Drummond og 22
Match Information
Attendance: 28,000
Referee: Mr Thomas Robertson (Q' Park)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
The Celtic maintained their past traditions by ousting the Rangers from the Scottish Cup at Celtic Park on Saturday by 1 goal to 0 in the leading match of the first round of the competition. A lusty vigorous game it was played in ideal weather in presence of a muster of 30,000 spectators from all parts of the country. The game fell woefully flat, and was devoid of the finer touches of combination and of that artistic dribbling usually associated with clubs of such high standing. From goal to goal in the centre of the field the turf was dreadfully cut up, and so holding and sloppy that the forwards on both sides were distinctly handicapped and utterly unable to ingrate the passing game to advantage.
Added to this the half-back play was so keen on both sides that neither forward line got properly settled during the game. The Celtic was physically the stronger side, and they lasted the game better, the special training of the team at Rothesay being responsible for the improvement in their condition. Their team moved more solid than did the Rangers, whose backs failed them, and despite a bad injury which necessitated the retrial of McArthur 25 minutes from the close, they kept their hold on the game, and won in uncommonly trying circumstances. If the Celtic forwards failed to score the victory of the team was deserved if only for the stout heart they infused into their movements and determination with which they forced the pace. They were the most consistent in attack, and the more often dangerous. The excitement which proved so disastrous to the Rangers was not so marked in their play and they kept their heads better. The only goal of the match came after twenty two minutes from a corner kick, and was scored by Drummond against his own side in an attempt to clear Findlay’s centre at the goalmouth. Little need be said of the play, which was not up to the standard of either. The winners were stronger at back and forward, and in the second half. Superior stamina enabled Russell, Lonie and Orr to top the grand form which the Rangers halfback line had previously exhibited. McArthur kept a fine goal up to the time of his injury, when he was supplanted by Divers, who was drawn from forward in order not to weaken the defence. Both sides had grand chances to score, and the Rangers temporarily revived when the Celtic were playing a man short. Even N Smith was tempted to essay forward, but they were beaten off. Divers only got one shot to parry which he succeeded in doing at the expense of a corner. There was no comparison in the play of the teams at back. In marked contrast to the feebleness of the Rangers pair Davidson and Battles exhibited powerful kicking and energy in tackling which quite took the sting pot off the Rangers forwards. Battles was the more effective and has seldom given a better display in the position. The feature of the game was the halfback display, and talking the play throughout no man put in such telling work as Russell, who was quite the fittest of the twenty one players. The spirit of the Rangers was discounted by the sterling work of the winning trio, no less than by the state of the ground, and was less in evidence than in any match I can recall during the last three seasons. Over all the Celtic forwards were superior to the Ibrox five, but the state of the ground entirely prevented them from playing the close passing game. There right wing combination was the best part of the attack, and it would be hard to say whether Divers or McQustra was the most effective, so earnest and successful were they individually. The younger player’s fearlessness at close quarters against Drummond was very marked. The fact that he had the better of their first but doubtless contributed to his subsequent success. Divers up to all the tricks of his opponents, risked more than usual, and twice his tactics incurred a censure from the referee. He was perhaps the most useful forward to his team. For Campbell and McMahon although making heroic effort to beat down the opposition were more often difficulties. Campbell was very earnest, and several times he brought his men into position by clever dribbling and plucky dodging, which was all the more meritorious in the circumstances. Once he broke through brilliantly towards the close, and had the bad luck to hit the wood with a shot that mad the crossbar quiver. McMahon passing was faulty. The turf did not suit his style of play, and it was only towards the end that he seemed to make headway. Findlay had the great an affection for beating N Smith to get along comfortably, but the kind of touch the game he played was the means of drawing out his Ayrshire opponent and leaving the Rangers defence more frequently exposed than it ought to have been. Our International backs of last year cut a sorry figure in the game. To me the surprise of the day was the weak play of those stout defenders Smith and Drummond. At no part pf the game did they steady the Ibrox team. The failure of the backs accounted in a measure for the complete collapse pf the Rangers team in the second half. The worrying raiding of the Celtic forwards upset their usual line of defence, for they were too often drawn out and beaten by the wings, and the heavy ground gave them absolutely no assistance to recover. For once in a vital game confidence deserted them their movements were flurried, their tackling weak, and their kicking unreliable. Neither man seemed to be himself physically. Smith was said to be affected by a recent injury. He gave away the corner kick off Findlay, from which the Celtic scored, and Drummond repeated his partner’s mistake when the ball came from the corner into the mouth of the goal, only in his case the ball was diverted into the net instead of behind the goal line. The backs however were not entirely responsible for the club’s defeat, for Alex Smith got a glorious chance of drawing the game out of the fire in the last minute or so when Davidson’s temporary hesitations left the goal exposed and the rangers left winger had no one to beat but Divers. The excitement proved too much for him and another sensational finish was averted when the ball rolled harmlessly behind. The Rangers halfback played a notable part in the game. They had a lot of ground to cover, and in the first half they fairly excelled themselves by their cleverness. They took the ball in all sorts of positions and prevented the Celtic forwards over and over again from settling down to the close passing game they seemed so desperately anxious to get going. Neil steadily play at centre half baffled Campbell and McMahon frequently, while the speed of Gibson and Robertson and the energy of their tackling spoiled the endeavours of the opposing wings to initiate the wing game to advantage. Towards the close of this position of the game Robertson got a knock and had to retire, but he came out with the others at halftime seemingly little or none the worse for his mishap. In the second half the vigour of the Celtic attack proved too much for the strongest club middle line in Scotland. The work the trio had undergone previously began to tell a tale and the fresher Celtic forward lasted the game better. Gibson and Robertson were great for at least one half of the time, but taking the game all through, the Celtic wing halves, with better support from behind, were more conspicuous and more stubborn in their tackling. Strength and reach favoured them too for the ball was so often in the air that the nature of the play conduced to favour the Celts. The characteristics associated with the Rangers forward play were largely discounted by the absence of the invalided McPherson. The inside players Sharp and Speedie did not rise to the occasion, and contributed by their inferior play to the failure of the others. Campbell was the most dangerous of the five, but the defence no less than Hamilton, erred in passing out so much to the right wing, which was being played on to by Orr and Battles, the while opportunities for a Rangers attack on the left were neglected time and again in the second half. Hamilton was reported to be physically off colour, and although he seemed as anxious as his colleague’s diversions in the forward play, as closely was he shadowed by Lonie. Dickie was the outstanding player in the Rangers team. Nerve never deserted him and he kept goal magnificently. Nothing finer in the matter of goalkeeping could have been desired then his brilliant saves about eight minutes from time when McMahon broke through the Rangers defence and shot with terrific force into goal – about the only telling shot the Celtic forwards got in during the game. To the goalkeeper chiefly belongs the credit of saving his side from a disastrous licking for the back play was enough to take the heart out of any man playing behind them.
