G Henderson 46
McPhail
Match Information
Attendance: 27,000
Referee: P Craigmyle (Aberdeen)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
Airdrie prepared for a great day. And they got it.! What a crowd there was! Twenty-five thousand, I was told by Bailie Martyn – a record crowd. They had come from Lanarkshire, from Renfrewshire even, and of course from Ibrox and district. They had come to see two brilliant teams, and they certainly were not disappointed. As a rule, you get superlative football when one great team is up against a mediocre lot. This time we got two fine teams displayed tip-top football. In short, the game was a treat. At one period Rangers’ supporters, after being a trifle downhearted, let their lungs have full play when the Light Blues went ahead. I naturally expected that Airdrie, spurred on by the reverse, would put their backs thoroughly into their works, but I hardly expected to see them take the lead so soon after Rangers had opened the scoring. The unexpected in football you should always expect. Airdrie equalised, and then went ahead gallantly. And though they adopted puerile tactics in the closing stages they were always strong enough to keep Rangers’ attack on a short leash. The story of the game is easily told. Traces of excitement were discernible in the opening minutes. Forwards on both sides parted without knowing the position of their colleagues. Halfs and backs booted into ‘safety’ when a quick control and a crisp pass was obviously the ‘proper thing’. Airdrie settled first. Between halfs and front-rank men there was a delightful understanding. Especially on the right, Airdrie shone. Jimmy Reid played a game that alone would have marked him out as a winger of the highest class. His long slips past Craig and McCandless gave Gallacher heaps of changes, and only desperate tackling by Manderson and Dixon kept the Airdrie centre from scoring in that strongly-fought, pulsating first half. As it was, Robb was relieved when the ball occasionally struck the upright. Airdrie, on the balance of play, had the better of the first half. Henderson opened the scoring one minute after Peter Craigmyle had restarted the game. What a beauty was George’ goal! One of the kind you read about, the seldom see. A knee-high ball came from behind. George half turned, hesitated not a fraction of a second. He whipped his foot up, accelerated the ball, and Jock Ewart simply heard the ‘swish’ of it as it passed at lightning speed into the left-hand corner of his net. McPhail got the equaliser. I was glad to see the inside left so successful, for he was certainly one of the most hard-working men in Airdrie’s front rank. Willie Robb just touched the ball but could not stop its progress into the net. Sommerville put Airdrie ahead. He had done many five things up to that point, but his work had not been rewarded until he at last smashed the ball past Robb. Rangers pressed in the closing stages, and Airdrie, hard pressed, punted out the ball on the ‘ony’ system. Calculating play might have won them another goal, but ‘safety first’ appeared to be their motto. A thoughtful comparison of the teams puts the balance down in Airdrie’s favour. The keepers were on a par. Dick and McQueen carry off the honours at back. Billy McCandless was degrees under form, and the Airdrie lads, realising that, shoved the ball out to his vicinity time after time. Airdrie’s halfs were a street ahead of Rangers’ three. Yet the best half on the field was Tom Craig, a darting defender, a crisp-passing attacker, and the best shot of the twenty-two! Forward Airdrie undoubtedly had it. Not one of the Rangers’ forwards was a star. On the Airdrie side, all five played well. Jimmy Reid excelled himself. McPhail was a wonderful grafter, and he looked after Andy Cunningham in his spare moments. Hugh Gallacher never did better in his football career. His intuition, his shooting and his pluck must have endeared him to the Airdrie crowd. Neil is a strong, forcing inside player. When I say that Willie Russell was not missed, you’ll understand what I mean. Somerville had been criticised, but he made few mistakes, and he scored a valuable goal.
