Fleming (2)
Match Information
Attendance: unknown - to be confirmed
Referee: T Dougray (Bellshill)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
Rangers had a pleasant afternoon at the coast. They won without having to put up any desperate struggle for the points, and although their margin of victory was not impressive, it can be said that at no point in the game did Ayr suggest that they were worth more than they got. It is true that there were times when the Rangers defence was in Queer Street. On most of these occasions the danger came through Robertson, whose speed worried McDonald considerably. Had Ayr plied their flying winger with the ball, they might have come better out of the match than they did. It did not play them to keep sending the ball though the centre to McGibbon. The dry ball was very difficult to keep on the ground, and in the air Simpsons height simply dominated the centre. Even when it bounced, the hard ground made it get up so high that the centre-halfs task was made easy. And when the ball was on the ground, it was a question of the longer legs reaching it. McGibbon had two fine scoring efforts near the end when he got clear but was not in lucks way. As a team Ayr did not make a great show. Ure was not in his beat form, and the half-backs were not heavy enough to combat Rangers combined movements. Brae was a weak link in that attack; I have seen him play many better games. Brannan did not concentrate enough on the ball, and Rodger had nothing up his sleeve when he came up against Gray. Fleming, who got both Rangers goals cleverly, was a dashing leader, but like all the rest of the forwards was inclined to try too much fancy work with the ball. Perhaps they felt safe enough as things were going, but their jugglery seldom took them anywhere. Smith did all his effective work in the first half. Brown was the most attractive of the Rangers half-backs. He covered up well and did some fine forcing work. Meiklejohn and Simpson were both effective in defence. Gray was sound, but McDonald had not a good day. Both goalkeepers did well, with Dawson the more polished. Ayr had dome more of the pressing when Rangers opened the scoring fourteen minutes after the start. It was Smith who led up to the goal, his fine cross from an awkward position being returned by Main and flicked through by Fleming. Before this goal, and again after it Simpson, by missing the ball, left McGibbon scoring chances. The second came so unexpectedly that the centre could hardly be blamed for sending wide, but the first should have been put to advantage. Smith at one end, and Brannan at the other struck the woodwork, and then in 28 minutes, came Rangers second. Two Ayr defenders went up along with Fleming for Mains cross, but he beat both and nodded the ball past Wilson. In the second half, interest flagged. Rangers were definitely on top, and Ayrs attacks, energetic enough, lacked system
