RC Hamilton
Houston
Thomson <45
RC Hamilton >45
Match Information
Attendance: 2,500
Referee: J.M. Williamson (Glasgow)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
When all the circumstances connected with the Tynecastle match are taken into account the Rangers could fairly claim to have carried off the honours of the day, though only represented by divided points 2 goals each. The Ibrox team was under strength considerably; they were playing on their opponents ground; that ground was not in the most inviting condition; and not only had they just returned from an English tour, but they were supposed to be calling canny a bit in view of their big match on Wednesday. Add to these fact the goal that RC Hamilton was denied, and the misses he made, and it will be confessed by the Hearts themselves that they had no reason to fell out of humour with the result. They may urge, perhaps, that they should have got a penalty-kick when Dickie held Thomson, and did something else to him; also that their strong form in the closing minutes should have been rewarded; but we think the drawn game was singularly appropriate. As we mentioned on Saturday, the Hearts made every effort to have the ground in playable condition, and in the morning it was pronounced to be good enough. There was a touch of frost then. An hour afterwards a drizzling sleet fell, then thick snow, and by the afternoon there was slush everywhere. Comparatively few people ventured to wade through the streets, and nearing the hour of starting there was a very small company at the Hearts ground, though it increased to about 2500 eventually. The pitch admitted of the game being proceeded with under difficulties, the greatest being the pools of slush dotted over the ground, and which pulled up many a forward more effectively than a back. Instead of play deteriorating however, it vastly improved as the game went on, so much so, indeed that most people were inclined to forget all bout the slush, and the difficulties under which the men were playing. It was a game of very varying fortune. At first the Hearts looked like having a soft thing on (that is, in a comparative sense), for they shot behind several times before the Rangers ever got over the neutral line; but when the Ibrox men scored from almost their first run up they had the balance of play for a while. The next phase was the equaliser by Houston, got by quite as clever a header as RC Hamiltons and that it was the Hearts turn to take the game in charge. And this they did to such a good purpose that they led at the interval by 2 to 1, Thomson getting a goal with a stray shot. The Hearts went resolutely about their work at the start of the second half, and few doubted their ability to retain their lead, but they failed to keep a vigilant enough watch upon RC Hamilton, and in due time the spanking centre, who was moving about as gracefully amongst the slushy pools as a sleigh on a Canadian lake, drove the ball hard past McWattie and equalised. From that point up till the call of time play was greatly in favour of the Hearts, albeit not one in the crowd, save the odd Ranger in pavilion, and press-box, felt comfortable when the Ibrox forwards contrived to get on the ball, for hard though the Hearts were pressing, the state of the ground admitted of a player like Hamilton rushing the backs and scoring. Thanks to J Hogg, no runs were stolen, and the game ended with the Rangers closely besieged, but showing quite a Mafeking-like resistance, and in a sense triumphing in the end. It can readily be understood how trying a time of it the goalkeepers had on such a day. Both McWattie and Dickie performed prodigious feats with a ball three or four times its ordinary weight (as the players felt on heading it at first). The right backs on either side, Smith and J Hogg cared not for the slush, but took to it like the proverbial duck, Smith had his hands full with Houston and Bell, but Hogg had such the best of it against the Rangers left, and dealt with RC Hamilton summarily as occasion demanded. Neither Crawford nor Allan found the match congenial, and both kicked, tackled and trod where the turf needs to be gingerly. Neil was far and away the best of the Rangers halves; the ground suited a sturdy little un with a clear head, and same applies to nipper Key, whose kicks were sometimes quite huge. One might have wondered where the leverage came from; but of course, it was from a combination of tack and knack. Without RC Hamilton the Rangers attack would have been comparatively harmless, but so far as running and centring were concerned Graham did pretty well, and McDougall gave a tolerably good imitation of Alex Smiths style on the left. For once in a way Houston stood out as the pick of the Hearts forwards. While the haze hung over the ground not a few fancied that it was R Walker, who had wandered over to the left, and was frequently tricking the Rangers backs, while all the time it was the ex-Saint. His shooting was the best on the field, and the goal headed through off a shot of R Walkers, which looked like going behind, was a masterly effort. Bell too was in fair form, and if he hadnt always the better of Smith, he at anyrate had Young pretty cheap. The right wing was not co effective as the pair usually are, but then it was a day for robuster players than whose of A Walkers build, and his brother couldnt be expected to do everything. Excepting the silly incident in which Bell and Neil were concerned, the game was as good a friendly, and the crowd was fairly well behaved. Drummond indeed could have risked playing
