Main 3
J Smith 17
J Smith 54
Kinnear 56
Gray 75
Match Information
Attendance: 15,000
Referee: M.C. Hutton (Glasgow)
Matchday: Wednesday
Match Trivia
At one period in the second half of this Glasgow Cup Final, Rangers threatened to taste of double figures so much were Partick Thistle subjected to a domination that was nothing less than shooting for goal. And yet, paradoxically, Thistle were given the opportunity to make the Light Blues hop for very early in the first portion, just after Main had scored the opening goal, McSpadyen missed a sitter, while Wallace miffed when well placed, and McMenemy fired straight at Dawson when he should have sent the ball well out of the goalkeepers reach. But the gods didnt like people who scorn their gifts presented in the instance quoted by a leave-it-to-a-mate hesitancy on the part of the Rangers defence and Smith led his men to what can only be described as a Thistle debacle. This is the season when the flowers die and fade away. The Thistle certainly shed their jaggy parts here. Do nit blame Johnstone for the heavy defeat. Blame rather the frequent poor judgment of Sutherland, and the fumbling of a forward line that was devoid almost completely of the sparkle that in dome recent games has been giving jot to the Firhill faithful. McKennan was fielded at inside left and in the second half changed placed with McMenemy. The youngster tried a hundred times to get off on his own. Only once did he succeed, in the closing minutes, when for the first time, I think, he tricked Venters, ran on and shot. Dawson dived and could only palm the ball for Gray, standing handy, to thump it back into the net. I take it that McMenemy was played inside right to exploit the sped of McSpadyen. It happened once or twice early on. After that no. Wallace admittedly did not get many opportunities, but he was most awkward unless the ball came running to his feet. Gray was more or less hopeless against his namesake and got few balls over. McSpadyen did better in that direction, but Dawson had every one of them timed for safety. Sutherlands misjudgement had an effect on the other in the defence (at times overwhelmed) and Kinnear and Main, especially the former, had a splendid game, the outside left being the most effective winger on the field. Smith was a good centre, and the same remark applies to McPhail as in inside forward. Macauley was not a success and was far too guilty of using his elbow. Many Rangers attack came to a standstill through free kicks being given against him. Others were given the turn about because of his failings to run into position or because of faulty passing. Venters dis well at left-half and covered a lot of ground. When he moved forward, as he frequently did, he always got back in time to cover up. The greasy ground occasionally caused Kennedy and Simpson to make a slight error, but on the whole they were up to standard. McDonald in the opening minutes had trouble with McSpadyen, but the gradually got the upper hand, and with Gray snuffing out the left-winger both backs took their part in the gradual elimination of Thistles hopes. Dawson was never really tested. The stuff he got to deal with was a pie to a hungry man. Mains opening goal came in three minutes, he and Smith going in for a Kinnear cross, handled by Johnstone. In the seventeenth minutes a Sutherland charge led to a free kick forty yards from Johnstone. Simpson banged it towards goal. Smith and Sutherland rose to it, and I thought the centre just haired the ball to deflect it into goal. Five minutes from the interval another free kick. This time it was taken at an angle by Kennedy, and McPhail rose well to it to head away from the keeper. Almost immediately afterwards Main got away when Stewart should have cleared, and crossing neatly gave Smith the chance to nod home. He took it. With ten minutes of the restart Rangers were another two up. Smith trapped a ball from Main and moving a yard or so between the defenders shot low and true just inside Johnstones left-hand post. That was in eight minutes. Two minutes later Kinnear shot a bonny one. He took the ball from McPhail, beat Calderwood on the turn and slashed home a right-footer. There must have been sweepstakes on Rangers ultimate total after that, but they lost the finishing touch, or rather, were careless with it. Near the end Thistle made a sort of dying kick, and Gray scored as detailed. As with such games that develop a one-sided aspect so with this. Poor stuff.
