Manderson
Match Information
Attendance: 12,000
Referee: unknown - to be confirmed
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
When we got to half-time at Ibrox, we were free to say that Rangers had played the better football, that they might have scored more than one goal and that they were likely to get pretty bust rubbing it in, in the second half. But the opposite happened. Ayr United, soon after the restart, proceeded to make the ‘Light Blues’ gallop. There was a real glitter about the first-half play in which the Rangers half-backs and forwards co-operated. It wasn’t there after the interval. I don’t want to be ungenerous to Manderson, who scored the goal in the first half as snappily as nay man could have scored it; but his style as a centre did not harmonise with the wings. Ayr’s defence was the sheet-anchor of the side. They had a big hand in the disappearance of the sparkle from the Rangers’ forwards play; but it took them 35 minutes to do it. Their forward were slow to strike up a combination, and they never finished really well. But in the second half, when Robert Cringan left Martin, the four that were left of them repeatedly got in on Hempsey, and more than once the equaliser seemed not far off. Nisbet kept a capital goal and Hempsey was always confidently safe. Hay and Blair were the very pattern of what backs ought to be. Pursell excusably, was not always sure in his kicking. W Cringan made an able partner for Hay. Rangers’ half-backs were distinctly the better line in the first half, but afterwards the Ayr took a big hand in not only disorganising the Rangers attack but also in forcing the play on to the home defence. Gunner Duncan and Bell, with Bowie joining in, were in the first half the cleverest combination on view. I am still waiting to see Corporal Croot get the ball into the centre quicker. Marshall, the Ayr centre, seemed a bit slower than he used to be. Yuille, I fancy, should develop into a serviceable player. Shankley was a clever partner for him, and Barr, at inside-right, also put in a lot of good passing that was poorly rewarded.