Season 1962/63 by Alistair Aird Rangers regained the league title in season 1962/63. Scot Symon’s side won eight and drew two of the first 10 league fixtures. And after losing 2-1 against Dundee United at Tannadice on 10 November 1962, the Light Blues only tasted defeat on one other occasion in the league, a 1-0 reverse at Rugby Park against Kilmarnock on 13 May. Rangers eventually finished the season undefeated at Ibrox – their home record in the league was 13 wins and four draws – and nine points clear of runners-up, Kilmarnock. Celtic were beaten home and away - the former a comprehensive 4-0 win on New Year’s Day 1963 - and there was also a stunning 6-1 win over Kilmarnock at Ibrox on 8 December. ‘It’s Whirlwind Rangers’ proclaimed the headline in the Evening Times. A double from Ralph Brand and strikes from Jimmy Millar and Davie Wilson had Rangers 4-1 ahead at half-time. Brand completed his hat-trick after the restart – he would score another treble the following week against Raith Rovers – and Willie Henderson also scored to complete the rout. But two players went one better than Brand by scoring four goals in a match. Jimmy Millar was the first to do so on 16 March 1963, scoring four of the goals as that early season defeat against Dundee United was avenged with a 5-0 win at Ibrox. And a month later, on 17 April, Davie Wilson beat his former team-mate, George Niven, four times as the bandwagon gathered a head of steam. The 4-1 win against Partick Thistle at Firhill was Rangers’ tenth league win in a row. Season 1962/63 would also be remembered as one in which football went into cold storage. After thumping Celtic 4-0 on 1 January 1963, Rangers didn’t play again until they faced Dunfermline Athletic at East End Park on 9 March. The Scottish Cup was retained. Airdrie (6-0) and East Stirling (7-2) were clinically despatched ahead of a quarter-final against the reigning league champions, Dundee. A 1-1 draw at Dens Park resulted in a replay, wherein Rangers were ‘lucky’ according to the Evening Times headline. A crowd of 81,190 turned up on the slopes of Ibrox Park, and they marvelled at the spectacle. An own goal from Alex Hamilton had Rangers ahead after 16 minutes, but a double from Alan Gilzean had the visitors 2-1 ahead with less than 15 minutes to go. But a penalty from Ralph Brand restored parity before Brand found a winning goal with only a couple of minutes remaining. A Jimmy Millar hat-trick helped secure a 5-2 win over Dundee United in the last four, and Celtic were thumped 3-0 in a replayed Final. The Celtic goalkeeper, Frank Haffey, resisted Rangers in the first game, but Baxter was brilliant in the replay 11 days later, orchestrating a 3-0 win that featured goals from Brand (2) and Wilson. The League Cup campaign featured a John Greig hat-trick against St Mirren at Ibrox. The 4-0 win saw Rangers pip Hibernian for top spot in Section Four. But although Dumbarton were beaten 4-2 on aggregate in the quarter-final, Kilmarnock extinguished hopes of retaining the trophy. Managed by the iconic Willie Waddell, the Ayrshire side came from behind to win 3-2 at Hampden Park. The European adventure was ended abruptly by Bill Nicholson’s terrific Tottenham Hotspur side. Inspired by Jimmy Greaves, Spurs won 5-2 at White Hart Lane then journeyed to Glasgow and won the second leg 3-2. The London side went on to hammer Atletico Madrid 5-1 in the Final in Rotterdam. Other matches of note from the campaign were a 1-1 draw against Borussia Monchengladbach – Rangers were invited to West Germany for the official inauguration of the Stadion Bolkeberg – and a 2-2 draw against Arsenal at Highbury in a testimonial match for the experienced goalkeeper, Jack Kelsey. Jimmy Millar had a stellar season spearheading an attack that scored 161 goals in all matches including friendlies. He missed only three of the 34 league games and scored 29 goals. He added four more in the Scottish Cup, and eight in eight League Cup appearances. And in Europe, Millar netted a hat-trick against Sevilla at Ibrox and was also on the scoresheet in the defeat against Spurs at White Hart Lane.
