B McPhail 65
Fleming
Match Information
Attendance: 9,000
Referee: William Bell (Motherwell)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
That Rangers were the sweeter-moving and more cohesive company at Starks Park, not even the most rabid Raith supporter will gainsay. Yet the bottom leaguers are due no small mead of praise for the stern and plucky opposition they offered to the all-conquering ‘Light Blues’ who for the day, donned blue and while hooped jerseys. Although the more skilful Rangers did most of the pressing, the best scoring chances of the day fell to the Rovers forwards and had one or more of these been turned to account, as they should, the Rangers might have been fully stretched to preserve their unbroken League record. Yet Rangers undoubtedly deserved to win. Rangers started off in a quiet, convincing and confident manner and threatened literally to wade through the opposition. They even indulged in criss-cross work in front of Leckie and gave the impression that they had no desire to pile on the agony thus early in the game. Bur as the game progressed the Rangers began to realise that goals were not to be got so easily as they had anticipated. The Rovers’ defenders gained confident and sailed into the opposing attack with rare abandon with the result that scoring opportunities with the result that scoring opportunities became less and less. Then the Rovers forwards became more venturesome, and once within the Rangers’ territory they were difficult to shake off. Twice during their invasion McGorm wormed his way down the centre and obtained ideal shooting position only to shoot weakly past. A clever movement by Turner in which he outwitted Buchanan and sent over a perfect centre provided Bruton with a fine opening, but the centre-forward’s hooked shot sailed over the bar. Next McGorm placed the ball at Bruton’s toe, but from ten yards’ range and with only Hamilton to beat, the Rovers’ leader shot wide of the mark. With half-an-hour gone Leckie had not been seriously tested, but an Archibald volley which skimmed the cross-bar let the Raith keeper know that the Rangers were now particularly keen to locate his whereabouts. A characteristic Morton lob was the next item if interest, and Leckie did well to clear from under the bar, although badly hampered in the effort. The ‘Lang Toon’ custodian also disposed of a McPhail volley in clever fashion. Yet more Raith failures. Bloxham steered clear to the Ibrox backs, but when it came to applying the finishing touch he made a bad job of it, a remark which applies with equal force to Dorrans, who shot a yard wide of the mark when it would have been as easy to find the net. Turned round the Rangers were a more business-like combine, and right away a McPhail crasher struck the cross-bar, while a daring save by Leckie later saved a certain goal. The pressure on the Raith goal was temporarily relieved, and a slip up the centre by Bloxham found Bruton and T Hamilton making a dash for the ball. The keeper got there first, but only in time to bang it against the onrushing centre, but fortunately for Rangers the re-bounding ball did not travel goalwards. Rangers returned to the attack, and after twenty minutes’ play McPhail drove with terrific force; Leckie dived to save but the ball struck McAllister and was diverted into the net. Ten minutes later and Fleming followed a loose ball up the centre to crash on number two, and other five minutes sufficed for Muirhead to make the Rangers total three with a nicely judged shot. One minute more and Turner met a palmed-out ball from Hamilton to reduce the margin. Rovers fought gamely till the finish, but a McGorm grounder which Hamilton saved, was the only serious attempt at net-finding. Leckie, the more severely rested keeper came out of the ordeal with an enhanced reputation, Hopewell was the best back on view and Gray a good second. The rangers’ half-backs excelled in constructive work with Craig the best of the bunch. Batchelor, I liked best in the Rovers’ trio. McPhail was the most consistent and most effective of the ten forwards. Fleming was a dashing leader, and Archibald and Morton dangerous raiders. Turner, the cleverest of the Rovers’ quintette, led most of the raids into the Rangers’ territory, and might have done more damage had ne been better supported
