B McPhail pen 27
Brady pen 41
J Smith 42
Main 58
A Venters 75
Match Information
Attendance: 25,000
Referee: J.M. Martin (Ladybank)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
Rangers ruined this game. Ruined it by their very brilliance. When they scored a third goal thirteen minutes after the interval, the contest as such was well and truly punctured. From that moment, it was a case of playing out time and the spectators patience. Where were the limp, hopeless @light Blues I had been led to expect? This was no Ibrox team with a lily drooping from its mouth. It had teeth and was biting with all of em. And it had a McPhail of mellow richness. Big Bob was so far ahead of any other forward its confoundedly difficult to remember the others. His ability to fins centre-forward Smith with the forward pass; his subtlety in giving Main, Venters or Kinnear the sudden unexpected transfer; his powerful individual thrust; his amazing faculty for picking the ball in his own goal area and catapulting defence into disconcerting attack these things made McPhail stand out as the wonder footballer. With McPhail in this mood, it was difficult to see Rangers being beaten. And yet Hibs had a valiant first-half during which they mist have hated the sight of Dawson. Jerry saved balls no goalkeeper should really get near. One of these came from a brilliant Black header. When Black picked himself up and saw the net was still empty, he must have wondered which goalkeeper was Jerry Dawson the one in the middle of the goal or the one on either side of him. Had yesterday been Neerday! Well, anyhow, I thought a lot of Hibs in those early moments. They had loads of the seasonal mixture spirit and dash. The forwards, although terribly wee sped about and eagerly faced up to the towering Simpson and Coy, with diverting cockiness. They had the Light Blues defence on tenterhooks quite often. But gradually McPhail impinged his personality on the game, and it began to turn more frequently towards the other end. Then when the see-saw was quickening the pulse of the fans and shortening the breath of the players, Hibs got a nasty knock in the place a team feel it most. Main had crossed a ball into the goal. Just as Smith made to jump, he got two Edinburgh hands between his shoulder blades, and the next blades he knew about were blades of grass. A mouthful of them, in fact. Referee Martin immediately signalled a penalty. Courageous, for I believe, eight out of ten of the referees I have seen would have kidded they did not see it. It was a stupid offence. Smith was well covered at the time. But there you are. Somebody had blundered, and the whole team suffered. McPhail scored from the spot. Twenty-seven minutes had gone. Hibs spat on their hands and, as the society gossip writer would save, Got tore intae it. Dawson had a marvellous one-handed save at the foot of the upright. Players got fussy. Elbows got busy. And just when the kettle might have boiled over a simple little act of sportsmanship changed the whole atmosphere. Young McLean, Hibs inside right, lay injured. The crowd yelled. The referee could not stop play. Ball came to McPhail in open position. He immediately wheeled round and drove it into the crowd. The tremendous applause which greeted this gesture was the biggest noise the crowd made all day. Which just shows! I saw Willie Buchan, of Celtic, do exactly the same thing at Dumfries last week, and the crowd responded in like manner. We can admire fellows like that. In 41 minutes, Hibs got a penalty when brady was bumped-off. And the wee chap himself equalised the scores. We were all smiling at each other and grinning Jolly good game, eh? when Rangers went off and got another. Main crossed cleverly, and Smith beat Gourlay with a deceptive downward header. Still, Hibs had dome enough not to give up hope for the second half. But alas, a third goal for Rangers in 13 minutes flattened out the game completely. Brown punted downfield. The ball skidded off Smiths head to Main, who actually put it through with his knee. It was all over Hibs caved in. Venters scored a fourth. Rangers kidded about. A funeral procession with all the mourners round the side. The final whistle wakened us up. Hubs were beaten because they were just not clever enough. The goalkeeper played grandly, and Egan was the finest wing-half on the field an inspiring player who ought not to have been on a losing side. But the others were just ordinary on a day when the extraordinary was demanded. Rangers are a long way off the old age pension list. Venters showed signs of a return to form. Main was elusive and skilful. But the men who stamped their initials on the game were Dawson, Simpson and McPhail and the greatest of these was McPhail.
