Murphy 10
A Venters 48, 79
Thornton 75
Match Information
Attendance: 80,000
Referee: J.M. Martin (Fife)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
The football public have been brought up to believe in and appreciate the Celtic spirit. Where was that quality in the latest meeting between the members of the Old Firm? We have on many occasions, seen the Parkhead team a goal, and maybe more, to the bad, and yet fight back thrillingly, and to such purpose, that they ultimately left the field victorious. On Saturday the reverse was the case. They led by a goal at the interval, deservedly so, and were playing in such a way that they looked good to record another success against their rivals. Then the second half. They slowed down from a gallop to a trot; when Rangers within three minutes secured the equaliser the writing was on the wall. True, Celtic made openings for themselves for further scores, but lacking was the snap necessary to put the finishing touches. With this totally unlooked for decline on the part of their opponents, Rangers came bang into the picture, more or less to dictate the manner of the going and run out good winners. Just on the half-time whistle Morrison received a hurt to his right leg, and it troubled him all during the second forty-five minutes, but that alone does not explain the falling away of the team as a whole. Celtic almost voluntarily, it seemed, adopted a holding-on-to-what-we-have policy instead of the traditional aggressiveness. They did not fight out the whole ninety minutes. Let me hasten to congratulate the players on the sporting manner in which the game was played. There was a period when these games sometimes have left nasty memories. Certainly not this one. All through, the ball was the objective, and in these days when so much is said and written about dirty play, the greatest club contest in all the world stood out brightly as a shining example of how football can be played without recourse in the slightest way to the illegitimate. It was expected that Rangers would field Smith at centre-forward, and that Celtic would bring back McGrory to the leadership of the attack, but neither was in the line-up, and early on it appeared to me as if both had made a mistake. Thornton in the Light Blue, while showing an abundance of skill, was lacking in that thrust that marks the play of Smith, while Carruth was inclined to hold up the line by passing back when a forward movement was distinctly called for. But these two clever youngsters will develop to be players of high standard. The goal that gave Celtic the lead was truly a delightful thing, magnificent in execution. Delaney had run over to the left. In possession he turned back and moved up the centre, with Simpson facing the winger on the retreat. Murphy suddenly cut inside Gray, and Delaney slipped the ball forward, past Simpson, who was caught on the turn. Dawson expected, I thought, a left foot shot to his own left-hand post. Murphy instead took the ball on the run and whipped it in low down with his right foot just inside the goalkeepers right post. That was in the eleventh minute, and Rangers stormed for the equaliser, but Celtic, in mood almost gay, threw them back and, with skilful play, made the blue flag-wavers gulp with anxiety. Gray, on the goal line, kicked clear a shot that whizzed from a bunch of attackers and defenders with Dawson nowhere. Within three minutes of the restart Kinnear fired a hard one from close in. Kennaway could hot hold it, and the ball bounced off his chest. A short scramble and Venters emerged with the leather to guide it into the net. Then in thirty minutes McPhail gained possession. The inside man had had a poor game, one of the poorest I have seen him play, but here his genius was manifest. That powerful stride came into action. He had the defence open. He shot. Lyon threw himself forward and his body acted as a buffer, but the leather, in its rebound, went to Thornton standing clear and the centre shot to the roof of the rigging. The blame of the third goal rests with Hogg. Just inside the Celtic half Kinnear beat the back. Hogg had tome to make another tackle, but seeing Lyon rushing over, the back hesitated. That was all Kinnear wanted. Away he went, and the Celtic defence was at sixes and sevens. Venters, who all along had shown a fine aptitude for running into position, occupying that empty space did things ideally here, and Kinnear quick to perceive it, passed the ball back from about half-way between the corner flag and the goal post. Kennaway had no chance with Venters studied shot. Usually, these games throw up a man who stands out above the others. Not so in this affair. No one, in fact, made an effort to be the great individualist. Each was a member of a team, and each played as such. There were, of course, many mistakes, but what was only to be expected. Both goalkeepers were good, while Gray was the best of the backs. There were times when the defences were particularly shaky. I found cause to admire Winning. Delaney taped him off early on, but the left back stuck courageously to his job, and long before the end Delaney discovered that Winning was not so easy an obstacle as at first, he appeared. Hogg was not so composed as usual, while Morrison obviously played under handicap of injury. The half-backs. Simpson was shaky int eh first half, showing too frequently an indecision of mind. McKillop was strong but inclined to over-kick. Brown was more of the grafter than the artist, but quick thinking always, and his tackling was well-timed. Lyon was grand in defence and covered a tremendous amount of ground. But he dis not reveal much constructive work. I wondered if Geatons is yet fit. He was on the slow side. Paterson was a compact left half with an eye to making openings for his forwards. Crum was about the best of the Celtic forwards, Buchan at time finding it difficult to get things going. The wingers were good without being exceptional. Venters is playing at top form, and he shaded McPhail, who was actually clumsy and awkward at times. Main was a clever raider, and Kinnear was confident and varied his stuff that led to Geatons and Hogg being left in two minds. I have mentioned the centre-forwards.
