J Bowie 7
A Cunningham 48
Match Information
Attendance: 6,000
Referee: T McMillan (Hamilton)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
It must have been a very disappointing day to Dumbarton. In addition to being ousted out of the Cup ties by Rangers by a 3-0 score, the crowd – or rather, the want of it – must have given them a painful feeling. That only 5000 people paid for admission to see a Cup-tie game with a team like Rangers wants some explaining. Of course, the wretched day accounted for a lot, but not surely such a miserly attendance. I was prepared for a snow covered ground. When I left Croy there were three or four inches of snow lying. But at Boghead of snow there was none. There was worse – mud and pools of water. In such a surface I didn’t expect to see great football, and so I was not disappointed. There was much interest in the game, but very little good play. What there was of that came from Rangers. They adapted themselves to the conditions better than the home lot, and the score might have been bigger had they really cared. In the first five minutes we saw a really brisk Dumbarton. My old clubmate Johnny Browning, got away once or twice, and sent in some good crosses, but Walker got offside, or something else happened, and then Rangers took the game in hand. It would be about seven minutes from the start when Bowie got Rangers’ first goal. It was Bowie’s sure enough. He launched out a long ball to the right, Archibald headed across, and the left half, following up, received the pass. He took deliberate aim and shot high over the defence and past the outstretched arms of Miller. I think Miller ought to have saved this, but it was a beautiful effort, and deserved the point. All the rest of the half was the Rangers’, although they did not count again. The Dumbarton defence was erratic and floundered badly on the heavy ground. Colman and Till were sore pressed, so weak was the half-back line against the Rangers’ forwards’ rushes. Of course, the Rangers’ players made mistakes. Once Alan Morton got clear away, and a goal seemed certain, but he kicked feebly to Colman’s waiting feet. Then Cunningham had hard luck with a clever hook from a cross by Henderson, who had gone out to the left wing for a run. Cairns sent past when he ought to have beaten Miller, and again Morton was at fault when, he had Colman beaten. Corners the Rangers could get, but no goals. Raeside was playing a losing game. His overhead kicking was faulty, and the result was that his forward seldom got a decent pass. Twice I think Robb had to handle. Mannion tried a long shot, which just rose out of the glaur sufficiently high for the goalkeeper to hold it, and Browning sent in a shot with half a scoring chance. Walker put behind twice with long drives, but that was all that twice with long drives, but that was all that was doing at Robb’s end. The home right wing was not of much service to the side. Somerville was slow, and when he got chances he walked up to McCandless, who found it very easy to rob him. Mannion seemed too eager and gave away fouls which did his side not much good. Just here let me say that throughout the match there was too much heat shown. The referee had to lecture several players – I didn’t count how often – but to me they seemed foolish arguments to entre into. Just before half-time I thought the referee ought to have given Rangers a penalty, for Morton certainly was brought down in front of goal in an illegitimate manner. It really didn’t matter, of course, for it seemed to be Rangers’ game, but I thought to myself if anything should happen, and Rangers needed that goal, it might cause trouble. However, that needn’t have worried me, for Cunningham came along three minutes from the restart with a second goal. The inside right had been playing a fine game; indeed, I could write down as the best man on the field. Archibald it was who gave him the opportunity. Eluding Travers, the outside man sent a dropping ball into the centre. Cunningham was well in, and he drove well away from Miller, the ball striking the far-off post and darting back into the net. How Dumbarton foozled their chances. Their passing was either short, or it went in the direction of the Rangers’ backs, and Manderson and McCandless were never stretched. Walker was not the Walker I knew as a junior. Then he was a terror to goalkeepers, but for all Robb knew of him he might have been a stranger of the game. Mind you, I’m not blaming the lad. He got few chances – and remember the centre of the field was as if there had been a ploughing match on the go. We had one flutter of excitement round the Rangers’ goal, and Robb tipped a good shot of Browning’s over the bar, and Raeside had a fine attempt. How the crowd laughed when Arthur Dixon went in ‘over the head’ for a mud-bath. But the Englishman never turned a hair, and resumed his job, as he always does, strong and steady. The left wing of Dumbarton put in some fine touches, McDermid and Browning combining finely until they came up against Manderson – and then. Somerville got the chance of a lifetime when Browning cross went right in front of goal, but the outside man, who was now inside to Mannion, made a bad hot. Had Dumbarton scored here nobody would have grudged them. It was not to be, however, and Miller had another hot time of it. Playing well to the extreme wingers, Rangers were always dangerous, and Archibald on one occasion had a clear lead on the goal, but he ran too far, and Miller spoilt his shot. Henderson, who had been fine in distributive play, but not so successful in his own, was the scorer of the third goal. One of those useless fouls was the cause of this. Raeside was the sinner. The ball was sent out to Morton, who was lying unmarked. He lobbed across, and the Dumbarton defence stood still, while Henderson headed past the goalkeeper. It was all so simple, but it served the home team right. Neither Colman nor Till cleared as they should have done on such a ground. Till two or three times simply played himself out of possession. With the score at 3-0 Rangers eased up a bit, a thing I thought would have done long before, and the crowd was more interested in the doing a brake club than in the closing minutes of the game. It would be unwise to criticise the players very minutely on the day’s play. Rangers were superior in every department, and they seemed to adapt themselves to the conditions better than the home lot. I was pleased to see Pat Travers playing a very useful game. He tried hard to get his boys to adopt a swinging game, but it was no good. Dumbarton need a few new men. A met Alec Smith at Boghead looking fit and fresh as ever. He was, of course, delighted at the Rangers’ victory. He thinks they’ll win the Cup – and so do I, now that Celtic are knocked out
