Bowie
Muirhead
N Harris
Match Information
Attendance: 15,000
Referee: A Edward (Glasgow)
Matchday: Monday
Match Trivia
That the flinty pitch at Ibrox affected the play in several ways goes without saying, it could not, however, prevent the game being one of the best and keenest which Rangers and Partick Thistle have ever played on the ground. In an all-round sense, Rangers were the more accomplished team. They did by far the greater amount of pressure, and some of their forward play was delightfully neat. But the Thistle defence was sound. No doubt there was some miskicking, due to the insecure foothold, but the same factor told against the Rangers forwards when the time arrived to finish off their threatening sweeps on goal. So, matters were pretty well equalised in that respect. Besides, the Rangers halfs and also Manderson and Gordon were subject to the same drawback. It was here that the Thistle forwards came in to take advantage. They kept the ball going in a puzzling fashion, and though they missed a few great chances of completing a big surprise, they gave a touch of sensation to the finish by pulling off a draw with two minutes to go. Anything could have happened to either side before Neil Harris opened the scoring after nine minutes. Cunningham had just failed to profit by a miskick by Bulloch when Bowie got a long pass. He eluded Manderson, cut in, and shot with force. The ball came back off the bar nicely to Harris, who had only to keep his head and shoot low and straight past Lock. A bit of whirlwind attack by Rangers forwards, with Archibald going great guns followed. A corner was forced, and Cunningham got in a shot that rebounded off Berhards left-hand post to Muirhead, who urged the ball into the net. It was mostly the Rangers game after this, but though both Archibald and Paterson put over some pretty centres and Cunningham and Muirhead tried hard to bore through, there was always a defender in the way or else the ball beat them. But dont imagine that the Thistle forwards were out of it. Several times they swept down to the Rangers rear lines. Lock held excellent shots from Joe Harris and Houston, and Mitchell, when favourable placed, got Bowies fine centre on the wrong past of his boot. When the team turned the Rangers, forwards set up a gruelling pressure. Archibald was well plied with the ball, and never did he make better use of it. He mixed his accurate centres with an occasional driving run, and once he cleared Joe Harris and Bulloch and got to within a couple of yards of Bernard. It looked a goal, sure, but he took his left foot to it and screws the ball away from the target. Then, just to show what might happen. Manderson foutered with the ball until Lauder took it from him and sailed in to give Mitchell a glorious chance, but the ground here again prevented the inside right from steadying himself. But once more the Rangers forwards took up the attack. They did everything but score. Bernard saved brilliantly a shot whipped at him by Muirhead and, later one as good from Paterson. With ten minutes to go Rangers were hammering away. A stab by Paterson, and Cairns found Borthwick beaten, and the Doctor shot low and swiftly past Bernald. Frankly, I though the game was won then. The Thistle didnt, however. The forwards kept coming away to find the rangers defence beatable, and two minutes from finish Neil Harris picked up a pass from Lauder, raced ahead and slammed one at Lock, who got his hands his stiff, cold hands, I imagine to the ball, but could not stop it. I should not have cared to miss this match. It was the stuff for a cold day. Bernard had to be constantly vigilant, more so than Lock, but the Rangers man had his anxious moments, and you see how it all worked out. Gordon and Bulloch were the best of the backs. I thought Walls the most effective of the Rangers halfs, though Dixon did good fouling work. Hamilton stood up to Cunningham as if he knew his man, and Andrew had a hard row to how which is the price of scoring a lot of goals. Both Black and Joe Harris were useful. All the other Rangers forwards touched a high standard, always allowing for the conditions. They played mostly a close game, with passes along the ground. The Thistle five got along just as well, with passes in the air. Houston centred splendidly, and so did Bowie, and both inside men distributed the ball well. Harris took a lot of watching.
