W Reid (3)
T Cairns (3)
McTavish
Whittle
Match Information
Attendance: 20,000
Referee: J Lyons (Hamilton)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
A curious result this, you’ll say, and so it is. It is the more curious when you bear in mind that for quite a big slice of the first half people were taking note of the corner kicks, and remarking that if it came to corners deciding the match, the Thistle were in fair way to win. That meant that the Thistle were doing more than their share of the pressure. Yet – and here’s the rub – they could not get goals. On the other hand, Rangers without the pressure, could get goals. Goals! Why, it was like shelling peas. A rapid review of that remarkable first half would run like this. In four minutes Reid scored with the first shot of the game, Campbell, the Thistle goalkeeper, being too late to get down to a ball that went along the ground at a terrific pace, and got in between him and the left post. Following thus, the Thistle, playing strong, bustling football, with perhaps not too much method, gave the Rangers’ defence a hot time. Lock was busy scooping up and punching away shots. Whittle all but equalised. Then the Rangers’ forwards got going again. Duncan centred, and Campbell had made up his mind how to deal with the centre, when up pops Reid’s head to steer the ball swiftly out of the goalkeeper’s reach into the net. Then more pressure by the Thistle forwards, before the Rangers’ right wing – Duncan and Gordon this time – made clever play. Another centre by Duncan, nicely timed by Cairns, whose head diverted the ball into the net at close range to Campbell. Still the Thistle would not give in. They tried hard, but lack of experience in the forward line was their breaking point – that and the ease with which the defence was penetrated with vital consequences – for, a minute from the interval, Cairns whipped on a fourth goal after a nice round of combination with Paterson. So we had Rangers leading by 4-0 at the end of a first half in which Lock had much more to do than had Campbell, who, in fact, had had no more than six troublesome shots to deal with, and four of them beat him. I am counting the headers as shots. How is it to be explained? Simply by the fact that there was no wastage of effort on the Rangers’ side, and a good deal of it on the other. Every kick told with the winners; the ball was nursed and placed and shot with all the weight of experience and judgment behind it. The Thistle had the will and the energy, but not the balance or the old-fashion cleverness. Nor was there a directing head to try to steady them when things were going wrong. The game was over at half-time, so far as finding the winners was concerned. Discouraged, and with wind and sun to face, the Thistle in the second half were outplayed. In eight minutes Cairns scored a fifth – his own – third – goal. This was a soft one. Then Paterson scored the sixth from a centre by Duncan, and Reid got the seventh also after a centre by Duncan. Four of the goals were sequel to Duncan’s centres. McTavish and Whittle each scored for the Thistle before the end. Both goals were smartly taken and played for, but Rangers by this time had eased off. Of course, the Thistle had some bad luck, but also they were beaten by a better team. If Campbell lost seven goals, he was not alone to blame. He got indifferent support. There was little recovery power shown by Adams and Bulloch or by the half-backs. Morrison was the only half-back whose play tended to steady the attack. The young ones were not the worst of the forwards. Leitch was as clever as any. Rangers will not exaggerate the meaning of their tall score. They would be foolish if they did. Their defence under pressure was not impressive, but they had a good line of forwards, with Duncan particularly deadly with his runs and centres. It paid him to centre before reaching the line. The Thistle defence could not keep up with him. He got many fine passes from Gordon, who was as much his partner as was Cunningham. Reid and Cairns were terrible men for the Thistle defence, and Paterson was clever to a degree. Hendry was quite good for a first time out.
