A Venters pen 48
Rice 53
Match Information
Attendance: 8,000
Referee: J Thomson (Burnbank)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
Dont lets talk of Alloa pluck, although there was plenty of that. Rather lets talk of Alloa skill. Yes, thats what enabled them to give Rangers as harassing an afternoon as they could have experienced from any side. Audacious, clever and supremely confident, they at no time allowed Rangers to become dictators. And behind it all was a tactical cunning that not only helped them to foil the ingenious schemes thought out by Venters, indubitably the finest craftsman afield, but saw them build up their own ideas that might have come to fruition, but two immaculate Dawson saves and some marksmanship that made them shake their heads in annoyance and Jerry Dawson laugh. I quite realise now how Rangers had to battle with every ounce of resource at Recreation Ground. And I quite realise why the Wee Coonty folk were heartbroken at the result. Yesterdays tie proved just how near we might have been to a sensation. Dont imagine, of course, that the Light Blues were on the run. Nothing of the kind. They played some smashing good football on occasion and were thwarted only by Hamilton and Bullochs resolution and unflinching spirit, but I have often seen their middlemen more definite and precise both in meeting the ball and sweeping it on. Moreover, they did not exploit the cross-pass, a telling weapon with them, with the same sagacity or accuracy as did the Alloa intermediates. Those industrious half-backs right away began to swing the ball about with abandon. It paid. Their forwards, eager and alive, took the lead. The upshot was that not only did they make headway quickly, but they kept the home defence opened up. Then why, why did Rice and his mates, once they had cut into the very vitals of the Rangers rear, suddenly start feinting and manoeuvring as though they must walk the ball through! That is my only criticism of the Alloa who so richly deserved the handshakes at the finish. Only two minutes of the second half had gone when Venters scored from a spot-kick awarded when McNee was brought down. Six minutes later, Rice completed a judicious right flank thrust with a scoring shot that went away from Dawson all the way. And when Waddell, taking the ball as it came off a post far out to him, curled it high into the net a couple of minutes afterwards, Alloa still struggled defiantly. There was none, Ill wager, but congratulated them when once again they equalised. Twenty-nine minutes had gone. Gillan was upended by Duncanson. Fitzsimmons did the rest. Frankly, I thought Rangers should have been awarded another penalty, but perhaps it was as well the referees second thoughts said no for it would have knocked the drama out of it. Rangers went through 6-3 on aggregate
