Biggs 43
Kinnear 55
Main 58
Black 84, 86
Match Information
Attendance: 28,204
Referee: M.C. Hutton (Glasgow)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
On this day there can be no doubt about Hearts being the more forceful, the more powerful team, but it was well on in the second half, after they had made Gorgie mad by their misses and were standing one goal down, before their forcefulness paid a dividend. They had a constructive power in Robson and Miller, surely the most constructive half-back playing in Sottish football, that gave the Hearts attack all the opportunities to win three matches and a League championship, but the forward line could do nothing with them. Biggs, when he got the ball as he did so often seemed unable to make up his mind, and his mental indecision had its reaction in his clowness or slackness. Its all very well putting the ball out to the wing, but after all, the goal is in the centre of the bye-line. Cant Biggs formulate a plan with his ide men to stop this leakage of opportunity? My criticism is pointed, I think, by the circumstances of that first goal, three minutes from half-time, that gave Hearts the lead. Black worked in with the ball from the left to slip a ground pass to Biggs. The centre was left with an open goal, Gray on his left Winning on his right, and McKillop running in to close the gap. Biggs shot. The ball hit Winning and went into the net. He needed this aid to score, for had the ball not struck Winning the shot could have been stopped by Dawson. That first half had been all Hearts, but there was a difference in the second half that had its opening marked by Kinnears goal eight minutes after the resumption. It was a soft goal, the ball rolling from Kinnears shot through Waughs legs when the goalkeeper apparently took his eyes off the ball momentarily. For the nest quarter of an hour Rangers found time to do a lot more attacking than they had done. Brown, Kinnear and Harrison, with Bob McPhail popping up now and then, combined effectively enough to put the Hearts defence on the run. But it took them the full quarter of an hour to break through, and then Bobby Main tricked McClure very cleverly to run in and drive a ball past Waugh. It seemed that this was what Hearts needed, for with this stimulant and the inspiration provided by Andy Andersons upfield runs, the Hearts came again two minutes later. For their first half work alone, Hearts were worth the two points they got, but they came mighty near getting none. Rangers were the patchy Rangers who were dropping points so regularly after the turn of the season. The old machine-like play was there, but it was very rusty. Harrison and Main alone looked like maintaining the Ibrox traditions, with George Brown a constructive force, but suspect in defence. Bob McPhail wasnt himself: I can cite two misses in support. Jimmy Smith put himself in bad grace with the Tynecastle crowd with his clash with Waugh. Only real Ranger was Jerry Dawson.
