MacDonald 19
Lyon 36, pen 40
J Smith 56
Thornton 62
Delaney 68
MacDonald (2)
Match Information
Attendance: 74,500
Referee: M.C. Hutton (Glasgow)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
Celtic scored six goals. But the golden goal of the lot was the fourth. Delaney scored it. And it brought every Celtic player bar Kennaway tearing up the field with congratulations. Because it came at a time when Celtic were so far out of the game, it looked theyd never find the way back. Celtic had gone indoors at half-time with a three-goal lead, thoroughly deserved on Play. Rangers had proved that it is possible for eleven men to run about in blue jerseys and yet look as if they were standing still. The Main-Thornton right wing had hiccoughed and spluttered as everyone (excepting apparently the Ibrox board) had know it would. Bob McPhail had tried heroically to fetch the willing Kinnear into the game. Smith found Lyon thinking a week ahead of him. And in the middle was an apprehension of just what the inexperienced Woodburn was going to do next. All in, it was a Rangers team with neuritis in the right arm and a gnawing pain in the tummy. At the interval, the Celtic fans were joy-mad and the rangers ditto just mad. If anyone had told me that Rangers would come out, score two goals, and seep Celtic out of it for twenty solid minutes, Id have retaliated with the one about the commercial traveller! Yet that is what happed. In a few minutes Smith had poked one home after McPhail had headed against the crossbar. And in the 16th minute, Kinnear, after one of the most thrilling runs Ive seen, laid the ball on for Thornton to sweep it into the net. The game, instead of being in the bag was in the air. Celts were stunned. Desperately struggling to get back into the game, Rangers seemed to have an extra man and Celtic to be short of one. Anything could have happened. I didnt like Celtic at this point. They were playing against a Rangers team, that should have been easy meat and they were finding it tough. Hogg and Morrison started to spin their returns high into the air. Kinnear was rampant on the left wing. Even the right wing got up off its knees. Then, just as the equaliser was looming up, Rangers were knocked flat as my notecase. Murphy, Crum and Delaney broke through. Crum near the bye-line, lobbed across, and the flying Delaney headed the ball practically out of Dawsons hands into the net! A peach of a goal. It didnt only take the wind out of Rangers sails it pinched the rubber as well. The game was really finished then. Celts were in the mood that occasionally strikes a racing punter they couldnt do anything wrong. And Rangers had to pay up. Yet, although McDonalds two concluding goals were gems, they were actually just the froth on Delaneys beer. But they gave the inside-right a nifty hat-trick, for he had opened the scoring in the first half with a low 16-yarder that Dawson could only impede but not stop. This goal, as indeed, all Celts first-half goals was the result of slackness in the Rangers goal area. In 36 minutes, Woodburn fouled McDonald just outside the 18 yards line. There was a bit of a fuss here, and both players were cautioned. Lyon smacked the ball clean through the defenders for a thumping fine score. Four minutes later Woodburn charged Delaney, who was hustling Dawson a foul under the new rule. Again, Lyon hit the rigging, this time from the penalty spot. Celtic ultimately ran off with the game and most of the honours. But that was really alarming lapse after the interval. Had Cels continued that way and panicked to defeat, their shame would have been much greater than is Rangers in the actual result. There wasnt a star Celt on the field. Which is the reason for the teams success. They were all good, I did think a tremendous lot of Paterson, however. Celts main trouble is in taking too much for granted once they are ahead. When a side loses the winning way, its a devil of a job to pick up the threads again. Dawson had twice the work Kennaway. The only score he might have averted was the seventh and the game didnt last long enough for that! Woodburn will come on. He made a lot of mistakes, certainly, but hell make fewer as time goes on. Shaw was splendid all through. There were no flashing Delaney touchline runs yesterday. The bold Jimmy had to fly into the middle to do his damage. I Think Shaw will prove one of the best investments Rangers have ever made. It was rather a shame that a player of Kinnears stamp should be on the losing side. He was a bad dream to Bobby Hogg when ever he got the ball. The Referee Mr Huttons handling of the game was perfect. If he made any mistakes, they must have been during the interval he certainly made none during the game!
