Thornton 3
Yardley <45
Match Information
Attendance: 20,000
Referee: D.F. Reilly (Port Glasgow)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
Most folk will tell you it isnt strange that Rangers nowadays should have to fight, as though their very lives depended upon it, to get a draw. Im not so sure. Their two successive defeats over the New Year apart, who I wonder, imagined Ayr capable of holding them at Ibrox? But . . . well, look at the result. And, believe me, it was almost another day of tragedy for the champions. To suggest they were anything within a mile of the great Rangers I have seen would be attempting to paint a picture of the Gorbals and calling it Princes Street. But this I will say for them, they had none of the breaks. Think of the time when Referee Reilly refused their appeals for a penalty when Harrison was brought down. Mind you, the referee was perfectly positioned to judge, but from the Press box I must say it was a legitimate claim, to my mind. And then there was that thundering drive by Bob McPhail, who had changed places with Harrison in the second half. It had the gallant Hall beaten but rose slightly as it travelled and crashed against the cross-bar. But here I must stop. Let there be no mistakes about it, the United thoroughly merited that point. As a matter of fact, there was a spell when I thought they were to register their first Ibrox victory since 1914. They succeeded as Rangers blundered. After a none too auspicious start, they came bounding into a game that had Simpson as unhappy as a couponeer who found his list right until he looked the last result! Aye, this was not a comfortable Simpson. Yardley, the most thoughtful Somerset forward, kept him on tenterhooks. And the uncertainty born in the pivotal berth gradually spread until George Brown, of all people, was affected. So, you see how easily it happened. Drysdale, too lacked poise. Where his weakness was chiefly exposed was in his lack of anticipation. Smith more than once caught him in two minds and was not slow to make it pay. But through the Ibrox gloom shone the genius of Thornton. What a wonderful youngster he is! No one could equal this dancing, darting and dangerous lad. And yet Reid might have been the hero of the hour. During the last ten minutes he had three chances to win the game but dissipated them because he evidently imagined he had o hit that ball with all the venom possible when he should have placed the ball where Hall was not. In my analysis of Rangers flaws do not let me withhold the praise due the lion-hearted Ayr boys. A cool and daring goalkeeper was Hall, while in Dyer and Strain he was protected by resolute backs who never allowed the Rangers forwards to settle for a shot. As a pair they surpassed Drysdale and Winning, although let me hasten to ass that Winning has rarely done better. There wasnt a weak link in the middle. In fact, tis a long time since I have seen Taylor, Currie and Mayes get their teeth so firmly fixed in an attack. They did not finish their job with destruction. Always was there the thought of construction. Yardley is going to make Ayr forget about Rabbie if he continues as he did here. Well, hardly that, but with Dimmer, he was the forward who caused the flutter in the Ibrox defence. When Thornton cleverly snapped a goal in the second minute, I thought the champions were to become the complete masters. Then the first of the shocks. Yardley equalised seven minutes before the interval with a shot Jenkins should have saved. And when they notched another through Smith early in the second half, we stood and looked in amazement. Was it true? So here we had the Light Blues on the edge of the precipice again. Reid was to save them with a goal after Hall had come out to counter the non-stop Thornton, but the winner they could not get.
