Season Summary 1961 - 62 by Alistair Aird Kilmarnock had run Rangers close in the title race in season 1960/61, but it would be Dundee who would vie for top spot in season 1961/62. And with Alan Gilzean spearheading their attack, Bob Shankly, brother of Bill who would go on to lead Liverpool to glory in the 1960s and 1970s, masterminded an unlikely title triumph. But before the chase for the championship started in earnest, the two went head-to-head early in the season when they were drawn together in the League Cup sectional stage. Goals from Brand (2), Wilson and Millar earned Rangers a 4-2 win at Ibrox, and a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture at Dens Park went a long way to ensuring that Scot Symon’s side made it through to the knockout stages as group winners. A comfortable 6-2 aggregate win over East Fife followed before St Johnstone almost caused an upset in the semi-final. The Saints looked to be marching into the Final, leading 2-0 at the interval, but a goal from the diminutive Davie Wilson and a penalty from Eric Caldow restored parity and forced extra-time. And in the extra half hour, Wilson scored again to take Rangers through. A 3-1 win over Hearts after a replay ensured the trophy would remain at Ibrox for another season at least. But sandwiched in between the first match against Hearts and the replay was a defining day at Ibrox. Dundee came to Glasgow with the city enshrouded in dense fog. That didn’t deter Dundee, though, and four goals from Gilzean ensured they journeyed back up the A9 with a comprehensive 5-1 win under their belt. Rangers were rocked, and after reeling off three straight league wins in the wake of the Dundee debacle, back-to-back defeats against Dunfermline Athletic and Aberdeen before Christmas handed the Dens Park side the advantage. But after that defeat against the Dons two days before Christmas, Rangers wouldn’t taste defeat again until 24 March. In that run of 12 wins and two draws was a 7-1 thumping of Falkirk at Brockville. Davie Wilson scored six goals, three with his right foot, three with his left. Rangers were now sitting pretty, three points ahead of Dundee at the summit. A loss at home to Dundee United was a bump in the run-in road, but with two games to go, it was Symon’s side who had their fate in their own hands. Two wins would ensure the title was retained. But when Aberdeen defeated Rangers 1-0 at Pittodrie in the penultimate fixture, the pendulum swung back in the favour of Dundee. A win against St Johnstone in Perth was all the Dens Park side needed to win the league, and they duly delivered, winning 3-0. There was a crumb of consolation in the shape of the Scottish Cup. After wins over Falkirk and Arbroath, Aberdeen were thrashed 5-1 in an Ibrox replay. Kilmarnock came a cropper in the last eight – a brace from Ian McMillan was among the four goals scored in a 4-2 win – and Max Murray scored twice in the semi-final against Motherwell to book a place in the Final. At that stage, St Mirren were beaten 2-0 at Hampden, with Brand and the effervescent Wilson on the scoresheet. Having played in every game the previous season, Wilson only missed six of the matches contested in season 1961/62. One of them was a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Third Lanark in the semi-final of the Glasgow Cup. Wilson scored 29 goals, but the accolade of top goalscorer went once again to Ralph Brand. He scored 42 goals in 62 appearances, with two of his total coming in the run to the last eight of the European Cup. Rangers had reached the semi-final of the European Cup in season 1959/60 and the European Cup Winners' Cup Final a year later. They were looking to go deep into the tournament again and wins over AS Monaco and ASK Vorwaerts took Symon’s side into a quarter-final showdown against the Belgian champions, Standard Liege. Alas, a 2-0 win in the second leg at Ibrox was not enough to overturn a 4-1 defeat in Belgium. The season ended with a very successful tour of Russia – Rangers won two and drew one of the three matches played - and a certain John Greig made his debut for the first team too, scoring one of the goals as Airdrie were beaten 4-1 at Ibrox in the League Cup on 2 September 1961.
