G Henderson 5
Match Information
Attendance: 20,000
Referee: P Craigmyle (Aberdeen)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
One of the most strenuous games I have seen for long enough was this one between the Raith Rovers and Rangers at Stark’s Park yesterday. Strenuous clever and clean are adjectives that can be applied to a game which held the interest to a game which held the interest of a 23,000 crowd throughout. When Rangers scored five minutes from the start there were people around me who dreaded the worst. They knew the power of the Light Blues with the influence of a goal lead behind them. But they did not reckon of the grittiness of the Fife team, who put up a great fight afterwards. That they didn’t draw the game was not the Rovers’ fault. They fought for a draw, almost got it, and had that consolation came their way it would have been no more than they deserve. A draw would have been a good result. That was admitted all round, and good sportsmanship was reflected in that admission by the Rangers’ people, who delighted by their continued success, did not forget to give a word of praise to the winning team. Wherein then, lay that little bit of what you may call it that gave the Rangers their victory? That question is not asked for the first time, but it is easily answered. Greater power in attack carries Rangers through week after week. The goal – the all important goal – that George Henderson scored was headed through does not reflect the strength that the Rangers had behind their attack. There were times when it seemed as of nothing could stop the Rangers’ forwards. It is all to the credit of the Rovers’ defence that they stood up successfully except in the one solitary instance. But let us look at the other side. In the second half the Kirkcaldy forwards had, figuratively the ball at their foot. Bell and Archibald got good balls across; James manoeuvred to let Jennings through; Miller kept doubling and twisting in an endeavour to unbalance the Rangers’ defence. What was lacking was power. Something to drive home the splendid outfield work. The game opened at terrific speed, Rangers going ahead by clever play on the right wing. Henderson got offside, which brought relief to the harassed Rovers. The home team then went on, and only a miracle saved Robb’s goal. Miller was through and crossed the ball, James made to head it through, but Manderson stepped in and cleared. Immediately after, Miller was through again. He took time to deliver his shot, but it went straight to Robb, who saved at the second attempt. Following this bit of Rovers’ pressure Rangers came again. Cunningham took a first-time try which Brown had to fist over after the ball had struck Inglis ‘head.’ The corner was beautifully placed by Morton and Henderson beaded through. This occurred five minutes from the start, and for ten minutes afterwards the Light Blues kept up an almost continual pressure. Thrill followed thrill as the overpowering Ibrox attack kept Inglis and Moyes on the defensive. But the backs held out, and once they had temporarily taken the sting out of the opposing forwards their own had a look in. Jennings went through only to be beaten by Manderson. So keen was the play that a couple of players had to have a word from the referee, but the incidents were just such that if they had been allowed to go, they might have led to something worse. Henderson was drawn up because of dangerous splay, and from the kick Jennings went off, and to say he ploughed a lonely furrow is but to write literally, for he had to overcome a few obstacles on the way. When the game had run an interesting, aye, a thrilling, twenty-seven minutes, the hottest Raith attack came along. From a foul kick Inglis, caused Robb to save, and the Ibrox goalkeeper had no sooner got rid of the ball than he had to stop another from Raeburn. They were great saves both, and were followed by another, a high one this time, with Jennings right on top of him. Rangers were proving very dangerous on their right wing, where Archibald was responding splendidly to excellent Cunningham feeding. The result of it was seen when Brown, having got a lob from Archibald, had twice to hold balls from Cunningham and Henderson. The Rangers’ attack was like machine-gun fire for a moment or two. Brown was the invulnerable target. When forty-five minutes had gone Archibald missed a great scoring chance. I mean the Rovers’ Archibald, who had not been nearly so prominent as his namesake on the other side. The ball came to him from the right, and instead of putting the ball into the net, as he should have done, he drove past. As in the first half, so in the second. Rangers attacked. But their attack was short-lived. The Rovers came with the greatest pressure of the game. Down they came, tome and again, and at one period it seemed as if nothing would keep them from scoring. Rangers’ defence held out, and they even survived a strenuous appeal for a penalty kick for hands. Robb cane out to a corner which was dangerous and did just as a goalkeeper should. He got the ball away with one hand when he didn’t require to use two. Relieved of the persistence of the attack, Rangers took a turn at the other end. Morton shot past. Brown had to follow another and first clear. “Keep on them, boys”, shouted Arthur Dixon, but the men of Raith came back again. But the shooting was weak. It only required them to finish their work to bring the record crowd into the realms of delight. Again, Manderson stepped in when Jennings was going through. Robb saved from Bell and paid the penalty of a Jennings charge; the while Dixon pushed the Rovers’ centre forward aside when he went to assist the goalkeeper. When Walls brought James down the crowd shouted, as crowds will do, for the dismissal of the Ranger. The free kick was taken by Inglis, and he sent the ball over Robb’s head – and the bar as well. Raeburn, who had been shooting all the game, had a try in the closing minute. The ball just went past. Another second and Meiklejohn and Miller were at daggers drawn, which meant that the referee had to intervene. The final whistle went as Bobby Archibald was about to take a corner. Someone said he ought to have been allowed to take it. The referee said – “No”, and I agree with Mr Craigmyle. He has rule behind him. In every respect the players can be complimented on their display. Not one ball all of them. There were hard knocks going, and hard knocks will always be going so long as football is going, and certain players had their usefulness slightly impaired in the course of the ninety minutes. For instance, James, that clever little boy, was damaged early on. Alan Morton got a knock before the game had gone far. Neither of these players were quite at their best afterwards, although the Mossend lad fought hard in the closing stages to get a goal. It was hard luck on Brown to be on the losing side. He kept a good goal, and it is galling to be beaten by a ‘head’. I have never seen Robb play better since he was with Third Lanark during the war days. Nothing could have surpassed the judgment he showed as he left his goal to fist away the dangerous crosses that were sent over by bell and Archibald in the latter stages of the game. He went out with confidence, and there never was a moment when he gave his colleagues anything to tremble about. Not one of the four backs could be said to have made a serious mistake, but if I single out Moyes for special mention, it is because he has not been so much in the limelight as some of the others. He played a good stuffy game, and his clean kicking vied with that of McCandless on the other side. Manderson and Inglis were more robust; they did nobly. The blending of the backs was as good as it almost could be. Will all due respect Walls would be incorrect to say that Muirhead was nit missed. I was pleased to see ‘Fister’ back into the game again, and he didn’t do badly at all. In fact, far from being impaired by his accident, he appeared to look for too much work. I might also remark here that Collier, from the same position on the other side, was also missed. McBeath was more than willing, but his ordeal was a big one. The outstanding intermediate men were Dixon, Morris and Raeburn, the first-named more in defence than in attack. Raeburn tried hard for a goal, and probably tried, when he shouldn’t. Still the fault is not a bad one. The play of Cunninghan and Archibald, particularly in the first half could not have been surpassed. There was a ready-made international right wing pair. Cunningham is consistent, and I hope to see Archibald in the same mood on many occasions. These two over-shadowed their colleagues on the left. Craig lacked the pushfulness of Cairns, and Morton suffered from the knock he received early. Henderson one more paid his wat. I don’t know when he doesn’t. Lacking that bit of strength which the Ibrox forwards had, the Kirkcaldy forwards just failed to get there. They were eager, they were willing, but to beat down the defence opposed to them was beyond them. Miller had chances to score but did not take them. Jennings did his best, but was overpowered. James tried his hardest, and he, too was beaten. But he is a clever player this lad. Bell was good throughout; Archibald very clever in the closing stages, when his crosses might have won any game.
