T Cairns
Match Information
Attendance: 20,000
Referee: H. Humphrey (Greenock)
Matchday: Monday
Match Trivia
Rangers beat Hibernian at Ibrox by a goal scored by Cairns after 35 minutes play. Yet for the greater part of the first half, and nearly – the whole of the second, the Easter Road boys were on the defensive. Explanation of the solitary goal is two fold – some bad finishing and some marvellous defence. Harper, the Hibernian custodian, got many of the shots to come nicely to him, but he had several saves that demanded quick judgment. He dealt magnificently with a bunch of dangerous ‘corners’ and he several timed left his goal in order to circumvent the in-rushing forwards. And yet with all the predominance of the Rangers in the outfield the ‘Hibs’ might have snapped a goal and a point. In the first half, when Manderson was shaky, and the Ibrox middlemen were opened out by the wide passing of the Leith forwards, two chances fell to the visitors which, with nicer judgment, would have enabled Anderson and Gordon to leave Robb pretty helpless. After the interval the Rangers half-backs and forwards were in command right up to Harper. Past him they could not get. He had one bit of luck only – when an angular left-foot shot by Cunningham beat him and struck the far post. Archibald, who was going well up to the shotting point, missed a real ‘certainty’. But none of the other forwards was free from blame. McGinnigle and Templeton gave their goalkeeper splendid support, and though the halfs were many times beaten, they got back in time to help stall off the Ibrox attacks. The forwards were nippy and clever at times, but they got comparatively little of the ball. Manderson improved a bad start. Meiklejohn did quite well, although not getting great distance in his clearances. Much of the passing of the Rangers half-backs was poorly judged. When the forwards settled, they were all right, except for their finishing – and that despite the amount of work Harper had to get through.
