A Morton 15
Fleming 25
Match Information
Attendance: 15,000
Referee: Tom Dougray (Bellshill)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
I arrived at Cappielow Park a few minutes after the miniature Donnybrook had ended. The row was over in three minutes. I was on the spot fully an hour before the kick-off, when there were not much more than 10,000 people present. The big priced kept the Glasgow and Govan travelling contingent to practically ordinary dimensions. The first special, by which the rangers players travelled from the Central, was filled to overflowing. The others following were half empty. I was at Falkirk when the rangers had to undergo a fairly hot test in the third round of the Cup ties. There were a few odd thousand there who had travelled from Glasgow who were crowded out. Once bitten twice shy. Loyal Ibrox was only represented at Greenock by a third of the crowd who were at Falkirk. As I made for the pavilion entrance, I saw one decent young chap in the grip of the police. When I met Mr Nicholl inside, he told me there had been a shindy at the western terraces. The row was awful while it lasted. There was a running fight between rival factions. Paling stubs were uprooted and used as weapons of offence, while bottles and stones were freely thrown about with relentless fury. A Light Blue section stampeded across the pitch and sheltered themselves in the reserved enclosure with a total discard of the three-shilling impost for the privilege of being there. I only saw one casualty. A young chap with bandaged head was led out of the enclosure in the charge of two ambulance men. I was told he was taken to the Infirmary. The funny man in the crowd shouted that he would have to get his ‘bob’ back. There was ample room for 10,000 more people than those who saw the match. The hooliganism was an offence against common decency, to say nothing harsher. I felt sorry for the Morton officials, who had taken such pains to ensure the safety of the public. I saw Greenock’s Chief Constable in mufti at the pavilion door, and in was told he had ninety-six men on duty. The local people helped to steady up the row. The result was a win for Greenock. The pipers from Auchenmountain Glen helped to make the crowd forget the unseemly riot. Music soothes the savage breast. There was no further disorder. Even the rowdies who had been mixed up in the riot burst into song in the reserved enclosure when the second goal went on for their pet team. Human nature is a strange mixture of good and bad. The Cup game was a one-horse show. The Rangers had a runaway victory. They triumphed mores easily than they did at Falkirk and were never extended in the second half. at half-time the Light Blues led by three goals, and after that they marked time. The one thing that was wanted to make a fight of it was a goal for Morton in the first half. The nearest approach to a Greenock goal was a stinging shot from Buchanan after seven minutes, which Tom Hamilton dealt with in a way that left no doubt on one’s mind about his temperament. I liked Hamilton in his periods of stress, for he held the ball, and shook off rushing opponents until he had a clear way to thrown it to one of his own side. I was looking for a good show from Morton. The whole team showed lots of the true fighting spirit for twenty minutes. They never shirked contact, and they went into the frau with stout hearts. Once Alan Morton ran in to score the first goal after fifteen minutes, from a Fleming cross, much of the steam went out of the local team. It was a well-taken goal, but I thought Fotheringham should have cleared. The big difference I saw between the teams, besides the superior skill of the winning team, was the fine positional play of the Rangers. There seemed at time to be fifteen Rangers in the outfield and only ten Morton men. The reason was that the one lot were always in position to give or take the pass, while the other team was always bustling along and kicking ahead without regard to where the ball should have been sent. In tactical play the mystery lay with the Rangers. The second goal was beautifully taken ten minutes after the first one. Alan Morton dodged his back in the sweet, easy way so characteristic of Alan. He flashed across a brilliant centre. Fleming got his napper to it was the confidence of a man who knew what he was about. That goal sealed the fate of a team who relied more on determination than skill to win through. I liked Alan Morton even better when he took the dandiest goal of all five minutes from the interval. Once again Fleming had a hand in the scoring, as it was from the centre forward’s pass the dainty-stepping left-winger got his opening. There was nothing in the second half to inspire my story. The Rangers appeared to me to play well within themselves. George French had shifted into the centre to try and improve Morton’s forlorn position. There was betterment in the attack, but one rarely could see Morton breaking the defence of their opponents, although French experienced a bit of hard luck with a rasping shot. The play was controlled by the Rangers. Now and again, Tom Cairns forced a way through to get a goal. He seemed anxious to score, but the wood beat him twice. It was left to Andy Cunningham to wind up Morton’s gruelling. Cairns was in the penalty area in good position to get through, when Kelso got his legs round him to impede his progress. Tom Dougray gave a penalty kick, and Andy finished the scoring just on time. The home team were outclassed and well beaten. The only outstanding men in their ranks were Bobby Orr and Hyslop at centre half. Jessiman was missed. Orr was the safety value of the defence, and Hyslop put in a tremendous amount of hard and successful spoiling. I was told that if Morton had shown the form they exhibited the previous week against Falkirk, when they won, they would not have been beaten. Of that testimony I cannot criticise one way or the other. O can only write the impressions of their latest show. They were not good enough for the rangers. Not by a long way. Every man on the winning side pulled his weight, even if James Hamilton was reckless back. The four players chosen to represent the Scottish League against the English League at Parkhead were in tip-top form. Cairns and Alan Morton were brilliantly effective. Cunningham was also a shining light in the attack, and craig rose nicely to the occasion. All the same, I though Muirhead was the best half-back on show. I liked Fleming better than I did at Falkirk, because there was more ‘go’ in him. He took all his chances and was wonderfully confident. I saw Archibald on the ground. He has a bad knee and will not be fit for some time. So well did Tom Malone combine with Cunningham, side-step and pass into the centre, that I fancy Sandy will have a hard job to displace the young fellow who has got his place
