W Waddell 17
Thornton 25, 48
Match Information
Attendance: 20,000
Referee: R.C. Scott (Glasgow)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
So devasting were Rangers that not for one minute out of the ninety did Ayr get a chance to show their powers. All the time they were doing the chasing. This 1939 Rangers outfit strikes me as a rare blend of speed and strength. Especially strength! Oh, boy! Those Shoulders! Now Im convinced Mr Struth takes with him an inch tape instead of a pen when he goes to sign a player. Frankly, it was no race right from the start. Bolt and Symon seemed to be everywhere, killing balls and rolling them forward for the eager attackers to gobble up. And did Venters and co respond? The fourth goal tells the own tale. Yet this total might easily have been doubled. But wait. Youre dying to know how McNee fared. Well Chris was a real success. From three of his flash back passes goals were scored. Of course, mark you; he got every opportunity to shine. Venters took him right under his wing and nursed him along. And if little Alex was nurse to McNee, he was a pain to the whole Ayr team. Every time he got the ball the entire Ayr defence seemed to get struck with paralysis. So just picture how he revelled in that. Without a doubt Venters stood out the personality man of the match. And take it from me; it took super-stuff to stand out in this Rangers front rank. The goals were all of the unselfish kind. You know what I mean. If a colleague is better placed for a shot, then give it to him. Take the first. It arrived when we were all convinced that it was only a matter of time. Waddells cross was to the strong side. It flashed across goal. Thornton chased the ball when many a centre would have let it go. He retrieved it on the bye-line and whipped it back to McNee. Chris sized up the position, saw Waddell unmarked, and planted the ball right in front of him. Willie didnt stop to whistle Waddell-a-dae. No. From six yards range he let go. Hall was beaten to the world. Rangers took things easy for a while, and almost paid the price. In a breakaway Thom got his head to the ball to bring out a great Dawson save. But verily Thom cannot do that against Rangers and get away with it. Up galloped the Light Blues and chalked up number two. Fiddes beat Mayes about midfield for position. He carried right on and shot. The ball seemed to be going past the far-away post, when in came Thornton to carry it into the net on his chest. These are the chances which come the way of the player who is always up. So Rangers turned round with a two-goal lead. To me they looked as if they were plating well within themselves. When a side starts deliberately playing the off-side game I take it that they are flying the distress signal. Ayr definitely decided that was the only way to stop this Venters-McNee carry-on. So, when Venters got through to score, his goal was chalked off for off-side. This made Rangers more careful, but they soon demonstrated how actual skill can succeed. McNee carried the ball right up to the bye-line. Hall went to narrow the angle. Over came McNees cross. Thornton rose to it like a bird and headed strongly home. Ayr essayed a rally which only brought home the fact that Dougie Gray is still the unchallenged champion at kicking balls off the goal-line. Dimmer got right in on Dawson. Actually, he beat Jerry with a carefully-placed shot. It seemed a certain scorer when up bobbed Gray to scramble clear. And that broke any heart which Ayr had left. It was not last weeks brilliant sunshine which made them feel well tanned. No! It was the perkiness of this Rangers attack which made goalscoring so easy. The only cheer the Ayr fans got was when Venters stupidly kicked the ball away, and the referee made him go and fetch it. Eventually the jeers riled Alex so much he decided to add another goal. McNee again did the spadework. Venters plunged into the obvious position for the cross. No Ayr fishermans net ever had a bigger bulge than had the net behind Hall once Venters had finished matters. Now what can I say to the Ayr lads? First impressions were certainly anything but good. But then, they wont be up against a side playing like this every week. Hall had no chance with the goals. Dyer and Strain were out of position a lot, but actually they never really got a chance of getting into their proper positions. Cox and Mayes tried hard to turn the tide. Against weaker oppositions they might have succeeded, but so often were they back helping in defence they got little chance to support the forwards. And, with little support, what could Clark, McGibbon, and co do against such stuff as Gray and Shaw? Youre right. Practically nothing! How I could use the superlative when talking of Rangers. But I wont. Not until I really know the class of this Ayr side. Shaw is the big man in a big defence. Oh, no! Im not to differentiate between the other. Each one was almost better than his colleagues. As a spectacle, though, and fir effectiveness, the antics of Venters and McNee were well ahead of anything else afield. My parting memory is the expression of Mr Frank Thomson. Take it from me, if he never sees this Rangers eleven again, it will still be too soon.
