Match ended 0-0
Match Information
Attendance: 60,000
Referee: J.S. Sinclair (Thornliebank)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
If Alloa Athletic were the inferior side at Ibrox Park in the first half of a keenly contested Cup tie, they assuredly played up to the reputation they had gained for themselves in the opening rounds of the competition. Rangers were not allowed an idle moment, and when their forwards were not shooting the defenders were being kept on the stretch. Morton and Archibald were plied with the ball on every possible occasion, and though their crosses were usually accurate, Orrock and Henderson were equal to most demands, while Caldwell fisted and kicked away like a veteran. It was left to Crilly, the midget ‘wasp,’ to cause the first thrill when the game was twenty minutes in progress. Loney had placed a foul kick high into the goal mouth. Robb failed to effect a safe clearance, and it was a good job for the Light Blues that Manderson was in the right spot to kick clear. For elusive and distributive play none bettered Cunningham, but the pity was that his efforts were not well backed up by the other forwards. Henderson had a single-handed run, but his shooting was off, and even during the five minutes that Alloa battled with ten men – Coutts had got slightly injured – the Ibrox forwards failed to impress. A great shot, however, was sent in by Cunningham, and the ball grazed the bar by inches. Henderson then caught up a forward pass from Dixon, but his parting shot followed the others over the top. Probably getting tired watching the futile attempts of his forwards, Manderson dribbled past several opponents, passed the ball forward to Henderson, but again the marksmanship was at fault. That was Rangers’ least chance before the interval, and the ‘Brewers’ walked off the park highly pleased with themselves. And well they might, for they had done nobly. For the first five minutes after the interval the home forwards played as they had not done during the whole of the first half. Morton sent in a great shot, which was cleverly saved by Caldwell; then Cunningham drove hard, but the ball was deflected over the bar by a defender. An occasional run by Robb’s end was all that Alloa got for a time, but these usually spelt danger. Crilly found it hard to get past Dixon, but Meiklejohn had a stiff proposition in Grainger and Campbell. On the other wing Stirling, the old Clyde player, showed that he was far from done. Towards the close the spectators were raised to a pitch of excitement through the strenuous efforts of the Ibrox players to put on a goal. Cunningham tried his every wit, Archibald centred a high ball, Henderson shot, and Morton crossed, but all to no purpose, and at the end the honours lay with the Alloa defenders, chief of whom was old warhorse Bobby Orrock, while Henderson and Caldwell ably seconded his efforts. If the visitors’ half-back did not find much time to feed their forwards, they were spoilers of those on the other side. It was the finishing of the home forwards that was at fault. Cunningham was the master mind, and he was also the best shot afield, but that was not saying much, as the other were poor. The half-backs were only moderate, but Manderson and McCandless along with Robb, were safe as the proverbial bank
