Rawling 50
Match Information
Attendance: 5000
Referee: AA Jackson (Glasgow)
Matchday: Tuesday
Match Trivia
Tommy Muirhead Benefit Match, With a big Rangers’ League match at Shawfield on Monday and a Glasgow Cup replay with the ‘Light Blues’ as one of the principals advertised for this evening, could you look for a big crowd at Tommy Muirhead’s benefit at Ibrox last night? I didn’t. And there wasn’t any more than 5000 people present. But I expect the beneficiary will come out all right – he has a guarantee, I understand. On a dry, but dull, evening we saw a listless game of 90 minutes or so, in which there was only one item worth recording – Alec Jackson, gave the cease-firing signal before the second half was half through. Preston North End were the better side, but it must not be forgotten that the Rangers played only one first-team man. Willie Robb kept goal and kept it well. You want to know of course about the one incident that mattered. Here it is. The light was very bad at the time – five minutes after the turn-about. Then grand work by Quantrill finished with the ball flashing across to the right wing. Rawlings, the extreme wing forward on that side, who used to be with Dundee, saw it coming, and he got there. Meeting the ball with his deadly right, he let go first-time, and through it went like greased lightning off one of Robb’s hands. This morning one of Willie’s digits is feeling the force of the impact, I warrant you. There’s little use dwelling on the match, such as it was. Dr Paterson amused those of his old admirers present by diddling the opposition now and then, but really the doctor was on holiday. His partner, young Rollo, late of St Roch’s, did little of note, and Hector Lawson was a hard-working if anything but a great centre-forward; indeed, the best forward work of the side came from the Partick pair on the right. In the middle line I saw improvement in Kirkwood, the half-back, who came to Ibrox from the junior Parkhead more than a season ago. Kirkwood comes on – he keeps the ball closer to the ground then when last I saw him. Those alongside him and behind did fairly well. In the Preston rear, while Branston kept a good goal, I liked Doolan best. McCall gave us a glimpse or two of his old ability, yet he was streets behind the international Joe I have seen so often. Forward, Rawlings and Quantrill were best, both I have seen do very much better. I can recall an almost marvellous show Rawlings, then of Dundee, gave us at Greenock one wintry afternoon; Quantrill I saw make ducks and drakes of Alex McNair in the international at Sheffield – on mucky Hillsboro’ – a couple of seasons ago. I had a word with Tom Hamilton, the Preston back from Cumnock, who is nursing an injury sustained before playing at Kilmarnock in Malcolm McPhail’s benefit match. Tom won’t play again for a month. Mercer and Jeffries were the other Deepdale absentees.
