Gourlay
Match Information
Attendance: 7,000
Referee: unknown - to be confirmed
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
Rangers’ luck seems dead out. They were denied a good penalty at Paisley; I am convinced that they should have been awarded one at Greenock, when ‘Jacky’ Wright brought C Duncan down from behind, early in the second half. I don’t say that such an award would have given the ‘Light Blues’ a point against the Morton, but it might. They were already a goal down. Indeed, they had been that way for some fifty minutes, Hempsey having been beaten by Gourlay – before the game had well started, one might say. And there was an element of luck about that goal. There always – or nearly always – is with these first minute scores. Riddell slipped on the treacherous surface, Seymour slashed the ball across, and Hempsey dived out but could not prevent the clever Cappielow inside-right slipping it home. Then, when the match had still twenty minutes to run, the Ibrox centre was given the chance of a life-time. He rounded Ormonde beautifully, but faced by McCurdie he blundered. It is easy to criticise or be wise after the event I grant you, but to everybody but the man in possession it was obvious that the thing to do was either slip the ball quietly along out of the custodian’s reach or walk it into the net. Almost the whole goal was his own. But Duncan did neither. He smashed the ball against John Bradford’s deputy, and instead of the point their play deserved, his side reaped a fruitless corner-kick. Rangers had the better of matters in this portion as Morton undoubtedly held the tighter grip of things before the interval. Then the Greenock forwards, playing much better to each other than the (by comparison) ragged and makeshift Ibrox quartette, gave the none to steady to begin with Rangers’ defence a gruelling time. It was well for the Glasgow club that Hempsey was at his very best. He was exceptionally lively; he made several grand saves, and more particularly one following a bad mis-kick by Pursell. Seymour [laying up to and often round Manderson, centred beautifully, and young McNab and Gourlay, who practically spoon-fed the boy on the line, did pretty much as they liked with Martin, who was never happy. The Gourock right-winger sped up the field like a deer, he dropped across a lot of nice centres, and on occasion warmed Hempsey’s fingers with a sharp shot. He was the most flashy, as his partner was the brainiest and most eager forward afield. Matthew Paterson passed muster in the middle. Stevenson followed closely in Gourlay’s footsteps, and until he met with an injury which kept him in the pavilion for the six minutes immediately preceding the interval, Seymour did splendidly. Wright was a worker always, but to McIntyre I award the half-back palm. ‘Jock’ isn’t too gentle in his methods, but he is a rare good man to have on your side. Neither Morrison nor Ormonde were great backs by any means, bit both had the knack of ‘getting there;’ and while McCurdie got rid of several nasty balls, he didn’t impress me. He wasn’t nearly so often tested as Hempsey, who I have already eulogised. After they got proper hang of things – became used to the footing, I mean – Pursell and Manderson defended very well indeed, although it was evident that the big Irishman missed the steadying influence of Blair. In a defensive connection, Logan was power, and Riddell, if not quite himself, was along way ahead of Martin – who changed places with Hendry after the interval. Joe isn’t a forward. Bowie did many smart things, but like Riddell he didn’t make the most of Bombardier Scott Duncan, who got far too little of the ball. Despite his failure to score the other Duncan pleased me better than in any former match, but perhaps, the surprise of the afternoon was Lawson. The ex-Shettleston left-winger picked up his passes smartly beat his man and middle the ball nicely. Hector was up against something, too – McIntyre and Morrison
