McNally 1
Howe 23
Match Information
Attendance: 12,000
Referee: P Craigmyle (Aberdeen)
Matchday: Wednesday
Match Trivia
When I saw Hamilton academicals lose to Motherwell at Fir Park in October, I remember saying the Academicals should have won, at which some people – who were not there – were amused. They played a spanking fine game that day, and it was something of the same game they played last night to bring to an end the Rangers’ long run od success. The one thing I regret is that Rangers were not at full strength. I don’t mean to suggest that the merit of the Academicals’ performance should be minimised one jot because Meiklejohn and Fleming were absent. What I mean is that the match would then have been more worth winning – and the Academicals might have won just the same. It was clear from the first that the Douglas Park company meant business. There was none of the nonsensical W formation about their forwards. Every man in the line was up to do his part. The ball was kept going, and I can tell you the Ibrox defence had an experience they are not accustomed to. It was great work to become a goal in front in 40 seconds. That success had an inspiring effect on the entire Academicals’ team, and there is no doubt it shook the Rangers a bit. The goal was beautifully engineered. Howe seized on the ball from the kick-off, beat Buchanan on the run. Seeing Gray and Hamilton lying wide, Howe transferred through the centre, and McNally dashed in to connect. He tapped the ball in front of him about a yard’s distance, and then drove it into the net with Robertson Hamilton, who had made a desperate effort to get at him, just failing – there was only a foot or so in it. As if this was not enough of a thrill to be going on with, we had another two minutes later. Rangers’ forwards sailed along, and McPhail let go a tremendous left-foot shot when Archibald centred. The ball beat Smith, hit the far post, low down, with such force that it came back with a swerve and went for a bye round’s Smith far post. When that shot failed, I had a feeling it was not to be a Rangers’ happy evening. Then, McLuckie and Howe raced away, and when the winger centred McKay headed in and Tom Hamilton held the ball high up. The clearance let Muirhead away. He dodged Chambers and shot his hardest only to see the ball hit the bar with Smith helpless. Rangers Smith was on the spot, but before he could make up his mind the Academicals’ custodian gathered the ball and threw it clear. All this had the crowd in a breathless state of excitement. But the Academicals began to renew their earlier dash, and in 25 minutes they went further ahead. Moffat sent through to McKay, who then served Wilson. The winger eluded Craig, and when confronted by Hamilton, was unable to ger in his centre. Hamilton was allowing the ball to run by when McKay took a sudden notion to go after it. He got there all right, and two feet or so from the line, hit the ball across the goal. It travelled fast, and with a swerve right across to Howe, who breasted it into the net. From this point up to the interval Rangers played like themselves. A bonnie run by Morton, and a peach of a cross had Smith beaten, and Rangers’ Smith was left either to head home or leave the ball to go into the net. The lad, I think, was excited, and he headed over the bar. He redeemed himself a minute or so later when he shot a running ball from Muirhead and caused the Hamilton custodian to make a great one-handed save low down. But the escapes were not all at the one end. F Wilson ran on with a long pass from Jock of the same surname, and transferred to McNally, who had only to pass to Howe or McLuckie, who would have had the goal practically at their mercy. Instead, McNally doubled back and passed to the feet of a Ranger. For the rest of this half Rangers were superior; and in view of this, I was surprised when they lined up with a reshuffled formation. Simpson was at outside-right; Archibald inside; Muirhead right half; Buchanan centre-half. The Academicals answered this strange move by asserting their superiority and keeping the play mostly in the Rangers’ half of the field. The explanation was that Simpson had sustained a knock very early and was a bit dazed. Then we had another shuffle. Simpson went to right half, and the right wing was Archibald and Muirhead again. Later – with fifteen minutes to go – Craig went to outside left; McPhail to left half; and Morton to inside left. No sooner was this change made when away came the Academicals. Wilson went flying past McPhail and Hamilton, and centred over to Howe, who headed to McKay. The latter shot as the ball touched the ground, and it went fast and low. Tom Hamilton put his right foot out instantly and the ball cannoned off to McLuckie, who drove it into the roof of the net. This happened ten minutes from the end. A little later McLuckie was carried off injured, and a couple of minutes from the end Morton, with his right foot shot a lovely goal. And that’s how the Academicals did what no other team was capable of doing. The victory was one of positive merit. I feel the Academicals did not let me down in my former estimate of them. They were a sound, workman-line team and every man a trier. Smith saved well – it was the best game in have seen him play; he seemed to catch the spirit of the others. Allan has come on since he joined up with Wilson, the best back on the field. They were a better pair than Gray and Bob Hamilton. Moffat was the outstanding man in a good half-back line. The three of them put in a tremendous amount of work, and they lasted the pace all the way. McKay and McLuckie were clever, adroit inside forwards, and they had a fine understanding with their partners. Howe and Wilson were at the top of their form. There were, in fact, four grand touch-line artists. It is seldom you see four so good on one field, and it was a pity both Archibald and Morton had to be taken out of position for a spell. If Wilson would place the ball instead of shooting so often, he would be even better. He could see how useful the placed ball was when his centre led to the third goal. McNally is too inclined to stop the ball instead of moving for position and taking it on the move. Tom Hamilton did all he could to keep the record right, but neither Gray nor Bob Hamilton had a good match. They will no doubt agree with this, and I should not be surprised if they pined for Meiklejohn. Bucanan, while at right-half, caught a couple of Tartars in McLuckie and Howe, but I would say that Craig played the finest half-back game in the first half I have seen for years. There was nothing so good, even at Wembley. His change to outside left was caused by an injury to a leg muscle, which in the circumstances, was especially unfortunate. Simpson was not comfortable, and as Smith, at centre, suffered also from the occasion, you can see that Rangers were pulling against the collar. Archibald and Morton were as good as ever. The wing play, indeed, was splendid on both sides; but Muirhead and McPhail could not get young Smith to fit into the plan. Yet Smith has the making of a good centre. He is only a lad and needs time.
