Match ended 0-0
Match Information
Attendance: 40,000
Referee: Tom Dougray (Bellshill)
Matchday: Wednesday
Match Trivia
Twice within four days have the Scottish League pigmies defied the prospective national Cup-holders in the semi-final of the latter competition at Parkhead. On Saturday both Rangers and Albion Rovers counted a goal a-piece; last night neither side scored. There was nit a great deal of pretty play in the match the contest was too keen for frills or fancy work but the 37,000 people enjoyed themselves none the less. £1407 was taken at the gates and another £400 at the stands. Before leaving Celtic Park the representatives of the clubs decided to replay the tie on the same field on the Wednesday of next week. A start will be made at 5.45 and should the teams be level at the end of the statutory ninety minutes, extra time will be played. While Rangers were just a shade the more methodical team, they had little, if anything, the better of the exchanges. To begin with, playing before the wind they crowded on all sail and Shorts goal had several narrow escapes, but no nearer than when the Rovers got off on their more spasmodic rushes. Twice Lock cleared as much by luck as good guidance, but the best effort of the half was made at the other end, where a storm of a shot ricochetted off a Coatbrig defenders head on to the crossbar. Paterson was getting the ball across beautifully, and corners galore were the Rangers portion. But no goals. Then, by way of a change, the Rovers took a better grip of things, and until the interval Jack was quite as good as his master. With the start of the second half Albion showed signs of wearing out, and had Muirhead put paid to a beautiful bit of work by the Doctor, as I think he should, the tie might have been finished. Rangers were the better side now, but their opponents stuck in right up to the end, and in the closing minutes they came perilously near to counting. Young, given a gilt-edges opportunity, hesitated just the fraction of a second too long, and Dixon was on his top. All honour to the Cliftonhill club on their gallant stand. They have a great goalkeeper in Short. One or two of his earlier saves smacked of luck, but on the whole, I would say he was the more reliable keeper. Once or twice, I thought Lock made comparatively easy saves look extremely difficult before he was done with the ball. Ritchie, if he sometimes over-kicked his forwards in the first half, made an able partner for the speedy Manderson, but I preferred the other pair. You all know what Bell is. Well, Jack was at his best against old clubmates he dearly loved this sort of thing and Penman was little behind him. Walls, Bowie and Dixon, in that order, were better half-backs than the opposing trio, but Duncan, Ford and Noble got through an enormous account of work. Noble simply played himself out. Paterson stood alone forward in a game which was far too hard to allow of liberties to be taken. On a bad ground, the Doctor treated us to many of those delightful elusive touches and accurate centres, but his colleagues did nothing very special. In the Cliftonhill front, which, like the opposing quintette, was scrappy, I liked best White Ribchester and Watson. They got often into position, but once there, steadiness was lacking. Black was going lame for quite a while.
