English 5
B McPhail 10
B McPhail
English (2)
Match Information
Attendance: 15,000
Referee: W Bell (Motherwell)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
Three goals up after sixteen minutes, Rangers had the points safe then. The United struggled away gamely enough, but they were clearly not equal to the occasion. Hepburn and his backs did everything possible to keep down the total, but the half-backs and forwards could not put up a game capable of worrying the rangers defence to any serious extent. In team work, Rangers were supreme. They could make the ball find the man, they made the ball do the work when necessary, and they had the finishing drive which the Ayr forwards never found. Dawson had very little to do, and only for short spells were McAulay and Hamilton forced to extend themselves. They had three effective half-backs in front of them, Simpson a watchdog and Meiklejohn and Brown ideal purveyors for the forwards. Archibald was right on his game, running fast, cutting in and shooting hard. Marshall and he were a telling wing. English was in the thick of it always up to take his chances, as his goals demonstrate. McPhail also, was in the mood, and he and Fleming worked together like brothers. McCall was the best forcing half-back Ayr had, and McGillivray the nippiest forward, but it was in the lack of effective cohesion that the visitors failed and failed badly. Four minutes only had gone when English shot into the net, with Hepburn out of his goal. He had been drawn by Archibald, whose shot hit the bar and left English with an easy thing. Five minutes later McPhail shot a second goal following a free kick and a quick pass backwards from English. Fleming had the third goal after going for a ball sent well ahead when Robertson was out of position. That was after 16 minutes, and ten minutes later, McGillivray smartly beat Dawson after trapping the ball close in from a long transfer by McCall. The fourth goal for Rangers was scored by McPhail before the interval, and in the second half English got two more, the second a tip-topper from an awkward position. It was too easy
