Fleming 11
S Archibald
Ramsay
Fleming
Match Information
Attendance: 20,000
Referee: C Ritchie (Edinburgh)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
Four goals down with two minutes of the second half away, Kilmarnock seemed in for a debacle. Rangers up to the interval were all over the Ayrshire defence, and Tom Hamilton was practically a spectator. We were wondering when the competition was going to begin when, the general surprise, it began. Kilmarnock scored twice in pretty quick succession, and when Fleming had to go off with a bad face cut which necessitated three stitches, Kilmarnock seemed likely to make a fight of it after all, But Rangers put some of the metal into their play which they had allowed to disappear, and with Fleming returning to play at outside left, they held the points safe. There was a fine free breezy swing about the play of the champions in the first half, and goals came to them as the result of the quick, puzzling passes and hard shooting which opened out the Kilmarnock defence. In five minutes, Morton, McPhail and Fleming worked the ball half the length of the field, and the movement finished with Fleming smiting it past Clemie from Morton’s ground pass. The second goal, nine minutes later, came from a powerful, rising shot by Archibald, who cut in with a pass from Cunningham. Clemie just touched the ball as it went through over his head. A trim affair was the third goal, scored with 22 minutes gone. Fleming, over on the left, dashed ahead and passed to Morton, who had followed up on the inside. Alan shot without allowing the ball to stop, and it went past Clemie at great rate. Right on the restart, the Rangers attacked, and a long, high through pass be Meiklejohn was netted in a gliding headed from Fleming. So, it seemed as if the fireworks were to be all on the one side. A couple of minutes more, however, and Harry Cunningham had slipped through the Ibrox defence and scored with a well-judged angular shot. Kilmarnock woke up on this, and six minutes later a sharp assault by all the forwards gave Ramsay a chance to beat Hamilton again. It was followed this that Fleming was injured, and while he was off Rangers had to put their best foot forward. Kilmarnock’s forwards threw away several good chances by faulty passing, and neither the wings nor the half-backs gave Harry Cunningham enough of the ball. This was more surprising since Meiklejohn was running a big risk by playing so far up. Clemie did well, despite the four goals lost, and Nibloe was a sturdy, never-say-die defender. Morton was the best of the half-backs, for Hogg and McEwan were too slow and uncertain. Connell shaped well at time and got some good passes from Williamson, but an old head like Smith was sadly missed. Ramsay was often clever in opening out, but Clark was not quick enough away. Rangers were at their best in the first half, and I rather think their big lead gave them a sense of security which deceived them. It was fine team work. When half-backs are going so far ahead with their forwards there will always be a danger of the other side snapping goals. There was one little incident which might have been serious for McPhail. Every experienced player should know that lifting a hand can only recoil on himself, even if it is in retaliation
