D Wilson 9, 86
Reid 52
J Smith 80
Missed Penalties
B McPhail pen miss <45
Match Information
Attendance: 12,000
Referee: M.C. Hutton (Glasgow)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
Brothers, this was a battle! From the ninth minute, when Keddie glanced a free kick on with his head for Davie Wilson to hare ahead and beat Dawson with an unstoppable drive, it was high-tension football a ceaseless flux of fast and often thrilling movement. For a while after that first goal, Hamilton must have felt like the fellow who had the tiger by the tail. Rangers turned in full power. All their force and fluency, all their weight and will, were brought to bear. Hamilton met the menace like men inspired. Close marking, crisp tackling, cute covering-up, kept the Light Blues at long range, and every little while the Acas left wing pair Harrison and McNee would carry trouble into enemy territory. There were some close things. McPhail stormed through and missed by inches, Morgan cut out a wicked lob from Main, then believe it or not! McPhail failed with a penalty kick, his shot skidding off the top edge of the bar. From the Press-box the penalty award seemed a trifle dubious. Maybe the let-off was what they call poetic justice. A sizzling smack by Fiddes came back off the upright. Main climaxed a spot of trick-work with a cross to McPhails sticking-plastered brow, but Morgan palmed the hard-driven header away. So it was that the Acas crossed over with a one-goal lead. They didnt keep it long. Seven minutes after the restart, a slick interchange between Smith, Fiddes and Reid brought the equaliser, the left winger beating Morgan as the goalkeeper came out. The success roused Rangers to redoubled effort. A pile-driver from Brown was luckily blocked, Reid was robbed at point-blank range. Morgan hooked the ball off Smiths foot, Hamilton were heroic in defence, and again, at the height of the struggle, showed their retaliatory power. Off went Keddie, drew Winning and tricked him with the utmost coolness, moved in and lashed the ball at goal. It hit the upright. With the Rangers defence reeling, Harrison slammed the rebound over the bar. Play surged upfield again, Reid dropped a peach of a lob into Morgans goal, and Smith was there to head it home. With twelve minutes to go it looked all up with Acas. But they went out for the forlorn hope with gameness unsubdued. And they did the trick. Even the ranks of Tuscany could scare forbear a cheer when four minutes from time, Davie Wilson, snapped into possession, got Simpson and Gray in a fankle, burst between them, and beat Dawson at close range. Hamilton played good football against a Rangers eleven in just about top form. To take a point out of such a test was an achievement of the highest order, and every Academical played his part. Brown and McPhail provided the master touched for Rangers. Reid made a positional slip or two but showed a highly-educated left foot. Winning again proved that he has everything a full-backs needs. McPhail missed a first half penalty
