Main 21
Missed Penalties
Gray pen miss <45
Match Information
Attendance: 20,000
Referee: M.C. Hutton (Glasgow)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
Those people who declared that Hibs had not the ghost of a chance against Rangers were wrong; absolutely wrong. As a matter of fact, the easter Road men held the lead for nearly 40 minutes. And they might have held it longer but for a mistake in tactics. Instead of going out to worry their opponents as they had done in the first half, they set out after the interval with the obvious intention of striving to hang on to the goal lead which they had held since the game was 22 minutes old. Watson, who had been drafted into the centre-half position in consequence of the absence of Miller through a poisoned foot, became more or less a third back, while Dick endeavoured to spread himself over the centre and right back positions. The result was that Morton and McPhail got room to develop their game. And these were the men who pulled the match out of the fire for Rangers. Their play was after the style of what one has grown to expect from the Ibrox side; that of the others was not. Mind you, I am not suggesting that the winners were not entitled to their success. On their second half showing they undoubtedly were, but they got a great fight from their lowly opponents. This was due largely to the bustling first-time tactics pursed by Hibs. Little opportunity was allowed the Rangers of settling to a game. From the beginning Alan Morton was the man who caused most trouble to the Easter Road defenders. At the start, however, Hibs gave as good as they got. MacFarlane made a surprisingly fine show at inside-left and was more than once dangerous. As pass of his let Bradley nicely away, but the old St Roch boy shot badly. A clever bit of combination between McPhail and Marshall carried Rangers along. McPhails finishing drive was well on the mark, and Dudgeon did well to turn the ball over for a corner. Hibs young goalkeeper again distinguished himself in coping with a hard shot from Meiklejohn. Rangers had been pressing for a bit when the Hibs forwards raced off. Brown chased after a ball, turned it in almost from the bye-line, and Main put his side ahead with a good shot. The Ibrox men fought back desperately but ineffectively. They found it terribly hard to shake off those hustling, bustling opponents. Then a penalty kick came to their aid, but even that failed to help them, Gray driving the ball against the crossbar and a Hibernian defender putting it past for a corner. Morton certainly was tripped, but the affair seemed purely accidental, and the award roused the ire of the crowd. Pushed on by their half-backs, the Ibrox forwards made a better impression after the interval. Archibald soon sent the ball into the net from a cross from Morton, but just then the whistle had gone for offside. Not much had been seen of Archibald, but he came away now and swung in an awkward shot, which Dudgeon stopped in splendid style. Almost fifteen minutes had gone when the finest bit of play in the whole game produced the equalising goal, Cleverly Morton tricked several opponents. Cleverly he slipped the ball back to his partner, and McPhail drove it into the net. Hibs fought back pluckily, but they were obviously fighting a losing battle now. Nine minutes from the end another pass from Morton enabled McPhail to put Rangers ahead. The first goal was really Mortons, the second that of McPhail, who drove home a great shot beyond the reach of Dudgeon. Before the final whistle blew Dudgeon made the save of the day in preventing Marshall from scoring with a ball that came over from Archibald. Hibs had not often been dangerous this half. Brown got in a shot on one occasion, and on another Hamilton was bundled over the line for a corner, but from the time the equalising goal was scored a Rangers win was always in sight. It was a deserved win, but not a great win. Not much complaint could be found with the Ibrox rear lines, in which Gray was seen to special advantage. The half-backs, however, were not quite at their best. They came away their forward passes were not too good. Two of the men in front stood out above their fellows, but they got more rope than the others. Morton made himself a great source of danger to the Hibs defence. Alan was the No 1 man. McPhail came next. The left-wing pair served up some delightful bits of play, but there was a lack of cohesion on the right. While a hard worker, Marshall failed to keep Archibald plied with the ball. Nor did McGowan come in anything. Before the game was done Hibs owed a lot to their goalkeeper. This young Dudgeon boy kept his end up splendidly and made many a fine save. Watson is another youngster who deserves a word of praise. The Stoneyburn boy came well out of his first League test. As a defender he was excellent. Wilkinson and Urquhart, a study back pair, had much to do with the creditable show made by their side. Brown, a whole-hearted worker, was the pick of the forwards, although MacFarlane showed sufficient adept-ability to suggest that if Hibs can spare him from their half-back line, he would make a most useful man for the support position. One berth in the Easter Road front left clear room for improvement. Clelland was slow, and not a bit impressive. Gray missed a first half penalty
