Parker
Unknown (5)
Match Information
Attendance: 35000
Referee:
Matchday: Monday
Match Trivia
Alec Smith Benefit Match. All records for a benefit match for a Scottish football player were eclipsed at Ibrox Park yesterday, when about 35,000 spectators put in an appearance to honour the veteran player of the Rangers team. Since April 30, 1894, Alex Smith of Darvel has retained his place in the Rangers team at outside left. He has had many partners. In a playing sense he has outlived all, and still foots it as merrily as ever. Every honour that can come the way of a first-class player has fallen to the lot of Alexander Smith. He has played in all representative games, and shared in many notable club triumphs. Unlike many youths who were contemporary with him in the early days, Smith has not been spoiled by the adulation of the public. All along he has played a manly part in the popular sport of the people. The public have long memories. Alex Smith has been one of their idols. He has lived up to their ideals. The continued good weather helped the attendance at Ibrox yesterday, but the personality of the man to whom they paid tribute by their presence overshadowed all else. The official return was £780, and with tickets sold, and subscriptions to be added to the reckoning, the benefit will not fall much short of £1000. This figure is about £700 higher than the previous best. I was reminded of that April 19 years ago when Smith played his first match for the Rangers in Nottingham, when John McPherson was his partner, by fraternising yesterday with Mt Chas. Smith of Kilmarnock, on the Rangers’ balcony. Mr Chas. Smith, it is interesting to note, figured in the Kilmarnock team in a match at Roker Park against Sunderland a week or so before Alex Smith joined the Rangers. This match at Roker Park witnessed the debut of Alex Smith as a senior player. The Kilmarnock attack that day comprised Chas. Smith, Dr Services, James Campbell, Richard McAvoy and Alex Smith. Dr Services, by the way, acts in a professional capacity in Darvel to his Ibrox friend. I was delighted with the exhibition of high-class football at Ibrox Park yesterday. The composition of the International side afforded a fascinating study to many. It was the first time the most famous of all Welsh players, W Meredith, had played for a Scottish team, and was not RS McColl back to the scene of many of his triumphs after three years’ seclusion. A warm friendship existed between ‘R S’ and Alex Smith when the Queen’s Park centre was a member of the Rangers team. I believe it was RS McColl and his friend Mr Charles Simpson, also of Queen’s Park, who originated the project for the public testimonial to Alex Smith, which proved so highly gratifying to his many admirers. The game bears the scrutiny of critical analysis. As an exposition of football the display of the International side was high-class. While, perhaps, there was not a margin of four goals between the sides, there was no question which team was the superior? The result was a veritable triumph for the more experienced side. In every division they excelled their ‘Light Blues’ opponents. Their placing and passing were beautifully executed. The good football was not all on the one side, but the excellence of the combination over shadowed the home team, which was not at full strength. A marked feature of the closing stages of the game were the brilliant and desperate rallies made by the Rangers to put a better complexion on the result. Only Brownlie’s wondrous goalkeeping stood between them and their objective. Parker scored first for the Rangers after seventeen minutes from a perfect centre by Alex Smith. Seven minutes later amid ringing cheers, McColl. From Brown’s pass, equalised with a left-foot shot in quite his wonted style. Two minutes later King go a nice long ball home, ten minutes from time McMenemy repeated the feat, and two minutes from interval Brown lipped both backs and scored a fourth goal. Thus at half-time the Internationals led by 4-1. James Stark after twelve minutes got the only goal of the second half with a fine shot. All the winning side were right on their game. Making allowances for the centre forward’s want of practice, he slipped the ball nicely to his forwards, and had more than one good shot at goal. Brownlie added to a brilliant reputation by his custodianship. He is still No1. Blair kicked a fine length, and his younger partner McGregor, after a nervous opening, acquitted himself with credit. May and Stark revelled in their work on familiar ground, and Paul completed a fine line. Stark’s placing up the centre and to wings was an object-lesson in tactical successful football without apparent excess of energy. Meredith never wasted a centre, and only once did he shoot behind. The Welshman was a big favourite with the crowd, and his dribbling and co-operation with King revealed him at his best. The surprise-packet of the attack was the Partick Thistle forward. In class company King rose splendidly to the occasion and proved a worthy partner for a great International. On the opposite wing McMenemy and Brown sparkled. The inside left opened up the game with sweeping out passes to the opposite wing where Meredith waited unmarked and profited by them. His intuition was pronounced, and his general display was wondrous clever. None excelled McMenemy in this game of artistic football. Near the close he sprung a muscle and had to retire. Brown’s display was a revelation to many. Its effectiveness was so unexpected. The Rangers’ defence was often exposed. Hempsey, Galt, Gordon, Ales Smith and Montgomery were a shade better than the others, some of whom showed unmistakeable evidence of the strain of the holiday games
