Liddell 35
Match Information
Attendance: 32,745
Referee: W Bell (Motherwell)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
Rangers no longer have any interest in the Scottish cup, falling by the way to Kilmarnock, who have been a bit of a bogey to them in recent years, by the only goal of the game. Kilmarnock deserved their victory. All through they showed a spirit to win that was sadly lacking in the Rangers display. Were the Light Blues leg-weary as a result of their recent strenuous games? Kilmarnock deserved this victory. Let there be no doubt about that. They were just a little bit fortunate to retire at half-time with a goal lead, but Rangers did not fight back as expected. Indeed, it was the Ayrshire lot that dictated the manner of the going in the second half, plying with a verve and happy abandon that were never apparent in the work of the Glasgow team. I was sadly disappointed in Rangers. They distinctly did not play the type of game that wins matches, either of the League or Cup variety. Kilmarnock, on the other hand, went about things especially in the second portion, in a way that impressed me as their being possessed of the true spirit of a Cup-tie winning team. So far as actual football ability is concerned, Rangers are streets ahead of their conquerors of yesterday, yet here we had a team of recognised stars beaten by two guid auld yins and nine keen and eager youngsters. Strange maybe but nevertheless true. Rangers only period of emphatic ascendancy was in the first quarter-of-an-hour. In that time, they should have scored the first goal, and if they had, they might have gone on to establish a generous winning lead. The fact remains that they did not do so. After that first 15 minutes, Kilmarnock gathering that perky confidence which is the copyright of youth when opposed to more knowing ones, just went out to beat the opposition. They succeeded in doing so, but the youngsters of the eleven must give credit to their two old stagers. I refer to McEwan and Aitken. Especially does my praise go to the right half-back. During the past few years, I have seen McEwan play some grand games. Never do I think, has he excelled the stuff he served up yesterday. From the first minute to last he was superb both in attack and defence. His positional play was perfect. In defence, his tackling and covering-up were impossible of betterment, and in attack he kicked with foot or feet dictated by a mind that seemed to place in the fraction of a second the positional advantage of a colleague or the dangerous placing of an opponent. Aitken was not just so consistent in his effectiveness, but frequently in the course of the game he made a move that showed how old in the head he is and when he did play thus he caused the whole Rangers defence to scurry back and concentrate on the guard of Dawson. While recognising the fact that every Killie player did his bit to achieve this surprising victory, I must pick out two others of the eleven for special mention: Leslie, the right-back and Maxwell, the centre-forward. It is my information that Leslie is the subject, in most home games, of barracking. Why that should be after watching his display yesterday, bewilders me. Without doubt he was given to hesitancy when asked to clear an awkward ball, but that apart, he played a great game. A well-built big fellow, he was always there to tackle, and he kicked strongly, although I think he would strengthen his play a bit if he succeeded in turning some of his clearances into the centre of the field. Kilmarnock supporters would be well advised to cheer Leslie instead of hurling at him vocal epithets of discouragement. In their hands I believe they have the makings of a first-class back. In this game he was one of the big stumbling blocks to Rangers progress. Even the hard-boiled critics who occupy seats in the stand were quick to recognise his value. For once they gave him their encouragement. He responded valiantly. The only goal of the game came after twenty-eight minutes play, McEwan swung a low ball across the Rangers goal. If it had gone past, and Simpson and his two backs covering Maxwell thought everything was ok for a goal-kick. But they reckoned without Liddell. He followed the flight of the ball from the moment it left McEwans foot and running in he nipped behind the Rangers rearguard and meeting the ball first-time scored from a difficult angle. It was really a brilliantly taken goal. At half-time it was my impression that Rangers would at least get a draw. But they failed to bring out the pep looked for, and it was Kilmarnock rather than they, who looked most like scoring. The second forty-five minutes saw Rangers playing the better football, but Killie providing the stuff likelier to get goals. Whereas Rangers played closely, Kilmarnock concentrated on the wide sweeping stuff that spread-eagled the Ibrox defence and made them do double time to cover up their lines. Why did Rangers fail to show the sparkle, the strong forceful type of game that has characterised some of their recent performances? The big excuse which will be put forward will be that they were leg-weary after their tussles with Queens Park between which was sandwiched the hell-for-leather affair at Fir Park last Saturday. Maybe there is a lot in that although there is always the argument that no team of the ability and reserves power of Rangers should take the field unless physically fit to battle out at full steam, the requisite ninety minutes. The truth of the matter, in my opinion, is that Rangers did not play as expected and that, chiefly because they were not permitted to do so by a team that took the field fully determined on victory. To realise their ambitions Kilmarnock did not stoop to anything beneath legitimate tactics, the game, hard and fast, as it was all through, as clean and sporting. There were no shay tactics employed by either side, no rough stuff introduced by either lot. I wish all football contests were played in such a sporting manner. Dawson was all right in goal. The backs in front of him one could not crib at, but when I come to the half-back line I find cause for criticism, Meiklejohn did not stand the pace, and to this I attribute the fact that Rangers idea of what a centre-half should do is wrong. Meek is slower than he was and decidedly cannot recover to fill up the gap between him and a centre-half who lies nearer his own goal than anywhere else. If Meiklejohns full value is to be secured, then Simpson will have to leave his shell or if Simpson is to play the role of defender entirely then a faster, a more mobile man then Meiklejohn now will require to be played at right-half. But I know what I would have. The Rangers half-back plan is further upset by the fact that Brown is essentially an attacking half-back. Granted he is fast enough at getting back, but there were occasions yesterday when he was left, and Kilmarnocks forwards should never have been there. Brown, however, was the best of the trio. Forward, only Marshall and in a lesser degree Fleming, really mattered. Indeed, this is easily the best game I have seen Marshall play, and to my mind he was the only forward who looked like saving the game for his side. I have often been harsh in my criticism of Marshall but on yesterdays showing I take back a lot. Here was an untiring inside-forward of great ability. In fact, there were occasions when he ploughed his way through just like Tommy Cairns would have done. Strong and clever, he was hard to put off the ball once in possession, while he was most judicious in his parting of it. The big reason for Marshall success was that he decided to pay more attention to the ball than any opponent who might challenge his possession of it. Smith, in comparison was crude and awkward. Late in the second half he changed places with English, and shortly afterwards he was given a great chance to equalise. Meiklejohn presented him with a picture pass. The ball reached his feet when he was little more than a dozen yards from goal, but he was far too slow with his effort, which was blocked. Smith, I think is a grand footballer, but in this game he was anything but. English, by his display, only confirmed what I thought of him lat Saturday. He has gone back a bit and is not so able as he was last season or at the beginning of this. Main was poor in this game, as he was good against Motherwell, while Fleming got few chances to show how valuable he can be to his side. I have already mentioned the stars of the Kilmarnock team, with one exception. I refer to Smith their centre-half. Maybe he was responsible for the ineffectiveness of English. Here is one of the best pivots in Scotland, and here again I ask you to consult, back numbers. I picked him out after seeing him in one of his early game for Killie as the goods. Like Maxwell, he has justified all I said of him. Kilmarnock won, and deservedly so. But Rangers, I vow with McPhail had been playing. He is the big man of their forward line.
