J Smith 22
Wilson 80
Match Information
Attendance: 20,000
Referee: J.M. Martin (Fife)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
Unbeaten in seven weeks, Clyde came again to give the Rangers a razzing they havent had for a long time and collect a point that might have been two had the most been made of just one of the two free-kicks in front of goal in the second half. It was a rousing game, given breath-catching uncertainty by the slippery pitch and greasy ball. From the start, the Clyde defence showed by their quick tackling and eager marking that they had no intention of allowing Rangers to settle to their deadly passing game. Aided in their task by the conditions, they found time to give their own attack a lift and Jenkins, substituting Dawson, had quite as much to do as Brown. Rangers needed all their pull at Half-back to keep Clyde out, and it may give you an idea of how badly rattled the Ibrox defence was, when I tell you that big Jimmy Simpson fell back on one occasion on the old last resort of using his hand to stop the ball when beaten. You dont expect that from Rangers. But Clyde didnt have the luck. It was against the run of the game that Rangers scored after 35 minutes. Overeagerness, it seemed to me, led to the Clyde defences downfall. The ball came over from the left, and Brown got down to push it out with Kirk and Hickie hovering around. The ball, not properly cleared, slithered out to the unmarked Smith, and Jimmy knew what to do. Paddy Travers had a word with the Clyde players on the field at half-time, but it didnt seem to have the effect, for at one stage of the second half Rangers, more settled like, seemed to have the game in hand. Still, they couldnt get past Kirk and Hickie, who definitely played the game of their lives, time after time breaking up Rangers raids. Then Clyde took over and had they had a couple of bashers in the front line they might have put on three. Hope had shifted into centre to let Wilson, lamed early in the game in a clash with Simpson, go on to the wing, and he had the Light Blues defence almost biting their nails in nervousness with his flashing headers and quick-stabbing runs. It was all prelude to a great goal by the crippled Wilson. With twelve minutes still to run, and Clyde pressing round the Rangers goal, the ball came out to the centre-turned-winger, who flashed a great right-foot shot straight into the right-hand corner of the net with Jenkins helpless. That was the finish. Rangers had switched Thornton into centre and Smith on to the wing, but it brought them nothing. All the praise goes to the defences, first to Clydes Kirk and Hickie, because they subdued the men with the reputations, then to Gray and Winning for their dour defending against as eager a bunch of forwards as they are likely to meet this season. You cant put this poor display of Rangers sown entirely to the absence of Dawson, McPhail and Main. If so Ibrox is in a bad way. They failed because their attack never got going, and it didnt get going because the half-backs were wholly occupied with the Clyde forwards and even the shift of Simpson to right half and McKillop to centre didnt get them far beyond the defending stage. Bully Wee Clyde. This wasnt relegation football
