Tennant
A Morton xx, <45
McMenemy
Match Information
Attendance: 6,000
Referee: P Craigmyle (Aberdeen)
Matchday: Wednesday
Match Trivia
This was no end-of-the-season affair. No, sirs, it was the right stuff, a game to keep you sitting in your seat to the end. Brimful of delightful football, and won by the better team, on the night. Where the champions excelled was at half-back, and in the person of Alan Morton. The Little Blue Devil was out on his own. If he was determined to show what he might have done at Hampden with proper support., he showed it. Two of the goals were his, both beauties. Motherwell were splendid in parts, with Ferrier the leading man in the piece, but Tennant and Murdoch were not up to Standard. Fifteen minutes before the interval, Stevenson was injured, and in the second half he played at outside right. McMenemy about the same time, got the worst of a tackle, but his injury did not prevent him finishing the game strongly. In eight minutes, Tennant put Motherwell on the lead. Ferrier placed a corner kick, and Tennant sent home with the side of the foot, the ball going in off Buchanan. Motherwell looked like going away to win, but seven minutes later, I saw Morton score one of his finest goals of all time. He was on the penalty line when a hanging ball came over from the right. Getting it under instant control, he shot low and hard out of McClory’s reach so that the custodian had no earthly chance. It was such a goal as only a Morton or Ferrier could take. Rangers were the better team after this, and 19 minutes after his first goal Morton scored another beauty. He was almost in the same position as before when he got the ball from Craig, and after beating McFadyen, he let drive with his right foot. The ball went into the net off the left post with tremendous speed. Before half-time was sounded Motherwell should have had a penalty-kick. McMenemy was collecting a pass from Ferrier, and seemed certain to score, when Tom Hamilton, who had rushed out, pushing him off the ball. It was good judgement on Hamilton’s part to come out, but he took the risk of using his hands. But Mr Craigmyle did not see it as I did. He consulted both linesmen, and the verdict was ‘no penalty’. That ended it. Motherwell began the second half with Stevenson at outside right, Murdoch inside right and McMenemy at inside left. Rangers went along strongly, and in 15 minutes scored again. Morton placed a corner-kick, and the ball struck the referee and deadened. McPhail was on the spot, and with his left foot, he shot into the net. Hard on top of this Rangers’ goal had a wonderful escape. Hamilton was beaten by a shot from Ferrier, but Buchanan dashed back in time to clear with McMenemy and Tennant in attendance. The game was like a Cup-tie hereabouts, with Rangers still moving the more freely. About three minutes from the end, Tommy Craig began a run from midfield. He beat two men, and then Johnman intervened. The ball came off the back to Craig, and he ran on again to score one of the finest goals you could imagine. But this did not end it. A minute alter the Motherwell forwards ran through, and centre-half Craig, following up took a pass from McMenemy and scored. It was clear from the first that both teams meant to win, and the result was a match that should have been seen by a bigger crowd. In the winning side, I was delighted with young McDonald. He is a beautiful placer, but I noticed he was a little bit weak on the left side when tackling. If he could improve this, he will be a catch. He knows what his forwards require, and he is a well-built boy. He was one of a fine half-back line, for Meiklejohn was the same as at Hampden, and Craig – well Craig should, on this showing, have been at Hampden. He was the best half-back on the ground. It was football as we all like to see it played. Gray was at his best in every way, and Buchanan filled the bill exactly. The forwards were always up – no stupid W formation for them. Alan Morton’s goals made him the genius of the line. Marshall was a strong, fighting forager. The attack was fine, as a whole. Motherwell might have done better but the injuries, but as a team, they were not the equal of the winners. They had a great forward in Ferrier and a grand centre-half in Craig, but the rest were uneven. The defence found the massed attack of the Rangers forwards difficult – sometimes impossible – to grapple with. They were plucky and died game
