McAuley 4
McInally 72
Match Information
Attendance: 31,332
Referee: G.A. Feol (Stirling)
Matchday: Monday
Match Trivia
This game was contested in alternating sunshine and shadow, climatic conditions. Sometimes it was bright and breezy; on the other occasions it was dull and uninteresting. Throughout, however, there was in evidence that feeling which appears to be a concomitant to a clashing of the worlds greatest football rivals, and I noticed that the referee, on one occasion, brought out the little book. It was not such a good game to watch as the League affair between the pair a fortnight ago, and Celtic badly missed McGrory at centre-forward. F ODonnell depended almost solely on his physical attributes to bash his way through, and in the first half especially Simpson was charged and elbowed from all angles. ODonnell had half a dozen free-kicks given against him for his bouts with the Rangers centre-half. Right at the beginning Celtics youths played with spirit, and their eagerness found a Rangers defence that was anything but steady when subjected to pressure. Five minutes after the start Rangers opened the scoring. Kennaway had conceded a flag-kick which was sent in by Gillick. From the goal mouth the ball bounced to Macaulay, who was standing at the right hand corner of the penalty area. He had several yards in front of him clear, and this was increased when the Celtic defenders fell back. Macaulay carried the ball half a dozen yards and then shot high. The leather had Kennaway beaten all ends up, and it struck the keepers left hand post to fly across the goal, just under the bar before coming to rest on the proper side of the opposite side-net. The Parkhead wing-halfs revealed weaknesses, especially in defence, and Gillick and Main got plenty of opportunity to make the pace for their side. But Hogg and McGonagle were tough nuts to crack. The second half was only nine minutes old when Celtic got their equaliser, which, I think, they deserved on play. Napier placed a free kick across goal. Dawson came out to intercept it, but he was soon the centre of storm troopers and defenders. The keeper didnt have enough freedom of action and he was beaten for possession by ODonnell, who made contact with his head. However, Rangers had only five minutes to wait for the restoration of their lead, and it was scored by Gillick, who was lying unmarked when a deflected ball came to him. Kennaway had no chance with the wingers shot, which streaked its way into the rigging at a tremendous pace. Rangers then produced their best football, and we had some nice movements, one of which ended with Kennaway bringing off a gorgeous save at the foot of the post from Gillick. Celtic altered their formation in the hope of bringing some of their outfield work to fruition. Geatons went to right-half, the pivotal position being taken up by McDonald, with Napier going into the forward line at inside left. But these changes made no difference, and Rangers continued on top, playing with a confidence in the last 20 minutes that was in considerable contrast to some of their material at earlier stages of the game. It was then that the Celtic youngsters perhaps realised that spirit is not all. They must have ability, and that quality was lacking in sufficient quantity to beat Rangers, whose understanding and team work, when they did produce it, was something that the other fellows did not possess. About the players. Dawson was a shade better than Kennaway, whose one or two mistakes, though, were countered by some grand saves. We saw four good backs, and if I were choosing a team, I would be content with either of yesterdays respective pairs. Cheyne started a bit shaky, but he finished not one whit behind the three others. I was watching him for the first time, and he undoubtedly is a stylish player. As a line, the Rangers intermediate trio were superior to their prototypes on the other side, and the longer the game went the more they impressed with that superiority. Whereas Meiklejohn, Simpson and Brown played with understanding, Napier, Geatons and Hughes were simply three separate units, and lacked the subtleties of the Ibrox lot. The Celtic youngsters in the front line frequently showed more dash than the Rangers van, and in the first half provided us with fast-moving football. But they did not have the penetrative influence of the Rangers, who showed more power at the vital time. McDonald was the best of the bunch. I was impressed with Gillick, although there were occasions when he should have varied his method of trying to get past Hogg. McPhail was good, but surprisingly quiet for long intervals. Smith was conspicuous with some enterprising shooting, if it was off the mark and Macaulay played as he has been playing this season. Main was not so effective, and was too frequently spoiled by McGonagle, who adopted waiting tactics towards him.
