Hair 20
A Cunningham 50
Match Information
Attendance: 16,000
Referee: Tom Dougray (Bellshill)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
Rangers deserved their victory in the Charity Cup semi-final. No more than that. They looked like being snuffed at one time, but once they had equalised Thistle’s first-half goal, they soon got a second, and from that time until the finish they played to retain their lead. I don’t know if they went the right way about it. They played the defensive game, and at times it didn’t look as if it would pay them. In the end it did. They go forward to meet Clyde in an endeavour to win another Cup memento. It was a good game to watch, Thistle put up a rare fight. They almost came near to winning. If they had been able to hold out for a little longer, they might have done so. But these are the little ‘ifs’ in the game which tell, and spilt milk is not worth crying over. Asa whole the Rangers team was not at its best. The defence made blunders, although Hamilton can be absolved from any default. The slippery ground seemed to trouble both Manderson and McCandless. The half-backs did well all through, and it must be pleasing to the Ibrox people to see Ireland promising so well. Forward Cunningham was best with Cairns and Morton always dangerous in their schemes on the left. Henderson missed chanced, but got a goal, and Archibald got across a few good balls. Thistle defence was like that of Rangers good occasionally. Mistakes were easily made on a greasy ground. Ramsay was a bit daring at times in leaving his goal. Crichton was steady and Donald a wee bit impetuous. McMullan was the best half-back of the set, and Lambie played in the second half a game which no one could have bettered. Forward, Hair and Groves were best. Ness was not like his true self; Kinloch didn’t find things to his liking, and Torbet did his best work in the first half. In the first minute of the game Henderson shot over when he might have scored. Cairns gave George a lovely slip up the middle. The backs were well spread. George took a couple of steps instead of half a dozen and shot over. This early thrill was followed by one from Ness. Manderson rushed across to clear at all costs. Again, Ness got the better of McCandless and centred. This was followed by Torbet getting the wrong side of the net. Rangers right got bust and Cairns again gave Henderson a sitter. George completely missed. Thistle were moving sweetly now and got a couple of corners, one off Ireland and a second off Manderson. When Rangers came again Archibald sent his shot right across the goal and past the other side. Then Ramsay came out to a couple of crosses, one from either wing and cleared smartly. Thistle’s left well-backed by McMullan, again gave trouble, and forced Manderson to head a third corner. Alan Morton lobbed a free kick on to the top of the net and Archibald after a gallant run, shot a ripper which bumped off Crichton for Rangers first corner. In twenty minutes, Hair scored a great goal. Meiklejohn threw in, Ness got possession and pushed the ball forward to his centre. Hair let out with his left first time. Hamilton had no chance. Rangers followed with strong pressure, but first Henderson failed to hold the ball when well placed and then Cunningham shot past an open goal. Archibald got a couple of corners, one off Donald and another off McMullan, but still nothing like a count. Thistle kept swinging the ball about, and when Ness beat McCandless and Meiklejohn ran to the rescue. Thistle got their fourth corner and next minute Manderson gave away a fifth to Torbet. Clever work by Cunningham left Archibald in possession. Sandy shot past. When play had been in progress for half-hour, the run of play was correctly indicated by the score. Thistle being not only a goal up but three corners to the good in the event of a count. Rangers might have counted when Henderson got a ball from the right, but the centre slipped and the ball rolled over the line, a section of the crowd howling their disapproval when the referee gave a bye instead of a corner. The crowd got something to enthuse over when Morton and Ramsay met. Both went down, and the ball lay almost dead. Chalton cleared at the expense of a corner. Thistle were pressing when the first half cane to an end with the Firhill crowd deservedly leading. Rangers opened the second half with a spirited run on the left, but Henderson’s long-range shot went past. In six minutes, Cunningham scored a fine goal for Rangers. Thistle’s defence was at fault. Instead of kicking clear, they tried to be clever. The ball went out to big Andy, who promptly netted from about twenty yards. In five minutes more Rangers were a goal up. Grove had just whacked one narrowly over the bar. Rangers then came away on the right. Archibald spanked down the wing and centred sweetly to Henderson. George turned and beat Ramsay all ends up with a right foot drive. A minute later Henderson almost scored again. A strong effort by Cairns enabled him to slip an awkward one to his centre. George shot out a foot and looked like scoring. The ball came back into play off a post. Rangers’ defence were playing much better this half, and Thistle found it consequently more difficult to ger on intimate terms with Hamilton. The keeper was called upon to deal with a great shot by Hair from a slip by McMullan, and again when Grove pushed in a grounder, but he had little difficulty with either, but he looked beaten when Hair shot narrowly over. But Meiklejohn’s great drive at the other end in a few moments was as near to scoring. Then Ramsay had a delightful save from a header by Cunningham at a corner from Archibald – Rangers’ second this half. All the near things weren’t over yet as Lambie lashed a great ball just past a post. Thistle were going great guns hereabouts, and the Ibrox defence were standing up to a gruelling time. But before the finish Rangers were an the aggressive again, and Henderson got in a rasper past a post.
