Match ended 0-0
Match Information
Attendance: 8,000
Referee: unknown - to be confirmed
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
There’s consolation in everything. After pulverising the Ayr defence – in a manner of speaking – Rangers had to come off the field at Ibrox empty-handed. They couldn’t score. Bur here’s the consolation. If they had scored all the goals that, on the run of play, they looked like scoring, the game would scarcely have been worth watching. It was their failure to achieve what they always seemed certain to accomplish that gave the game all the interest it possessed. To the Ayr defence must go a large share of credit; to the Rangers’ forwards a bog portion of blame. Granted that Lock affected some magical saves and that the men in front of him offered a resolute defence, there were so many scoring openings developed by the Rangers’ forwards that their final failure to get even one goal infallibly points to incapacity somewhere. Lawson failed somewhat badly at outside left, and McDiarmid, though often making a bold bid for a dash through – and twice nearly succeeding – lacked the finishing power. Good as was often Rangers’ forward play in other respects, these two adverse factors were sufficient to make the difference between complete success and qualified failure. Muirhead played a wonderfully clever game as partner to Archibald, who responded well except when he made for the line before getting the ball across. But neither of the right wing pair had any luck. I must say that for them. Ayr’s forwards were little in the game except during a brief period of either half. They were useful in defence occasionally. Crosbie was easily the cleverest when the play opened out. There was nothing very impressive about the visiting defence to start with. Bit success engendered confidence and a freer style, and before the end every man in the rear lines was taking a big share in baffling the drum-fire blows of the desperate Rangers forwards. Lock was more threatened that tested, but, nevertheless, he had at least three saves – as daring as they were clever – that might have been goals without doing his reputation any harm. Brock and McLaughlan had a warm afternoon, and though frequently beaten, they never gave in. Bell I have seen surer in his tackling, but he kicked, as usual, an accurate, long ball. James Hay was of the most value when the Rangers’ attack was strongest, but Lawson’s inability to go on with the ball, or to centre it when he did get clear, made things comparatively easy for him. Bowie the best of the Ibrox half-backs, couldn’t stand the sight of so much waste of energy among his forwards, and late in the game – too late, perhaps – he went into the front line. Manderson was master of his job, and McQueen, taking no risk, played quite a nice game as his partner, Hempsey must have felt the cold
