T Cairns
W Reid
Waugh pen
Match Information
Attendance: 10,000
Referee: T Robertson (Glasgow)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
As we are all boys at heart we like something with a sword thrust in it, revolves going, exciting adventures, and narrow escapes – right-down, brazen melodrama. Of this character was the game at Motherwell, a regular ‘shilling shocker,’ about on a long train journey, and never realise the tome going. I have not seen so breezy a match this season, nor one will it be more exhilarating to remember. I should go a long journey to see such another, but the bother with matches of this sort is the same as looking for chunks of gold in a derelict claim – you drop on them when you are least expecting to find them. The force of the latter remark will be seen when I mention that before the teams took the field Mr John Hunter, the Motherwell manager, believed he had reason to regret the absence of more than one player from the team. He and his colleagues appeared to regard the match as a forlorn hope for them. The Raith Rovers’ adventure was, I am afraid, still rankling. To Rangers, the fact the Pursell had to be brought in at left half in place of Hendry did not mean so much. Ten minutes after the start of the game, the reasoning both sides was being vindicated up to the hilt. Only 5 minutes had gone when a long pass for Gordon to Duncan enabled the winger to push the ball ahead to Bennett, who had raced on in anticipation. Bennett, when he got pass up, was unmarked, and he promptly whipped the ball across at an angle. Sneddon only stopped it, but did not hold it, and Cairns, who was nearby, had just to step in and plant the ball in the net. Five minutes later, Paterson and Cairns went right through the Motherwell defence, and Cairns centring from the line, Reid caught the ball with his back to goal, made a quick turn, and while still on the swivel, shot was unerring aim, the ball beating Sneddon high up at his left hand. I have told you of these goals as if only Rangers had been in the game, but as a matter of fact, up till this point Motherwell had done more of the forcing play, and had seemed much more like being the first to score, only Neil was all at sea in the centre, and the others could not bring any snap to their play near Lock. But this second reverse put some devil into the Motherwell attack, and within no more than a minute after Reid’s goal the whole line from Frank Kelly to winger Bennett were concerned in an exciting tussle near Lock, the end of which was that Young rolled the ball into the net. Eleven minutes’ play and three goals! There was melodrama surely. For the remainder of this half went with a merry swing. Rangers playing some clever wing football brought out the best that was in the Motherwell defence. Twice, from corners placed by Duncan, Gordon headed in so strongly that first Sneddon and then Murray saved only with extreme difficulty. Things ran well for Rangers, and it seemed as if Motherwell had been taking too much out of themselves when away they came again. Kelly ran almost clean through and forced a corner, which he placed perfectly, and then we saw the Rangers’ goal almost fall, for Lock was helpless when Gordon, I think it was, dashed in from ‘nowhere‘ and cleared. A delightful bit of play by Paterson finished with one of several fine centres, but Duncan, too keen for a first-timer, shot very wide. Every endeavour was being made to put Reid through again, but by now Finlayson and decided that the Rangers’ centre was worth watching. So he watched him. Nearing the interval, the Motherwell halfs and forwards found more first-rate combination, and so nicely did they meander through the Rangers’ half-backs that we waited on the goal coming – but it didn’t, not this half. I have said that Neil was not happy in the centre for Motherwell, so I was not surprised when, on the teams reappearing, Kelly and he changed places. Whether this alteration was an inspiration, I have no means of knowing. What is certain is that the whole Motherwell team became suddenly electrified on the game being re-started. Within no time at all, Lock was saving right left handed in nick or nothing style. Back and back again swept the restless Fir Park forwards. With his quick, darting action, Kelly, in centre, was presenting a new problem for the Rangers’ defence. The ball was kept going at a great pace. Even Neil, as an outside right, was doing his share in a persistent, worrying attack. From one of his centres, Kelly was almost through for a score, and from the corner that resulted the Rangers’ goal had the narrowest of escapes. At last Reid and Cairns eased the pressure with a run to the other end, but the Motherwell forwards were soon at the old game again. So puzzling was the quick passing, go-ahead manner that the Rangers defence visibly winced. Kelly was again almost through when Muir just nipped him, and then, when the excitement was at its height, there occurred an incident that gave rise to heated argument and no little feeling. In a fiery attack by the Motherwell forwards Lock was compelled to dash out of his goal to save. The ball went to Young, and, with Lock still out of his goal, he shot at the gaping net. I doubt if the ball would have gone into the net, but at any rate Lock made a marvellous recovery, and what most of us saw was the goalkeeper suddenly clutching at the leather. But Referee Tom Robertson, who was close at hand, had thought he saw Manderson strike the ball, as it went past him towards Lock, and he promptly awarded a penalty kick. So strenuous was the protest that followed that the referee consulted the linesman on the near side of the field, but I believe this gentleman would not take it upon himself to express an opinion. The referee adhered to his ruling, Waugh took the kick, drove the ball into the net, and the scores were level, as I am quite certain, on play they ought to have been. I did not see Manderson touch the ball, but other people say they did, and one of these is a Rangers player – not Manderson. From the way the incident occurred, the ‘touch’ might have taken place and very few have noticed it. What I did see was the referee gave his decision quickly. He was looking straight at Manderson at the time. And, of course, he must have believed the touch intentional. This did not end the excitement, for soon after, Young had the ball in the Rangers net again, but as Lock was meanwhile lying probe on the ground injured, and the referee had signalled to stop, the point did not count. Motherwell made a strenuous claim for a goal, apparently on the plea that no signal had been given. On that point there need be no doubt. The referee had whistled and was on his way towards Lock when Young shot. A second sooner in shooting and Young would have had his goal. It was a desperate duel to the finish, with Motherwell the more like scoring again, but at a draw it ended, and if everybody was not satisfied with the result, they were delighted with the entertainment. The surprise was the great recovery of a poorly rated Motherwell team. For a time in the first half it seemed as if their slackness near the Rangers’ goal would see them down, especially as Rangers had taken their two goals with such obvious ease; but at the critical time the home defence stood their ground, and by a resolute, clever display made possible the subsequent draw. Murray, Archibald and Finlayson were the heroes in this respect, though there was not a real failure, even if Sneddon might have averted the first goal. Neil’s weakness in the centre in the first half may have cost the team something, but he did pretty well as a right winger. Kelly in both his positions was the most dangerous forward the Rangers defence had to meet, yet as a centre I am afraid his lack of a few extra inches would stand against him. Young and Bennett were a clever left wing, and Waugh was right in the game in the second half. Rangers played their best football in the first half. They will not forget the second half in a hurry. When Motherwell quickened the pace the Ibrox defence was found to the slow side. The forwards then could get scarcely any of the ball. Gordon was the only half-back who could hold the ball to any purpose, and he and Duncan and Bennett had some fine triangular rounds of passing in the first half. Lock did some clever saving, and could not have prevented either of the goals. Manderson was in tip-top form in the first half, but was thrown of his game in the second half by the hurricane attack of the opposition, as was Muir, and even Gordon had then to admit himself a hunter rather than the hunted. After the interval the forwards showed a certain lack of power, but it is equally true that the Motherwell defence seemed prepared to stop them at any cost
