Meiklejohn 35
Gillick 80
Match Information
Attendance: 15,000
Referee: W Watson (Glasgow)
Matchday: Monday
Match Trivia
One touch of Dabie Meiklejohns genius and Rangers were into the Glasgow Cup final. After twenty-five minutes of a ceaseless Rangers surge which broke itself on a courageous, and in many ways, lucky Clyde defence, Meiklejohn changed places with Fiddes. The old master realised the futility of this Ibrox domination which was bringing them nothing tangible. As the ball was turned in to him by Main, he took the spin out of it and swept away. On he ran parallel to the penalty-line with the Shawfield defenders wondering how he would act. I have a notion they expected him to pass to a colleague. Not the wily Meiklejohn. Suddenly he swung round. Biff! Away tore the ball from his left foot high into the net. That goal by Meiklejohn, who resumed at right-half at the start of the second half, was the highlight of an encounter which never gripped or thrilled us as well it might. This can be attributed to the fact that for protracted periods it was too one-sided. Not until the dying stages when the Clyde forwards at last revealed some idea of tactical skill did, we see anything of a fight. This Clyde threat did not become a reality for ten minutes before the end Rangers struck again. Venters made it possible. A quick glance up and he had taken in the situation. A fast cross-field pass to the unmarked Main was smartly taken on the run. Main delivered it across the jaws of the goal past Kirk and Brown and Gillick, advancing to meet it, cooly piloted it home. How simply it looked. The margin of the Ibrox victory is flattering to Clyde, but it is also an implied tribute to Brown, Summers and Kirk. They were ably assisted by three dour, tenacious half-backs who may have lacked the culture and sagacity of the home middlemen, but who earned the admiration of all by their sheer doggedness. Brown in particular was a heroic figure. His height enabled him to get at balls which would have eluded a keeper less happily endowed physically. True, he repeatedly punched the ball anywhere, but dont forget that when he was meeting that ball, he invariably found Smith, Fiddes and Venters swarming in on him, and it was a case of quick action or be lost. We took little Kirk to our hearts. Outwitted he could be, but never completely mastered. His slickness in recovery and bold, confidence challenges time and again swung the game round when a goal for the persistent Rangers forwards looked inevitable. Summers was in one of his most defiant moods. You know what that means. Ned made only one blunder. It resulted in Gillick cutting in and thundering a point-blank shot at Brown, who stopped it in magnificent style, but for the most part he was in the thick of it, foiling with head and feet menacing Ibrox intrusions. Yes, what honour went to Clyde was taken by the defenders. The lanky Wood was never intimidated by Smith. Their duels were both refreshing and clean. The pivot was often puzzled in finding a plan to counter the non-stop, tireless Smith who remained erect on the soppy ground while others were sliding around, but he had a flair for nipping in when he appeared lost and whipping the ball out of danger. Not until late in the game did McPhail and Beaton, overworked and wearied by their endless striving to discover an antidote for the Rangers onslaughts, bring their mates in front into action. When, however, they exploited the cross-pass to the full, we were regaled by a bold bid to save the game. There was the incident when Rae made a mess of a grand opening created by Douglas and Ballantyne through indecision. Then McPhail volleyed a free-kick at Dawson who did well to knock it over the bar. But for the most part, Rae and those at either elbow were a guileless, uninspiring bunch who only fleetingly blended and were under the shadow of Meiklejohn, Simpson and Brown most of the time. Simpson effectively shackled Rae but had Hope and Douglas been supported as was their due, I believe they would have achieved mire than they did. When the call came, Dawson was ready and able to answer it. His understanding with Gray, the most stylish defender afield was delightful to watch. But really, it would be invidious for me to draw a minute comparison between the teams. the power, precision and skill of the Rangers team as a whole were never matched by Clyde and if goals did not come with the regularity which the flow of the encounter suggested, you have merely to turn again to the indomitable spirit of those Shawfield stalwarts in defence to find the reason. The reappearance of Venters was a happy sight for the home followers. Alec seemed to be feeling his way, but the cunning brain was behind much of his scheming. He was joined by Smith late in the game
