McAtee 10
Whitehead 30
Match Information
Attendance: 63,500
Referee: R.T. Murray (Stenhousemuir)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
Sixty-five thousand people, all grownups, saw the old story retold at Ibrox Park. They saw one of the most curious of the many curious games between Rangers and Celtic, and they saw the favourites beaten without so much as scoring. I do not know other people thought about it, but when I was told in the pavilion before the start of the game that Gordon was suffering from a cold in the glands, that he had lain in bed longer than usual on Saturday morning in the vain hope that he would pull round, and that, in short, he had to cry off at last, I thought that Rangers did not look the favourites they were the night before. James Paterson (Rangers) follows up a pass from Alex Bennett, with
Ten minutes of play saw all Young (Celtic) coming in as spoiler
the other signposts that point
out the favourites smashed into little bits; half an hour of play saw the signposts standing again, but all pointing east, where Celtic come from. They kept pointing in that direction till the end, despite the valiant, even brilliant recovery effort of the Rangers in the second half.to put it mildly, Rangers were a complete disappointment in the first half. They paid a heavy penalty, heavier perhaps, than they actually deserved to, for Celtic’ second goal was an extreme example of accident, or luck, or whatever name you care to give to a small case with a big result. But in this first half, the Celtic team were everywhere nipper, quicker to get ahead in attack, more deft in their passing, and more penetrative within a 25 yards’ radius of goal. These were the qualities that marked the Celtic movements from the opening kick. But to speak frankly, I imagined that they would come to a sudden stop. That impression lasted only for ten minutes. Then Gallagher assisted McAtee to one of many pretty passed. McAtee was met by Hendry, went round the Ranger with that tantalising, deceptive swivel-swerve act, and then let go a shot from outside the penalty area that sent the ball swishing across the goalmouth, past Hempsey, into the net at the far corner. For all that Celtic had been shaping so much better than the other side, this was the first actual shot of any menace, yet they had always appeared the more likely to score. It was only after this that Rangers fired up. The forwards attacked in a solid body, but with Reid accompanied everywhere by Johnstone, and seldom able to get a sight of goal, the attack was void of edge. All the same, they were in the game now, and though the Celtic forwards in their attacks continued to give their play the better snap, the run of the game was scarcely reflected by a second Celtic goal that came twenty minutes after the first. Rangers were forcing play into Celtic’s defences when the ball was sent on to Whitehead, with Logan appealing for offside. Muir stepped in and got his foot to the ball, but Whitehead was so close on him that the kick practically blocked the ball between them, and Whitehead’s greater strength of limb enabled him to gather it, then to run a bit, and next to shoot as straight as a die into the net. Celtic after this played with supreme confidence. I admired their play up to the interval more than anything previous, yet it went for nothing. Rangers were also beginning the improvement that was to blossom in the second half. Once Reid cleared all the backs, but having to go away at an angle his shot was too difficult to be near counting. It was the only chance he got. Batteries were unmasked in the second half! In the long series of matches between the teams I cannot recall having seen Celtic so tightly tied up in their own ground. Talk about the last ditch! They were in it right through, except for some half a dozen runs up field –runs that were charged with danger to Rangers – yet, what was the sequel? The sequel was the triumph of an inspired defence against a regenerated attack that found its game too late. Rangers could get corners by the handful, they could pin backs as well as goalkeeper beneath the bar, they could centre and shoot, and secure a penalty in the last second, but they could not score a goal. It was not Rangers day. They appealed for the ball being over the Celtic goal-line, but all that I, or few besides the players on the spot could say was that the referee was well placed to see, and he apparently had no doubt. I never care to introduce the word luck into a description of a game, but Rangers had some this half. And to make the ending the more dismal for Rangers, Bennett’s penalty kick that failed was the last incident of the match. He never made a weaker attempt. Celtic’s forwards in the first half, and the defence in the second won the match. On the whole run of the play, Rangers had more of the game than the winners, but they made their effort against a team with a two-goal lead, and as Celtic discovered not so long ago against ST Mirren a two-goal deficit can assume the proportions of a mountain. If there are palms or laurel wreaths to be presented, I give them to Shaw, McNair and Dodds for their second half display, and one to Johnstone for his submerging of Reid all through. Reid’s eclipse was, after all the cause of Rangers’ second half failure, for Duncan and Bowie, and in a lesser degree Bennett and Paterson (who should have got more of the ball) played clever, desperate football during this period. McMaster was also as good as any until his injury in the second half. McAtee was the life and centre of the Celtic attack in the first half, when Gallagher and the left wing were also at their best. McColl I fancy has come to say. I regard Gordon as the most accomplished half-back playing, and at that estimate his loss to Rangers can be reckoned up. It took Galt and Logan nearly the whole of the first half to get a grip of the Celtic forwards, and for steady consistent usefulness I thought Hendry the best of the line. Campbell missed Gordon most of all, and when the tackling was close neither he nor Muir could take any liberties. It was a curious day for Hempsey. He got little to do in the first half, lost two goals, and was a spectators in the second half. But the fault of the defeat was not his. The rest of the side took too long to become alive. Bennett missed a 89th minute penalty
