Thornton 1
A Venters 60
Match Information
Attendance: 18,000
Referee: R.G. Benzie (Irvine)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
Lost two valuable pints. Victims Raith Rovers. Reason lack of head in front. On pressure, Raith were streets ahead. Time and time again they hovered round the Rangers penalty area, onto to delay that fraction too long or pass that little bit too hasty. They will never have a better chance of taking two points. They have only themselves to blame. Rangers were no great shakes. They are not back on the rails yet. About the only satisfaction they can take out of the game was the addition of another two points to their total. I cannot help feeling Rangers scoring so early spoiled the game. They knocked Raith out of their stride. With the Light Blues showing little initiative the game dragged. It was nearing half-time before it recovered. One or two scrambles round the goalmouth indicated Raith had revived a little. First 15 minutes of the second half was all Rovers. Just when it looked as if they might score, Fiddes galloped off on his own, forced a corner, placed so accurately Venters had nothing to do but to nod home. It looked all so easy after what had been happening at the other end. Raith, if they are wise, can take a lesson. One Ranger who did play to form was Dawson. One save stamped him as one of the best of all times. Coming out for a cross he missed. Kerr connected with his head. The ball appeared to be sailing for the net when Jerry, with an acrobatic leap, twist, and turn, grabbed it high up at his left-hand post. A save in a thousand. Gray, Simpson and Shaw formed a barrier that broke the hearts of the home forwards. Positional play nigh perfect, with the result they had little running about to do, and never appeared in real difficulty. Forwards, with little assistance from McKillop and Brown, particularly Brown, had not a good day, although Alex Venters, with a liberally-bandaged knee, tried all he knew to get the line going. Only occasionally, in conjunction with McPhail, was he successful. Rovers defence too, was quite up to standard, except for the two fatal mistakes which led to both goals. Allan had some difficultly in subduing Waddell, but in the end was highly successful. Outstanding man on the home side was Ernir Till. Maybe a little suspect in the tackle, his passing of the ball along the ground denotes the true artiste. Alex Low, playing the ball all the time, had one of the best games Ive seen him play for Raith. Forwards in a way were clever enough, and with a real guiding hand, may do all right. If Rovers are to escape relegation, they must get this man and get him quick. First run down Rangers scored. Morrison lost his footing, gave Fiddes an easy passage. His accurate cross was collared by Thornton, who beat McCreadie with a well-placed grounder. Venters added number two from a Fiddes corner. His job was made easy by an error of judgment on McCreadies part in failing to cut out the cross.
