Thornton 25
A Venters 28, 56, 85
Match Information
Attendance: 12,000
Referee: R.E. Carruthers (Coatbridge)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
Just too good for Raith Rovers were Rangers, and thats not saying Raith were a team of no qualities. Some of their defence had merit, and the half-backs never let up. But though the forwards could often advance in quite taking style, they could not take a chance of scoring. That, as I saw it, was the real blemish of the attack and a tragic contrast with the Raith firing squad I saw last season. One wonders how it comes about. The forwards who filled the bill were Glen and Gilmour, and they did it with clever footwork, which more than once nearly led to a hit on the target. Watson could not be blamed for the defeat. He saved well often. Allan was troubled all through by the speed of Kinnear, but this young man was frequently rather too fond of the ball though he takes credit for some puzzling footwork, and flashy raiding. Smith, like Gray and Shaw, was a finished back, and his well-judged clearances often put his forwards on the offensive. This new half-back line of the Rangers met requirements, for both Fiddes and Symon could give the pass, and they positioned well. Simpson was sometimes called upon to do a bit of save-the-ship tackling and he did it. One run of his away down the right wing showed he had not forgotten the time when he was a forward. Something of a mixture was the play of the Ibrox forwards. They didnt get goals when they ought to have got them, but the strain imposed on Raiths defence was certain to tell. There were spasms of sound, crisp combination, and it was followed one of these that Thornton shot the first goal after 25 minutes. He had not much space through which to ram the ball, but he judged his effort well. Three minutes later, Symon started a passing movement which ended in Venters dodging the defence and scoring a second. Raith showed fight until the interval and Jenkins was all but beaten. Eleven minutes after the restart, Venters got the third goal, and five minutes from the end he registered the fourth, being on both occasions, just where he should be when scoring was wanted. The first of these two goals followed a corner kick, and the second a free kick. The Referee A lot of spectators thought they saw a lot he didnt, but thats not unusual
