English 51
S Archibald 58
Match Information
Attendance: 7,000
Referee: J Baillie (Motherwell)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
Although Dundee United exhibited superiority both of zeal and tactics in the first half, Rangers dominance from the whistle on resuming was emphatic and complete. They piled on four goals in eight minutes; missed as many more; and played in a fashion that gave the impression they could score when they liked. Uniteds defence, even in the face of this fusillade, could not be accused of cracking up. Few defences could have coped with these eight minutes of concentrated aggression. After the fourth goal Rangers obviously eased up, and the fifth by Fleming was a mere incident. Rangers, judged on the first half, were a moderate lot, but their second-half display revealed them as masters. McPhail was the presiding genius. Taylor was not so accurate as usual in his positioning, with the result that Fleming got away repeatedly without the slightest interception; Penson was the better back and McIntosh, though he might have saved the fifth goal, played a wonderful game. The opening stages were distinguished by one wonderful attack by United, in which McGlynn and Brant were the conspicuous figures. Hamilton first of all had to carry the ball through a cluster of opponents, every one of whom just seemed to miss knocking the goalkeeper into the net. In the subsequent scramble Brant caught the ball first time and was unlucky in sending it past the upright. Dyet two minutes later almost scored with a rocket drive and then Kay, following a remarkable dribble, in which he beat four opponents, made Hamilton save with difficulty. Rangers forward, so far, had only once penetrated beyond the backs, but Sam Englishs parting effort was easily disposed of by McIntosh, who midway in the half, had not fielded a shot with any momentum behind it. English fifteen minutes from the interval, out manoeuvred three defenders and went in to shoot at point-blank range from two yards. McIntosh, however, intervened, and as if by a miracle, caught the ball and cleared brilliantly. McPhail came more definitely into the attack shortly before the interval, and it was more by good luck than anything else that Uniteds goal was not penetrated when the Rangers parting shot from five yards skidded off the wrong side of the upright. English failed without any obvious excuse when two minutes after the restart McPhail gave him the best forward pass of the afternoon, English ran straight through. Sam, however, atoned for this glaring error by accepting a lob from Meiklejohn, which he cleverly hooked into the net. This opening goal scored eight minutes from the interval, had followed a spell of intensive pressure by Rangers attack, in which McIntosh had again saved in astonishing fashion from English who drove a terrific shot from six yards. Rangers, however, had assumed such dominance that all the play centred round McIntosh, who was easily beaten when Archibald drove the ball through a crowd of players into goal. Two minutes later English cleverly headed in a corner kick by Fleming, and then, within eight minutes Fleming ran through easily to score Rangers fourth goal. Fifteen minutes from time the same player ran in without opposition to score the fifth, which was struck so forcibly that McIntosh, though he stopped the ball, could not hold it.
