W Reid 2, xx
Hogg +1<45
Galt
Match Information
Attendance: 11,000
Referee: R.J. Kelso (Hamilton)
Matchday: Wednesday
Match Trivia
More gratifying, probably, to those who control the affairs of the Ibrox club – and incidentally to the loyal following – than the substantial win over the Kirkcaldy team was the undoubted return to form of George Law. For the whole of last season the hut-locked Arbroath back failed to even approach that standard which gained for him the previous term the highest honours to which a Scottish footballer can attain – an International cap against England. But last night saw Law put up a game which suggests – to use a figure of speech familiar in another sphere of sport – that he has ‘come back’. When attributing this praise to Law, it is not forgotten that the opposition was somewhat weak, but there was a confidence about his methods which was reassuring. He kicked a splendid length with accuracy, tackled resolutely, and evidenced splendid judgment in going out to meet an opponent. Under any circumstances it would have been a big ordeal for the Rovers to meet the Rangers in an opening game. And they were thus further handicapped in that they were opposed to a side which had been together all last season, while their own attack showed no fewer than four changes. As it was they were unable to stretch the winners to any appreciable extent, with the result that no position was weakly filled in the Ibrox eleven. Lock, had only to extend himself on two occasions in saving; Campbell was as sound a back as Law; the half-backs all played well; and the forwards found their game from the very outset, and played it until they had the match comfortably won, after which they eased off a bit. Two of the goals were very simple got – one from a free kick by Galt, and the other a long shot by Bennett, both in the second half. Reid had the first two, and Hogg, with a ball which went through the side netting, was the scorer of the third. On more than one occasion early in the game the Rangers were lucky to be allowed to continue their attack from offside positions, but the points could never have gone elsewhere than to their credit. It would be obviously unfair to criticise harshly a team that is only finding its way. An attack containing five players who are quite strange to one another’s methods could scarcely be expected to harmonise right off. Neither did they. But from what one could extract from the individual movements of the line it seems to contain possibilities, and probably the strongest section will be the left – Hastie and Ritchie – once they become thoroughly acquainted. Chalmers’ old fault of getting into offside positions is still apparent, while the right wing might be improved with a player of greater physical qualities – and ability of course – than McNeil possesses. The other departments of the team were on the same lines as those with which the previous seasons was concluded, with the exception of goal, where McLeod, the young player from the Scottish Rifles Junior team, took the place of Ewing. He had a number of good saves and was a trifle unfortunate in being beaten five times. Cumming - ‘Airthur’ the Fifers affectionately term him – can always be relied upon to put up a god game, and he did so on this occasion; but Snoddy, after quite a promising start, fell off a bit. The half-backs all worked very hard, and not altogether ineffectively. They will not be up against the same standard of attack in every game, and will then have a chance to show what they can do in forcing work instead of having to play on the defensive, as they had to do most of the time last evening. Simpson was, perhaps the most noticeable of the three.
