Fleming <45
G Brown 68
Match Information
Attendance: 18,000
Referee: J Hudson (Glasgow)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
For half the game at Easter Road, Rangers had to fight all they knew to keep Hibs in hand. For the rest, the Ibrox men were able to go easy and to keep something in hand for their New Year’s Day game. The turning point came when Brown scored the second goal three minutes after the interval. Fleming had been sandwiched by the Hibs’ backs just outside the penalty box. A free kick was awarded, Meiklejohn slipped the ball quietly to Brown, and the rest was easy. Hibs should never have allowed the goal to come about in this way. Brown should have been better covered, but the Easter Road defenders were apparently all looking for a shot, and the Ibrox men were cute enough to take advantage of the chance. This goal definitely sealed Hibs’ fate. Till then Hibs had been giving as good as they got in the matter of pressure, if not in the way of good football. Rangers were always the more sweetly-moving side. They got along with much less effort than their opponents. The right wing did most of the running. Morton’s one contribution of note to the first half was a shot which Robb cleared with some assistance from Dick. It came as something of a surprise when Rangers scored after 33 minutes. Fleming made on with the ball, Hibs backs got into a bit of a tangle, Robb came out in an effort to save the situation, and when Fleming shot, the ball cannoned off the keeper and trickled over the line. Brown was the least effective member of the Hibs’ attack, yet it was from him came the best shot Hamilton had to stop – a clever left footer, which had it taken effect, might have altered the course of the game. This was shortly before the interval. Shortly after it came a goal from Brown, and then what had been a good game became comparatively dull and commonplace. Some of the Ibrox men were obviously disinclined to go all out now. Yet only once or twice did Hibs look as if they might make a game of it. The better side, Rangers won comfortably enough in the end. Tom Hamilton had a trifle more to do then Willie Robb, but neither goalkeeper was over burdened with work, Right through, Rangers were more impressive on the right side than on the left. Gray came into greater prominence than his partner, Buchanan was livelier than Craig, and while Archibald and Brown made good running, McPhail and Morton got along very quietly. Brown may be set down as the pick of the forwards. Meiklejohn was another man who put in a thoroughly useful afternoon’s work. Hibs’ forwards fell a good bit short of their best. Bradley was off and on, but Brown did a lot of running about to little purpose. Dobson was always a trier, but Meiklejohn held him on a tight rein. The outstanding man on the side was Dick, who held up the Ibrox attack time and again. MacFarlane was a prominent as any of the other men in the Easter Road rear, all of whom stood up well to their opponents.
