A Venters 47
J Smith 49
Kennedy 81
Match Information
Attendance: 39,699
Referee: J.M. Martin (Fife)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
Im glad I took my stop-watch to Hampden with me. It will save a lot of argument about Rangers two sensational goals just after the interval. The first one came after a minute and a halfs play. And the second, exactly 50 seconds later! Two goals inside a minute! Talk about Yankee hustle! The sad thing is they were the softest scored imaginable. When Venters got a lucky rebound from a defender and shot from 18 yards 1t was a goalies dream easy to touch round. Muir, however, made it a nightmare. He took so long to reach the ground you could almost hear his bones creaking. And the ball skedaddled under his body over the line. Almost from the centre kick Rangers came upfield again. Smith got through. Muir dashed out to stop him and the ball ran to the right wing. But the keeper went down and stayed down. Fiddes managed to get the ball across amid great excitement as Third fans called for a stoppage because of Muirs injury. Smith fastened on and glided the ball into the empty goal. A sickly kind of score, but quite legitimate none the less. And there were Third Lanark, two goals down within a minute, in a fashion that must have well-nigh knocked the stuffing out of them. As it happened, however, the Cathkin fellows had a deal more stuffing than appeared. They rallied their forces and put Rangers through a grilling for a time. One amazing scene roused the crowd. Dawson was hustled off a high ball. It fell plump in the goalmouth. Jones shot and hit the rising keeper with it. Kinnaird smacked it back for the empty goal and it hit the still staggering keeper again. Finally, Kennedy smacked it in beat Dawson this time but Gray appeared on the line in time to desperately shove out his foot and save the day! No wonder Kennedy looked across at Jones and shook his head as if to say, What s the use? For twice in the first half, practically the same scene had been enacted. As it was, Third were responsible for the best goal of the match. Dewar ran back and collected a ball in his own half. Kennedy immediately ran forward into Neillys berth. Simpson was thus caught on the one leg when Dewars forward pass came through. Kennedy bored down towards the right and then released a beautifully placed grounder which beat Dawson all ends up. There were only nine minutes to go, however. Still, Dewar had the chance of a lifetime shortly afterwards, but he headed narrowly over the bat with the nearest Ranger six yards away. And so, the Cup came to the Ibrox sideboard for the 24th time. I hope its nit the same sideboard, but its certainly the same cup. Neither team played really well. Rangers had occasional moments when there seemed to be twenty of them on the field, so precise and immediate was their passing. But they had other moments when he had to look for them. Over all, they showed slightly the more team sense. But I cant help feeling they got most of the breaks that were going. At the same time, Third Lanark had largely themselves to blame. Despite the fact that their wing men were rather spinless, they made quite a few chances with ease and wrecked them with greater ease! Dewars passing was atrociously short. Invariable Brown or McKillop would nip in and clear the decks. Kennedy or Jones could never have reached them first unless somebody had given them the impetus of a kick on the pants. Apart from the three goals scenes Ive described, the Ibrox defence was seen in a very good light. And there wasnt much wrong with the Cathkin last line either, when we forget Muirs lapse. The keepers had some fine saves. I thought the Ibrox fellows had a slight pull at half-back. Brown was always messing up a Cathkin scheme, while Simpson shassied round his beat with the familiar slouch that is as deceiving to the crowd as to the opposing forwards. McKillop too, had a fine afternoon. Black played strongly for Third and had a very satisfactory time against the mighty Smith. Blair and McInnes were keen foragers all through, but Ive seen both of them much better in releasing the ball. Jimmy Smith should have had more goals. Venters had a good game, but Turnbull needs to be run in. Im thinking of cars, not jails! Hart must be excused for his mediocre showing, but there was no such excuse for the pitiful shooing of Kinnard on the other wing. Kennedy took his goal like a champion but seemed to disappear for long spells. Dewar took Simpson for a walk mow and again. Sometimes he came back without him. But oftener it was just Simpson who came back. I wonder if anyone can get this boy Jones working on the right lines. A human dynamo . . . But leaking all over. Valuable power is running to nothing. If this unusual and highly-sought energy could be properly harnessed, what a player Jones could be! All in, it wasnt a very good game. But Ive seen a lot worse. At sometime, Id like to think Rangers did more to win the Cup on the other twenty-three occasions!
