A Venters 15
J Smith 20
Match Information
Attendance: 7,000
Referee: W Webb (Glasgow)
Matchday: Wednesday
Match Trivia
We had this League encounter at Ibrox labelled vital. True, the result was bound to have repercussions with Rangers hot-foot in chase of Celtic and Hibernian struggling to wriggle out of the relegation straitjacket. We therefore expected a grim, absorbing clash. We didnt see it. For protection spells we watched a match devoid of colour, inspiration and thrills, even though it was hard enough. The injury to Fiddess right leg a quarter of an hour after the start, when Rangers were two goals ahead, and which compelled him to go indoors until the interval, certainly upset the poise and rhythm of the Rangers attack, but even before he was hurt the champions did not reveal the assurance and strategy which Meiklejohn and Brown can bring to the side. There was a definite lack of originality in the movements of the Easter Road forwards. Their intentions were so obvious that Gray, Cheyne and Simpson invariably smashed their advances before Dawson was given cause for anxiety. In the outfield Black and his mates disclosed cleverness, but their want of physical power, snap and soundness during the final thrust emphasised their shortcomings. Only Ferguson realised what was wanted. Had the Hibs possessed a forward like McPhail, whose flashes of genius threw the stereotyped play of some of the others into bold relief, or an energetic, tireless forager like Venters, who never let up, they might have succeeded in their mission. But Venters did the work of two men when his partner left the field. Fiddes came back after the turn, but remained for only twelve minutes, being forced to retire. And like Venters, big Jamie Smith expended as much energy a would have burned up most players in half-an-hour. Even if he should have attained more than he did, he kept Jones and the Easter Road backs on tenterhooks, this preventing them for mastering the crippled attack and swinging the pendulum in their favour. With Wilkinson, Egan too chief honours in a Hibernian eleven that did not fulfil what they promised. An astute move by McPhail in eighteen minutes made the first goal possible. He deceived the lined-up defenders into thinking he was going to let go with a free-kick. Instead, he swept it on the Venters, who quicker than it takes to tell, put it under control and shot it behind Waugh. Two minutes more and McPhail drew the Hibs defence, put Smith in possession, and saw the big fellow notch number two with a fast diagonal shot. Ten minutes before the end any hope Hibs may have cherished vanished when McPhail scored with a spot-kick awarded when Jones up-ended Smith.
