J Smith 20
B McPhail 45
B McPhail
A Morton 70
Match Information
Attendance: 7,000
Referee: J Baillie (Motherwell)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
Winning or losing, the team I like is the one that never says die. That was Airdrieonians. They were up against something much better than themselves and knew it, but they were taking nothing lying down. Perhaps they had some luck in seeing the Rangers forward go driving up to goal with the most puzzling sort of close, low passing and then finish all awry. In the second half this sort of thing became so common that the crowd got a laugh out of it, although there was a serious side to it for Rangers, who had only a goal in hand with 20 minutes of the second half away. But once a third goal went on a fourth and fifth came easily. Rangers new front line played some remarkable football close, sharp, low passing, quick movement, and the man usually found. It amounted almost to exhibition stuff, and all that was wanted was appropriate finishing. The skidding ball on the churned-up mud made shooting more or less a gamble, for even when the ball was hit true you never knew where it would go. But though the game went so much against Airdrie, Morrison and his backs deserve credit for such a plucky fight. They erred, however, in giving away so many free kicks. That was their only blemish. The Broomfield half-backs had a gruelling time, but they were fighters all. The forwards did not have much of the ball, but they knew how to open u, and with any luck they might have scored twice in the first half although against the run of play. It was that kind of game. Main delighted by his play on the Rangers right. He was very smart in beating his man, and he put the ball into the centre like a mathematician. The Ibrox crowd enjoyed Main just as they enjoyed Alan Mortons old time cantrips, and they cheered loudly when he pranced in from the wing to score his goal. English, Smith and McPhail played some fast go-ahead inside football, and were always being well backed up by the middlemen. The trio in the rear had not a heavy day, but there were times when they had to go all out to stop the persevering Airdrie forwards. Smith headed the first goal after 19 minutes following a long punt by McDonald, and a misunderstanding between Morrison and Crapnell. Two minuets from the interval McPhail headed a second after Morton had placed a corner kick prettily. The ball went over the line off the post and Crapnell cleared, but the referee was on the spot and refused an appeal. Two goals were not exactly like the run of play, and when Connor reduced the margin to one a couple of minutes after the restart, Rangers seemed to have run into a spot of danger. It took them 20 minutes to get a third goal, and then it was from a penalty converted by Smith. After those things came easier and McPhail and Morton each beat Morrison without giving him a chance. It was an interesting match all through despite the margin at the finish.
