Branscombe
W Reid
Match Information
Attendance: 10,000
Referee: T Robertson (Glasgow)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
A little bit of class was all that distinguished Rangers from Partick Thistle in the Glasgow Charity Cup second-round tie at Ibrox Park. About the play of the ‘Light Blues’ there was always an impression of a conscious power, whereas with the Thistle it was a case of being – as the saying goes – all out. On the day’s play the little bit of class was never an easy winner. The scoring luck was with the Rangers, as but for the greasy ball Campbell would have prevented the first goal, and for falling the mud, probably also the third. There was a period in the second half when the Thistle forwards looked like running the home defenders off their legs. They were due a goal then, and had they got it, say, when Branscombe rattled the bar from one of several scoring chances the little bit of class might have been sore put to it. In the end, however, victory went to the right team, and so Rangers are into the final, where they will wage war with the winner of the Celtic and Third Lanark tie. With corners to count if necessary, the Thistle were early in the lead with a couple, but not content with that, they helped themselves to a goal after twenty minutes. Gordon had something to do with it. Almost on his own line he declined to let the ball go by, and spooning his kick, presented Branscombe with a chance he promptly accepted, the ball beating Hempsey high up. Rangers had to go full steam for the equaliser. It was a curious goal when it came, for Campbell, having to get the ball away in a hurry after saving, failed to clear well enough to prevent Reid pouncing on it and hooking it into the net at a difficult angle. Up till the interval Rangers had rather the best of it, but it was almost on the call of the pass-over before Gordon took a slip pass from Smith, who was in the centre looking for a free kick for something the referee would not recognise. Gordon dodged round Stevenson, then Bulloch, and slipped the ball past Campbell in tricky style, more like RS McColl of old than anybody I know. For a long time after the restart, the Thistle shaped well for the equaliser. They piled up the corners to no effect, and Branscombe annoyed himself by missing three glorious chances, a feat Reid later emulated in the most correct fashion. Near the end, Gordon, who was playing as much forward as half, ran through and centred strongly. Reid got the ball on his knee, and it bounced towards goal with him after it. Campbell was about to go down on the ball, and would probably have beaten Reid for possession, but he stuck or slipped, in the soft ground, and got a good view of the score. I notice that some blame McKenzie for letting the ball glance off him into the net, but this in unfair to the Thistle back, who did not touch it. Reid forestalled him. Play was keen and slack by turns, which is not surprising looking to the trying conditions. The Thistle had an unwavering defence. In the case of McKenzie no one would expect any wavering. He likes to go in shoulders and all. Some people object to that, but I would a hundred times rather see McKenzie’s style than the sly heel jab or ankle-tapping. In the Rangers defence, Muir was again sound, only he seemed sometimes to be in two minds. When he gets the ball, he generally gets it the right way. The half-backs were the least to be envied, for the forwards in possession had always a big advantage on the heavy ground. Raisbeck did a lot of useful defence, so did Logan, but none was weak. As a forward auxiliary Gordon was out by himself, and his goal was a regular tit bit. Rangers had the more even lot of forwards. In fact, it was mainly forward where the ‘conscious power’ reposed. Still, the Thistle vanguard gave us some spasms, chiefly in the second half. I should like to see the same five on a good, firm ground. Branscombe will not always be so much off the target.
