Callan 5
J Smith 6
A Venters 78
Match Information
Attendance: 25,000
Referee: J Thomson (Hamilton)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
This score suggests an amble for Rangers, and it surely was in the last half-hour. But if Ibrox folks think they can always walk away with points in a display like this, I hope I dont read Rangers official mind aright. They were a poor team and almost sank to the level of opponents who are admittedly striving to bring along a bunch of comparatively raw recruits. And dont run away with the idea that St Mirren were only a gang of spoilers. As a matter of cold fact, St Mirren only succeeded in spoiling themselves for, before Rangers took the lead in the second half, all against the run of play, St Mirren should have been two goals up. With the score one each, Gall cut in on goal, and his shot clean beat Dawson, but lacked the correct angle and travelled across wide. Moments later, Gall put Black in possession with the goal at his mercy, but the centre-forward blazed the ball sky-high. The only vital difference between the teams was the weakness of Baird at right back for St Mirren. Venters was shrewd enough to spot this early, and gave Kinnear sufficient chances to win the game, but it was not until the seco d half was well under way, and Rangers own defence almost in remnants, that everything collapsed for Saints through Bairds hesitancy. As this was definitely the turning point of the game, it gets first notice of the goals. Sixteen minutes after half-time, a ball came drifting into Saints defensive lines. Venters speculatively turned it on to Kinnear, and the winger was left with the freedom of the goal for his header. After that Rangers, once on top, were laughing. Saints could not face the uphill fight and took goals from Smith and Venters without returning a blow. Venters goal at ten minutes to go put the seal on Saints chief weakness, a tip-top pass from Kinnear being a splendid opportunity for a dashing back to intervene. Saints staged a shock by scoring in the fifth minute, Callan netting a header from a corner. Within seconds, Rangers equalised. Kinnear very intelligently placed to the unmarked Smith, whose snapshot was decisive. There followed a barren period of haphazard play, which carried the spectators well into an unpromising second half. Then Kinnear put the final nail in Saints coffin, and a third goal from Smith, running through unhampered from a Kennedy pass, was merely making sure the lid was on. Rangers new right wing partnership, Souter and Main, was a fiasco. Miller profited, and his judicious placing of the ball shamed most of the other half-backs. Brown was another true footballer who flourished on the mediocrity around him. I could fancy that Miller and Brown had many a chuckle. The score does not do justice to Saints. They stood up to it well, and with any luck might have been heroes. Its all in the game, and Saints should not be dismayed. They were not a good side, but played a better match than the result might indicate. A 25,000 crowd showed that they have the attractive value when they can offer a challenge to the topnotchers, and thats always something.
