B McPhail 55
Fleming 88
Missed Penalties
B McPhail pen miss 55
Match Information
Attendance: 27,000
Referee: A.H. Leishman (Falkirk)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
The Rangers continued their conquering career in a record year of club achievement by bowling over the Celtic at Parkhead in the semi-final of the Glasgow Charity Cup by a couple of goals. Both goals were scored in the second half. The first one came along in ten minutes from a penalty-kick taken by McPhail, and the other one on the call of time fell to Fleming. One could not quarrel at the result for the Light Blues were the more assertive company in attack, and their defence never allowed the Celtic forwards to settle to a combined movement. The game was spoiled to one extent by the wind, while the effects of the heat were reflected towards the end in the laboured movement of the players. The tax on physical endurance was ever apparent. An unexpected change in the winning team was the appearance of Ireland at centre half instead of Meiklejohn, a sufferer from groin trouble. Celts had their Cup team. Strong men on the winning side were Gray, Ireland, Craig, McPhail, Fleming and Archibald. The best forward of the whole ten was Archibald, who worked the first goal, and was the chief agent in the second one. Celts were a better side than when last the teams met at Hampden Park. Thomson, W McStay, the half-backs, McInally and Connolly were their best men. A needle game was looked for in this rubber contest. Such it proved, although the wind was a bit troublesome. Ireland was closely watched in this, the biggest match of his career. This tall-fair-haired son of Ayrshire has been kept in the background at Ibrox by having to understudy Arthur Dixon, and then David Meiklejohn. As an offset to the runs and shooting of the Rangers left pair, Connolly sparkled on the Celtic right, and shot with a pith equal to Alan Morton’s. The crowd howled its rage when the wee winger was brought down outside the line, and a howl greeted the upsetting of Celtic Thomson at the other end a little later. Nearing the interval, the spectators were roused by the efforts of the rival players to bring out a goal. Hamilton and Thomson could not be beaten. Fleming tried the head now and again as the ball came along, in the effort to keep William McStay from getting to closer grips. The Celtic back was in fine punting form, and the defence as a whole revealed no semblance of weakness. I was quite pleased with the steady form of the Rangers against the wind. On to the interval there had been no distinguishing feature in a clean, sporting contest without the semblance of any shady work. The Light Blues began the second half with more of the down-the-centre stuff. Fleming and Cunningham worked into position to get a pop for goal. Thomson saved Fleming’s drive, and Cunningham’s was just a foot wide of the upright. Tom McInally introduced some of the tricks with which he mused the Belfast fans last Monday. The artful Celt found Buchanan and Gray were quite a match for his jugglery. Sandy Archibald came into the picture with a deal of hard forcing work against McFarlane and Donoghue. And his spell of liveliness was not to be subdued. In the tenth minute he beat his back, and Thomson left the goal to cover his advance, the right winger lobbed a perfect ball over the keeper’s head into the vacant space. Sensing the danger, the elder McStay rushed between the sticks. There was no time or space left for him to do anything in the ordinary way that as back should. McStay repelled the ball, high up, with his hand. There was no grousing about the penalty kick award by Mr Leishman. McPhail converted. I saw visible traces of the end of the season fag in the slowing down of the play and the more laboured movements of the men. The Light Blues continued to be the more dangerous lot. The outfield play of the Parkhead men raised a flicker of hope that they might equalise the score. A free kick on the edge of the line was their nearest chance for a long time. Everything in the display suggested that the Rangers would hold to their lead. So energetic were Gray and R Hamilton that the Ibrox goalkeeper was rarely troubled. The football was poot stuff compared with the brilliant New Year game. The Rangers were ever a shade more in the limelight, yet their foot-craft did not dazzle. The Celtic half-backs were more effective than in the Scottish Cup final in preventing the Light Blues from running away with the game. Just on time Fleming scored a second goal for the Rangers from an open position
