English (2)
Missed Penalties
B McPhail pen miss
Match Information
Attendance: 13,000
Referee: D.F. Reilly (Port Glasgow)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
I must be unfortunate in seeing Rangers play, for at Aye as at Motherwell they were far below the class one would expect from a team of their reputation. Only on a few occasions did they display their old confidence and combination, and that when the game was well advanced. Why this should have been I am at a loss to know, as truth to tell, their opposition was extremely poor that in a way may account for it but the fact remains that the Light Blues did not play like champions. The swirling wind, the light ball, and the tick coating of grass may all have combined to spoil their game, but in my opinion players of the ability of the Ibrox representatives should have risen above these handicaps. At times their positional play was well nigh perfect, but when it came to exacting payment, the forwards seemed lost. Hepburns saves were practically all from Fleming, and some splendid efforts he made, but if the outside right had aimed for the far post instead of that next to him the Ibrox total would have been a tall one. The outside right got some rare opportunities, and certainly made a lot of them in so far that he went through and shot hard enough, but his direction was the same, except on one occasion when he had Hepburn well beaten but got the crossbar. The efforts of the other forwards so far as shooting was concerned amounted to nothing barring the opening goal by English a beauty from 15 yards range. For the greater part of the first half the game was extremely scrappy but let me say there was never any doubt as to which side would ultimately win. As time wore on Ayr seemed to lose their awe for their famous opponents and gave Dawson and his backs quite a lot of bother. During the last ten minutes of the first half, they had a slight advantage and had they equalised at that period we might have had a better game. Rangers should have had a commanding lead at the interval. That first minute miss of a penalty-kick by McPhail was inexcusable a goal then would have simply killed Ayr, but the inside left sent it yards wide. Strange to say Bob was responsible for even a worse blunder when a minute after the restart he sent high and wide a ball from three yards out, with Hepburn on the ground. The next minute, however, he made amends by heading through from Nicholsons cross, and then the Light Blues improved. What shall I say about Ayr. The players all tried hard but appeared to me to be a team of misfits. Combination was entirely missing, except on a few belated occasions and positional play never in evidence at all. Now and again, we had clever enough individual flashes, but team work was entirely absent. Hepburn was Ayrs big man he was blameless so far as the goals were concerned and presented a stout barrier to rangers only real marksman Fleming. The backs were stoppers but crude, and McLeod the only half-back who mattered. Merrie worked hard but to little purpose and was fearfully clumsy and slow to turn. Brae showed some clever footwork he fairly puzzled Gray at times, but I think he is lost on the line. Tolland tried hard to get his line going, but the others couldnt rise to it. Taylor scored Ayrs goal to his own surprise, I think, and did nothing else of note, while McGillivray seemed lost at outside-right. Dawson had some good saves he was not over-confident, however, and certainly should not have permitted Taylors soft shot to get past him. Gray has often done better; he was not so decisive in his tackling as I have seen him; not did McAuley kick nearly so well as he generally does. Meiklejohn played a serviceable game at right half and found time to bob up in his old place when Ayr were lobbing the ball into goal. Simpson lay far back, and came through with credit while Brown, playing well enough, was inclined to keep the game too close. Now for English, whom I was seeing for the first time. I liked him and believe he will get a lot of goals for Rangers. The lad has plenty of pluck, a good turn of speed which will improve with proper training such as he will get at Ibrox, he can shoot, and had fairly good control. He took his goals cleverly, the first from fifteen yards, out after being put through by McPhail, and the second from an awkward angle, although he was clearly offside. Fleming did a lot of running and shooting I have already touched on the latter he was quite useful, and the same may be said if Nicholson, but both should have been used more, particularly in the first half. Marshall and McPhail were far too confined in their work until late on in the game. The former did many clever things and other not clever and is too prone to ger into the middle. English opened the scoring twenty-one minutes after the start, and McPhail added the second two minutes after the interval. Twenty minutes later English got Rangers third, and at the half-hour Taylor got Ayrs one and only. Thirteen thousand spectators witnessed a hard game but lacking in much good plat. McPhail missed a 1st minute penalty
