Divers 2
A Venters pen 47
Brown 49
Match Information
Attendance: 30,000
Referee: M.C. Dale (Glasgow)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
Celtic were done Brown yesterday. In a game crammed with offensives and offences, it was a fitting snub to the fighting footballers that George (velvet-feet) Brown should beat them all to it. It came with the scorers one-each. Innocence was written all over McKillops face as he intercepted and then prodded the ball forward to the dancing Thornton. Willie Lyon was completely deceived by the young centres back-heeler to Brown, who releases a first-time hook-shot which, appropriately enough, hung itself high up in the far side curtains. Luck plays a big part in such scores, of course, and it was in the nature of things that Rangers should get the smile. In the next two or three minutes, they had enough luck to win three football pools, back the first three in the Derby, and be out when the celling collapses! But Ill come to that later. Let me say now, it was a game that will be remembered, though anything but memorable. It had many of the things no game should be without and a lot of things all games should be without. It started off with Johnny Divers scoring in Celts first run up. You could have felled the Rangers fans with a tea-biscuit when Jerry Dawson clutched the ball and then let it break downwards and through his legs into the net. There was much expectoration on hands after this. Venters and McDonald went down together and looked as if they didnt want to get up Gie them their gun-shields! shouted a voice. The crowd were roaring now. This was more like a Rangers-Celtic game! Neither goalmouth was lonely for any length of time. Celts were looking really good when the first blow fell Watters was injured and changed places with Crum. Next minute, they had a break when Venters put everything but his back-teeth into a fierce ten-yarder. Smith shut his eyes and shoved up his hands. He may have been praying. Id so, it was answered for the ball cannoned off him to safety. Two minutes after the interval Rangers were awarded a penalty-kick. As an exposition of Venters histrionic art, it was superb. As a punishment to fit the crime, it was a wash-out. The Ranger appeared to me to have started his dive before he was tackled. If there is such a thing as a soft penalty, this one was seeping through the fingers. Venters equalised with the kick. Two minutes later came the bot from the blue by Brown. And then came a showing of the best Celtic this season. If Dawson lost his stripes on account of the first Celtic goal, he promoted himself a colonel now. When he wriggled like a fellow with a flea between the shoulder-blades to beat down with one hand a magnificent 18-yarder from Lynch, he was the old Jerry Dawson. But when he did likewise with a Crum effort from six yards, he was a dozen Jerry Dawson rolled into one. And any one of them was a belly-ache to Celts. At this point. Rangers were pinned back. Then came their most amazing escape. Crum headed a Murphy corner against the junction of bar and upright. The ball was scrambled clear. Back it came and landed at Diverss feet, four yards from goal. It looked easier than backing a horse crossing the winning line. Up went the big fellows foot, up went the Celtic bunnets and up popped Rangers reserve goalie, Dougie Gray! If Willie Struth had stopped that ball by throwing his bowler hat at it, the crowd couldnt have been more stupefied. Yet there it was. The ex-ARP warden hadnt forgotten his old job cover the chink. If I had been a Celtic fan, I would have felt Icike hrowing my money to Dougie and pleading Hey, take it all and invest it for me sos Ahll no need to work any longer. The game evened up again, but those feverish minutes had burned up the ping and the subsequent play never overtook the threatening stage. Celtic should have got a draw at the very least. Smith had nothing like the bother that shadowed Dawson. All four back were sound. Tom McKillop the ambling innocent, makes football easy for himself and difficult for the other fellow. He was torn bootlace to Celtic with his uncanny interventions. Lyon was grand all through. Young Forshaw needs more experience. Thornton beat Lyon only twice, and by back-heelers. Yet he was a fulltime occupation for the Celtic skipper. Venters and McNee hand many bright moments. Watters was very lively until injured. But Divers was the big shot of the line. This is the best Divers Ive seen this season.
