieved his earlier dissipation of opportunities. Johnston at centre-half was a truly fine player; he was the mainstay of a tea in which every man, however, strives to do his beat. I have criticised Smith and Coutts for missing scoring chances. Their outfield work, however, was strong and purposeful, with a big element of cleverness. Of the Rangers lot, Gray was the star. What a fine club man he is, and if he could reproduce yesterdays play in representative football, then Scotland has no need to worry about the right-back berth. Hamilton had a not too steady beginning, but he finished up strongly. McDonald did all expected of him at centre-half after a shaky start, but he is not the same defensive half-back as Simpson. And I presume that is what Rangers want. The Irishman set out to copy Simpsons tactics and succeeded up to a point. He failed, however, when driven back to operate at close quarters. Meiklejohn and Brown were as per usual, but the forward line was not as strong as I have seen it. Smith was the weakest link in the chain. He went in for too much ambling and too little pep. A hard game, which has resulted in Soccer sitting on top of the world in Edinburgh!
