Gordon (4)
Broad
Match Information
Attendance: 25,000
Referee: unknown - to be confirmed
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
At the finish of the match at Ibrox some of the Rangers people seemed inclined to allow themselves to be carried away by the success which had attended their team against the Cappielow rivals. The feeling among them was that their boys had played a great game. U grant you that the work of the ‘Light Blues’ touched quite a high standard most of the time, and was even brilliant on occasion, but they had their weak moments, and to my way of thinking, the early poverty-stricken display given by certain Greenockians contributed almost as much to the Govan triumph as did their own admitted clearness. There is an old saying which is as true today as ever it was – ‘A team id just as good as its opponents will allow it to be.’ Another thing that should be remembered! For an hour, on a perfect pitch, on an ideal football day, everything ran with the sweetness of a well-oiled machine for the Rangers, whereas during the greater part of the same period two Greenock half-backs and the entire front line could do little or nothing right. Then, almost as quick as a lamb, would take to shake its tail – in thirty seconds, to be precise – Gordon bundled home the first of his four goals. A short run up the right, a free kick sent nicely forward by Bowie to Archibald, whose dream of a centre found the Sergeant’s head ready, and the trick was done! The ball slipped into the net past Morrison and Bradford, I always consider a side lucky to get a goal so early – before the game has well started, one might say. Round about me feeling was that Morton were already ‘jiggered.’ As it turned out they were; but there was no reason why they should have been. Their play hereabout was certainly nothing to go into ecstasies about, but they managed to forage their way into, and keep within, Rangers’ territory, while the Ibrox defence was none too convincing. Morton had chances too. And the best of these, following a delightful shove through by ‘Jacky’ Wright fell to Gourlay; but he, of all men, failed. ‘Jamie’ hesitated to let the ball go ‘Shingletonwards,’ and was lost. A few minutes later Broad crashed in to find the Clyde custodian ready, and not long afterwards the little lad ‘fra’ Shawfield proved equal to a dangerous high ball. Had Morton scored, as they might, before Gordon registered his second success with a glorious drive from well out – a truly great goal – my tale might have been quite a different one this morning. We were all but midway through the half now, and three minutes later, the Ibrox stop-gap centre – what a misnomer – repeated himself. It was just another of the same. While his foot was in – within half-hour – Gordon crashed another ball past the bewildered Bradford, but either the sharpshooter or Andrew Cunningham, from whom the ball came into the middle, was judged offside. ‘JE’ was particularly sore about being denied this score – in the pavilion he assured me that it was the best goal of the match. That was all of consequence until the second half. This was barely a quarter of an hour old when the Rangers stood four up, the result of a really delightful bit of play between Archibald and Andrew Cunningham, which Gordon capped. Truly this was the International half-back’s PSA. Before this the Morton inside forwards and wing half-backs had picked up something of their usual game. Gourlay and Stevenson had thrown off much of their first-half lethargy and McIntyre and McLean were making a better stand against the Ibrox wings. The result of the improvement was seen almost before the cheers which greeted Gordon’s last goal had died away. Broad bored his way cleverly round McQueen and Manderson. The Oldham soldier’s shot gave Shingleton not a ghost of a chance; and twenty minutes from the close a centre by Stevenson was picked up and pushed home by Gourlay. These late goals, while showing a Morton improvement, also demonstrated that while the Ibrox defence was of fairly good quality in the open it was not so reliable as it might have been when the pinch came. Singleton, who was blameless for either goal, did the little he was asked to do in smart style, and young McQueen, who I was seeing for the first time, kicked a good ball. He is still lacking in tackling ability and recovery, but these attributes will come in time, I reckon. He is a promising boy. Bowie was the best, as he was the brainiest, Rangers’ half-back, and Gordon – what a great player ‘JE’ is! – Archibald and Andrew Cunning ham excelled in front. I was particularly pleased with the show made by the outside right. ‘The Fifer’ has taken his lesson. He gets in those beautiful centres of his more frequently than was his wont. As I have indicated, it was only after the interval that we sat the true Gourlay or McIntyre; indeed, I have never seen either to so little advantage as in the first half. Stevenson and McLean were also a shadow of their real selves for most of the time, therefore it is small wonder that little was seen of Grant and Seymour. James Bowie’s play was more cultured than that of Wright, but it was no more value to the Rangers than was the Cappielow centre half-back’s less studied play to the Morton. ‘Jacky,’ who was a tower of strength, had his efforts ably seconded by ‘Ole Bill’ and Ormond. Bradford, I though, had he set out for it earlier, might had got hold of Gordon’s third scoring shot, but the others counters were un-saveable
