Thornton 15
Fiddes 19
A Venters 50
Match Information
Attendance: 18,000
Referee: J Baillie (Motherwell)
Matchday: Monday
Match Trivia
Whatever hopes St Mirren had of tarnishing Rangers unbeaten home record this season were shattered when they suffered a series of set-backs during a five minute spell midway through the first half. To lose two goals in as many minutes was bad enough, but in the first rally on Rangers goal in an effort to retrieve matters they were handed out another blow. Kinnaird wrenched his knee and had to retire for the rest of the game. Until that black five minutes St Mirren, aided by the fresh breeze, made a fight of it. Offside tactics kept up-setting Rangers forward moves and once McLintock cleverly eluded Simpson only to see his parting shot graze the upright. The slippery conditions made it extremely difficult for the players to keep their feet, and palpable chances went abegging because of this. Rangers struck their first blow in 15 minutes. Symon swung the ball across goal and Thornton, lying unmarked, deftly headed out of Rennies reach. Gray from the start had at every opportunity, been passing the ball to advantage, and it was this virtue that led to the second goal two minutes later. Instead of an aimless kick upfield, the right-back pushed a perfect ground pass to Waddell. The winger in turn, slipped to Fiddes, who carried on to find the net. Then Kinnaird was injured. From then on, the writing was on the wall. Venters early goal five minutes after the restart when on the goal line, he jabbed home a Thornton try made us wonder what margin the score would reach. However, the Paisley defence stuck doggedly to their task. Rangers task was too easy to keep interest alive. Thue persistent pressure, however, brought to light the capable goalkeeping of Rennie, especially in the second forty-five. Craven was another who gained full marks, and but for Cunninghams tendency to over elaborate in the penalty box I would have placed him on the same level. While intact St Mirrens front line showed promise, but after Kinnairds injury only McLintock raised expectations. Rangers carried no failures. Strength at full back, where Gray and Shaw worked in complete harmony, and a mid line whose one fault was their occasional misdirection of passes laid the foundation to a merited victory.
