Season 1974/75 by Alistair Aird A season in which the 11-year wait for the league title finally ended started with a run to the final of the Drybrough Cup for the first time. Stirling Albion (2-0) and Hibernian (3-2) were beaten to set up a showdown with Celtic at Hampden. Both sides scored a goal in the first half – Stevie Murray for Celtic and Ally Scott for Rangers – and when no further goals were scored in the second half, the match went to extra time. In the additional half hour, Paul Wilson put Celtic 2-1 up, but Derek Parlane made it 2-2 and forced a penalty shootout. Alas, Parlane and Tommy McLean saw their penalties saved by Denis Connaghan and Celtic won 4-2. Four days later, the League Cup kicked off. The competition reverted once again to only the section winners progressing to the knockout stages, and Rangers failed to occupy that spot after their six games. Although they beat Dundee and St Johnstone home and away, defeats against Hibernian at Easter Road and Ibrox saw Wallace’s side eliminated. Incidentally, Richard Sharp, brother of Graham who found fame with Everton in the 1980s, made his debut in the match at Easter Road. It was his one and only appearance for the first XI. Fears that a hangover from that exit would curtail Rangers when the league action got underway were quickly allayed. They won 10 and drew two of their opening 12 league games, and included in that run was a 2-1 win over Celtic at Parkhead - Ian McDougall and Colin Jackson scored the goals – and a 6-1 win over Dunfermline Athletic that featured five goals from Derek Parlane. Hibernian ended the unbeaten start when they won 1-0 at Ibrox on 23 November, which allowed Celtic to take over at the top of the table on goal average. Another loss against Airdrie four days before Christmas saw Celtic move two points clear, but that 4-3 defeat would be the last time Wallace’s side lost in the league until the faced the Diamonds again on the final day of the season. The pivotal fixture was the one at Ibrox against Celtic on 4 January. It took Rangers only six minutes to take the lead. It was a goal that was a hallmark of the 1970s too, Derek Johnstone getting his head to a Tommy McLean cross and finding the net. McLean doubled the lead early in the second half, and Derek Parlane completed a resounding win when he headed in another pinpoint delivery from McLean with 16 minutes left on the clock. Wallace’s side never looked back. Only two points were dropped in the next nine league games, which presented Rangers with the chance to clinch the title when they travelled to Easter Road on 29 March. The previous weekend’s 3-0 win over Motherwell at Ibrox coupled with Celtic’s 1-0 defeat at Airdrie took Rangers 10 points clear of the soon-to-be-deposed champions with five games remaining. Hibernian were now in second place, but they trailed Rangers by nine points. A draw in Edinburgh would therefore be sufficient to seal the title. The hero of the hour would be Colin Stein. He had left Rangers to join Coventry City, but in early March it became apparent that he was set to return to Ibrox. The signing was announced on 6 March, and the article in the Glasgow Herald suggested that Stein was coming back on an initial one-month loan deal. He had recently sustained ankle ligament damage, so the temporary arrangement was in place to allow Stein to prove his fitness. If he did so, then there was an agreement in place between the clubs that the deal would become permanent. A fee of £80,000 was agreed. Stein made his second debut two days later in a 1-0 win over St Johnstone at Ibrox and completed 90 minutes in the two games that followed, wins over Dundee (2-1) and Motherwell (3-0). The prodigal had returned, but he hadn’t found the net in any of those games. He would put that right in Edinburgh. The stage was set, but the hosts clearly hadn’t read the script. After 20 minutes they took the lead – Ally McLeod heading in a cross from Erich Schadler – and they were still in front at the interval. But 12 minutes after the restart, Rangers were handed an opportunity to score when Bobby McKean was fouled in the penalty area by Jim McArthur, the Hibernian goalkeeper. Sandy Jardine stepped up, but his penalty kick struck the foot of the right-hand post. Rangers would not be denied, though. Five minutes later, Jardine played the ball wide to McKean on the right. McKean jinked away from his man and his cross was perfect; Stein met it and bulleted a header beyond McArthur. Rangers were champions of Scotland for the first time in 11 years. As the minutes ticked down, John Greig, who had only made two appearances in the league since 11 January, replaced Sandy Jardine. Although Colin Jackson and Willie Mathieson were part of the squad in season 1963/64, Greig was the only member of the current squad that had played any games in that championship season. He had been redoubtable and resolute as Celtic dominated, so it was fitting he was on the field when the referee, J. W. Paterson from Bothwell, blew the final whistle. Rangers won 25 of their 34 league games and scored 86 goals. Derek Parlane was top scorer with 17, closely followed by Tommy McLean (15) and Derek Johnstone (14). Stewart Kennedy, who played in all 34 league fixtures, conceded 33 goals and kept 12 clean sheets. The Scottish Cup didn’t join the league trophy in the Ibrox Trophy Room, though, Rangers exiting in the third round. They were drawn to face Aberdeen at Pittodrie, and writing in the Evening Times, Alan Davidson said that the match was ‘momentous.’ Ally Scott put Rangers ahead midway through the second half, but Willie Miller netted an equalising goal to force a replay. This eventually took place on 10 February. But according to Ian Archer of the Glasgow Herald, Rangers were ‘pitiful’ on the night. Arthur Graham pounced on an errant pass from Tom Forsyth to put Aberdeen ahead after only two minutes, and Rangers, already minus captain John Greig, were weakened further when Derek Johnstone had to be replaced after a clash of heads resulted in blood spurting from his head. Bobby McKean did restore parity with a header after half an hour, but the Dons progressed to the round four when Duncan Davidson scored eight minutes from the end of extra time. The season ended with a Glasgow Cup Final at Hampden. A crowd of 70,494 turned up to see the Old Firm fight out a 2-2 draw. Paul Wilson twice gave Celtic the lead, but equalising goals from Stein and McLean looked to have forced a replay. This was scheduled for 2 August but was never played. The two clubs were instead declared joint holders of the trophy. Although they had missed out on success in the domestic cup competitions, the trophy that the supporters yearned for – the League Championship - was back at Ibrox. And when the league flag was unfurled it would be ahead of a season in which Scottish Football embraced a new era with a reconstructed league set-up.
