Tennant 41
McCall pen 44
G Brown 90
Match Information
Attendance: 15,000
Referee: William Webb (Glasgow)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
I saw an advert for gents braces one day. It pictured a guy falling over a precipice when his braces caught on to a three stump and the elastic swung him back to safety. Rangers were wearing braces like these yesterday! With half-a minute to go they were down 3-2. Spectators were holding their watches and their breaths. For Rangers were putting in one of those grand slams that walk hand in hand with Ibrox tradition. In and out the St Johnstone goal area that ball bounced. The home defenders had gone all filleted. Every Rangers player, bar Gray and Dawson, was in the St Johnstone end. Kinnear swept it over. Somebody skidded it out. It came to the feet of George Brown on the 18-yards line. Like a flash he snicked it low. The keeper dived at the wrong end; for the ball cannoned off a defenders foot and flashed into the net. Referee Webbs two blows one for goal and another for time up went close enough to make a duet. Rangers had saved themselves by an eyelash. It would be easy to say the Light Blues ere the luckiest coons but when will other clubs understand that where Rangers and Celtic are concerned the minute at the end is infinitely more important than all the others? A goal in the last minute is like smacking a fellow in the eye just as the cop arrives to prevent retaliation. St Johnstone ought to have won the game. At half-time they were two goals up deservedly. In a pretty dull first half, during which the ball was on the wrong side of the touch line as often as the right, the Saints had shown much more method. The interval was in the offing when Tennant suddenly released a singing ball from 20 yards that played a tune Jerry Dawson could not catch up with. Three minutes later Referee Webb awarded a penalty when Saints Simpson was impeded in the goalmouth. Brown registered surprise. The referee gestured elbow. And Dawson registered despair at the ball flew past him. So, Saints went inside to a roaring cheer and Rangers to a ten-minute post mortem. Up to this point the only real football seen was the one they had been kicking about. Some of the boys, noy quite tuned-up to competitive challenge, were inclined to link arms with an opponent. The referee barred the Lambeth Walk on the soccer field and the frees were numerous. In eight minutes, Rangers were on level terms. The thrills had started. The first goal was a simple sort of thing. McGeachie found the ball running up his body and hitting his hands. Venters scored from the penalty spot. Three minutes later the energetic wee Fifer smashed another one home to complete the sudden movement the success of which depended upon lightning though. Kinnear was the boy at this stage. He and Venters cut some diverting capers. But Saints, mainly through McGeachie, Mason and McCall, rattled back into the battle. The pace became furious, twice as fast as the first half and twice as interesting. Most of the near things were around Dawson, however. Jerry had some dandy saves. But he ought to have been down picking the daisies when flyweight Caskie scooped the ball over the bar from six yards range, The wee fellow looked so disgusted that I thought he was going to smack himself on the face and give himself in charge for assault. Gradually Saints got a fair hold. And during this period McCall hit a positive peach of a first timer from 18 yards that scorched home with such ferocity they had to pick it out of the net where it had jammed. It looked Saints game and would have been had they gone out for more. Instead, they appeared to be satisfied, but Rangers were not and you know how it finished. I thought Wylie and Clark splendid defenders. Moulds was a shade erratic, but McGeachie and Mason were grandly consistent. Indeed, Mason was easily the best half in the game. I was seeing young Simpson for the first time. He will come on; and quickly, if I am a judge. A clever boy! Lorimer seemed a shade impetuous. The others did quite well. Rangers wont get away with this kind of play very often; far too patchy. Shaw was good though, gritty and resourceful. Jimmy Simpson took a long time to warm up. Brown redeemed a terribly poor first half with a touch of his best in the second. There was only one wing the left. Main and Galloway never linked. The big inside right seemed worried by the speed of League football. He did quite a few clever things but must speed up. Smith had his ups and down. When he was up, he was worth watching. When he was down, we followed the ball. Rangers seemed to have started where they left off last season, and none of their fans will be trickled to death about that.
