A Venters 56
Match Information
Attendance: 21,747
Referee: J Horsburgh (Bonnyrigg)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
Lift your hats to the Raith Rovers for a truly gallant effort in a game that teemed with incident and had the crowd seething with excitement. In the first half, the Rovers had the Rangers in anxious mood and their supporters, too That fact was proved when Venters scored the goal that took his side into the second round. Hundreds of Ibrox fans invaded the field in an effort to shake the hand or slap the back of the inside forward. The goal was the outcome of a scramble in front of McCreadie following a free kick lob into the six yards area by McKillop. The ball was shot, kicked hither and thither, before Venters stepped in and first-timed it low and true well out of the unsighted keepers reach. Any notion that this score would break the spirit of the Fifers was disillusioned. They fought back spiritedly, wholeheartedly, and to the very final minute. But I think Whitelaw and Dunn tired, and they were slow on the draw at the vital moment. They undoubtedly took a terrific toll of their stamina in the opening half, what time the Rangers were seldom seen as a combined force. Neither Venters nor Fiddes succeeded in getting their wingers going, most of the rangers forward movement being up the centre, where the tricky Thornton had some great tussles with Baxter, who played a really fine game between two backs of the do-or-die type. Dawson prior to the interval had a lot more to do than McCreadie and if luck at all had been on Rovers side, Raith would have been a couple of goals ahead. First Haywood shot narrowly past from eight yards and next a Whitelaw drive smashed against the cross-bar with Dawson nowhere. Rovers attack was rather ragged in the second half, and it was McCreadies turn to be the busy man. He had a couple of brilliant saves a low shot from Turnbull and a header from Venters, which he flicked from just under the bar. Rangers defence in the closing stages, particularly their backs was strong and resourceful but nevertheless with a couple of minutes to go, a flick by Haywood to OKeefe, who had cut in, nearly brought the equaliser. Gray stepped in just in time to slip the ball back to his keeper. Kirkcaldy folk thought their team unfortunate. My own opinion is that they might have got a draw, but in the end, Rangers were a shade the better team. But there is no getting away from the fact that they got many a fright against a team that gave everything they had. On this display, one hardly understands how they occupy such a lowly position in the league. They thoroughly deserve to be halfway up the table. Great hopes for Raith surviving their fight against relegation.
