W Reid
T Cairns
Gracie pen
Low
Wilson
Match Information
Attendance: 23,095
Referee: T Dougray (Barrhead)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
Whether the Rangers or the Hearts surprised themselves most in this game is a knotty problem I have been trying to solve. I give it up. Had you told the Ibrox men before the game commenced that they were going to establish a four-goal lead over the League leaders they would probably have come forward with a kindly inquire as to your metal condition. So, too with the Hearts had you suggested to them that they would come within an ace of drawing level after being four goals down. Yet both these things happened in this very remarkable game. Ten minutes from the finish – aye, cut it down to eight minutes, if you like – Rangers were in comfortable position of being four goal ahead. They were fairly in the scoring mood, and it looked as like as not that the total might run to five or even six before the end. Suddenly a change came over the game. The facility in goal-getting that had up till now been the Rangers began to manifest itself on the Hearts’ side. One goal was knocked off the margin – then another – then a third – and finally there was a great last-minute effort to save their home record. Too late! Another five minutes might have served them, but in the minute or so that remained a corner was the nearest they could get to a goal. So the League leaders fell, but fell with the knowledge that their reputation had been saved from the ignominy that threatened it. Let me say at once that a keener, clearer fight has not been seen in the capital this season. I venture to think that not a man among the 16,000 present – and I passing it may be remarked that a 16,000 crowd is something to conjure with in these days- can have game away from the ground with any feeling of disappointment further than that common to all keen partisans whose favourites go under. It would be difficult to convince many of the Tynecastle enthusiasts that the Hearts deserved to lose. To some extent I sympathise with them. A team which finishes up a game so pluckily as the League leaders did certainly deserves some reward for its exertions. But, then, the Rangers played a more uniformly good game, took fuller advantage of their chances, and a team that does that is not to be grudged success. Right from the start, the Ibrox men set about making progress by much more open methods than those pursued by the Hearts. This was a factor of some importance in the result, because open methods were the correct thing for a fast game that aroused excitement almost to cup-tie pitch. The Ibrox men got settled long before their opponents. I counted four corners for them before even the Hearts got one. The difference was not only forward; it applied to all parts of the team. While Craig and Muir put up a sound defence at the one end of the field, Crossan and Currie frequently got themselves into a tight corner at the other end. It was this uncertainty on the part of the Tynecastle backs that paved the way for the first two goals, which came within easy distance of each other after the game had been fully a quarter of an hour in progress. Both resulted from something in the nature of a scrimmage in the goalmouth, Reid have the credit of the first and Cairns that of the second. Boyd could not be exonerated from blame in connection with the second point. Apparently in two minds what to do with a shot from Scott Duncan, he brought the ball down at his feet, and the rest was easy for Cairns. It was manifest that luck had deserted the Hearts. As evidence of this may be cited a hard header by Graham that struck the crossbar, and a penalty kick with which Wilson nearly brought down the timber. Muir gave away the penalty by pushing Wattie off the ball, but I am satisfied that the offence was not sufficiently flagrant to justify a goal. However that may be, the play of the Hearts during the next ten minutes merited some reward. During the spell of Hearts’ aggression the outstanding man of the Rangers’ side was unquestionably Craig. Though playing out of his accustomed position, he kicked and tackled with rare accuracy, and time and again transferred the venue of play. He had opportunity of distinguishing himself early in the second half, when the Hearts set out to give the Rangers another bad spell for a brief period. Low got in a good shot, and Wilson, Graham and Wattie followed him in the vain effort to force the ball through. When twenty minutes had gone the Rangers went off and scored with one-fourth of the labour the Hearts had been expending in their futile efforts. Scott Duncan made the running, and Reid did the scoring with one of his real old-time brilliant efforts. This was the best goal of the day. It must have raised the International centre a good deal in the eyes of the League selectors, who watched the game from the stand. Willie was not done yet. Just when the last quarter of an hour had been entered upon he found Nellies at fault, pounced upon the ball, and the Hearts were four down! I have already described the gallant fight the Tynecastle men made in the last eight minutes of the game. It only remains to be added how they got their goals. The first was the result of a penalty kick turned to account by Gracie. Pursell’s arm had come in the way of a hard drive from the centre, and though there was little suspicion of intent, it is hard to know what other decision Referee Dougary could have given, seeing that the ball appeared on the straight road to the net. After that Wilson began to balk largely in the game. Four minutes from the finish the winger forced a corner, and then placed the ball so nicely that Low drove home a grand goal. Excitement began to rise now. It went up with a jump when a curling ball from Wilson deceived Lock and went through off the front pf the crossbar. The two minutes that remained were uproarious. As Peter Nellies remarked after the game, the ease with which the Edinburgh men got their goals in the long run was remarkable. The Hearts’ captain thinks the result would have been different had the same luck been with his side at the start. I am with him there, but of course, it would never do for one to have all the luck. The chief lesson of the game for the Hearts is that they cannot afford to tax their powers of recovery so much as they have been doing. For the greater part of the game Rangers were obviously the fresher and more nimble lot. I fancy their will not be many changes on the side to require to regain full confidence in themselves in order to give more satisfactory results. The forwards were certainly a much more dangerous company than those I saw in the match at Easter Road a few weeks ago. Reid got back to his best form, and must be set down as distinctly the best forward on view. Bowie came next in order of merit on the Ibrox side. Manifest improvements was shown by Scott Duncan; Cairns put in a lot of sold work. And if Paterson was relatively the weakest link of the line, it cannot be said that he did at all badly. In the rear Craig was undoubtedly the strong man, with Gordon a good second. Between them this pair allowed Wilson to get the better of then towards the finish, but who can wonder if they fell away a bit at the tail-end of a keen game in which they did splendid work? Muir’s fine beginning held out great promise that was not fully maintained, but the ex-St Bernard man played a sound game on the whole. So too did Pursell and Hendry. The Hearts also had the complaint of ailing half-backs. Scott has not been at all well lately, though to his credit be it said that his play showed little evidence of a falling-off. Nor is Nellies quite himself at present, as his play revealed to some extent towards the close of the game. Briggs must be set down as the steadiest member of a good half-back line that nevertheless fell a trifle under its usual high standard. Crossan was the only man in the rear who touched his best form. Currie developed a somewhat uncertain game, and as for the man further behind – Well, it was not a goalkeeper’s game, and with Boyd as with Lock there was more balls to pick out of the net than there were opportunities of saving.
