N Harris
A Cunningham
Match Information
Attendance: 45,000
Referee: J.L. Grant (Edinburgh)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
It was no surprise when George Easton announced after the Partick Thistle-Rangers match that all attendance records for the Firhill ground had been broken. The Partick Manager told us that forty thousand one hundred odd people had paid for admission. This, Mr Easton added was about ten thousand better than the previous best for the enclosure. There was some swaying behind the town goal, where a bit of the rail was broken down, but no mishap of consequence occurred. The new enclosure gates and turnstiles received a thorough test, and gave every satisfaction. Just as I forecasted on Saturday morning the Rangers scraped through by the odd goal. A remarkable feature is that both sides scored through bundling goalkeeper into the back of the net Neil Harris attended to Lock; Cairns to Bernard. There is no denying that the Rangers were the better team, but the Thistle defence, always strong, bettered, perhaps, its previous best. Bulloch, Barnard and their cenfreres enjoyed a little luck on occasion, but that is all in the game. Of such is football. Firhill upheld its reputation as the place to see a proper Partick ThistleRangers tussle. Saturdays almost fierce encounter pulsated with excitement; it teemed with incident and thrills. One felt it was good to be alive. If the Ibrox side were more than one goal better than their plucky never-say-die opponents, to the Thistle belongs a big share of the praise. Up against admittedly the best balanced, the most purposeful and powerful combination in Scotland if not anywhere the Queens Cross defenders simply would not allow themselves to be beaten. The rushing tactics of Cairns and Muirhead and the delightful centreing of Doctor Paterson all went for nothing until the interval almost. Cunningham was invariably in position when the ball came across from left or right, but no tangible result. Andrew fired in a shot now and again; he got the bar above Bernards head off Rabs fingers; the Boness man was up, up like a bird to punt clear another from the same foot, but oftener than not the Ibrox centre did not get a chance to shoot. Willie Hamilton was on his top like a flash, Joe Harris and Jamie McMullan nipped in to rob the tireless Tommy Cairns, and in front of Bernard stood the stone-like Bulloch and fairly steady Tom Adams. I remember some six or seven years ago seeing Bulloch play an almost perfect game at Shawfield. Willie approached that grand showing on Saturday, even if he wavered a bit in the second half when the Rangers pressure was most serve. As I have indicated most of the early work took place in the vicinity of Bernard, who was not overburden with work just the same; but the Thistle did get away on occasion. Young Comrie shoved the ball ahead fairly well, Houston got a few balls across, Bowie middled not so badly, and once or twice Neil Harris bored his way through - like a young bullock, so to speak. Pardon the smile Neilly. But Partick did not impress me as likely to score. They were not combined or reposeful enough, I felt, to beat down a Rangers rear that was doing very well indeed without Gordon. Yet this is just what they did five minutes before tea-time. And what a goal! Well out at the corner, Jacky Bowie lofted across a sweet one, and what time Lock was preparing to collar it he was bundled into the net. Neil Harris and the ball reached Harry at the same instant. A second later McMullan delivered a beauty at Houstons feet; the Irishmans centre was first-rate, and Harriss rush well times. Neilly was pulled up with a jerk, however, and almost before one had time to wink, Muirhead was shooting past at the other end. Then the Rangers equaliser just before the half-time whistle. Bernard had left his post to clear a try by Archibald; the ball was played out beautifully to the left, another peach of a centre from the Doc found Cunningham ready. The rest was easy; a touch did it. Rangers resumed as they left off attacking. The pressure was even more sustained than it was earlier on, but still that old stubborn and often lucky Queens Cross rear managed somehow or other to thwart it. For seventeen minutes, they rose superior to all the wiles of the Ibrox forwards, during which period Bernard, with an outstretched foot, diverted a teaser from Cunningham which looked getting in just inside the wood. Then the winning point and one not unlike that with which Patrick opened the scoring. Manderson from just in front of the directors box kicked well ahead. Cunningham got his cranium on; Cairns rushed in, and Bernard found himself where Lock had been in the first half in the back of the net with the ball beside him. Strange, wasnt it that we should have two such goals in one match! Most of our referees will simply not allow a forward to play a goalkeeper, in any circumstances. Space prevents me going further into the play, but this I might say, that the Rangers, more confident now, improved, and with all due respect to the Thistle defence, with a little steadiness the Light blues might have scored a goal or two more. Bulloch and Co were sore beset, yet Lock had a couple of as difficult balls to deal with as nay given Bernard. One of his backs all but let him down, and in the last half-minute a bumping ball from Mitchell came near to catching him napping. I have said before that the Rangers rear did very well without Gordon. Ritchie, even if a bit flurried when pressed, played better than I have seen him, but Manderson was not quite so steady or confident as he has been for some weeks. The Irishman, less rollicking than usual, I am sure missed the steadying influence of JE. Bowie I rate the best half-back afield. His forcing of the game all the time was fine; in the second half it was simply excellent. Dixon destroyed Firhills fleeting and elementary attempts to set up a combination, and at times was hard on the heels of his own forwards. Arthur seemed faster than usual. Walls was not nearly as showy as Bowie. He was a grafter, and a clever one all the time. Forward, Cairns went into the opposition like ten men and a boy. He gave Paterson many sweet passes, but on occasions I felt that he was relapsing into his old failing of hugging the ball too closely. Keep it going, Tommy. Cunningham I am told, is no lover of the centre-forward berth; still, he is anything but a round pug in a square hole, and the Rangers, I fancy, will keep him there. Andrew, who can bring the ball down beautifully, know how to accept a pass, and give one, and he can shoot. He had little luck, however, in the shooting connection. Timber beat him almost as often as Bernard. Muirhead is not a snap shootist, but he improves, and if Archibald has not yet nearly regained his best form, I would say that he, too, is coming on. But the Ibrox forward who appealed to me, as he did in the Celtic match when the Rangers started their winning sequence was Paterson. The Doc was delightfully elusive. He was caught now and again with the ball at his toe, I admit; still he did practically what he liked with it. His centres were things of beauty. I have eulogised Bernard, Adams and Bulloch sufficiently perhaps. Let me add that although Rab doesnt clear so decisively as Stewart, I question much if the Perth man would have been more successful. To my mind, the greatest calamity that befell the Thistle, was when Willie Hamilton and Andrew Cunningham collided awkwardly and accidentally in the first half. Hamilton got the worse of it, and although Willie did grand work right to the finish, he was not altogether the great spoiling force he started. Joe Harris opened brightly and fell away, and McMullan neatness itself vied with Bowie for chief honours in either middle line. Much of Denny Jamies placing was a treat, and his two or three knee-high shots caused Lock some concern. And what about the Partick forwards? Well, they were poor stuff by comparison. Houston showed flashes of brilliancy, but taken all over the piece, his display was very moderate. Once Comrie is prepossesses, all the dash but little of the head so necessary to make a great centre-forward. Push and go are all right up to a point, but something else is wanted. Mitchell was only so-so, and Bowies half-dozen or so crosses just keeps him out of that category.
