Muirhead
Match Information
Attendance: 12,000
Referee: unknown - to be confirmed
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
Only the man who would expect to find peaches growing in an ice-house would look for the first-class football article under the conditions that prevailed at Cathkin Park. To maintain the perpendicular was the first consideration. The cleverest players on the field were reduced to an ordinary level. It became pretty much a matter of boring into the game, taking the risks and trusting to luck. In that respect Rangers were rather the better lot. The Cathkin team held their own manfully for most of the game, and it was discredit to them that they should have to surrender to Rangers the deciding goal during that fifteen minutes of the second half when the Light Blues let themselves go full blast. As for the first half, there was little to choose then between the teams. The Rangers forwards had more of the ball than the rival division, but they were so closely tackled by the home half-backs, and McCormack and McGowan were so safe in their clearing that Brownlie was able to take stock of most of the shots that were fired at him before they came to hand. Bowie came nearest to beating the soldier goalkeeper with a ‘back-heeler’ following a corner, and Cairns got in one after a typical non-stop excursion, but at the other end, McLean came as near as either, Hempsey just getting down to it in time. When, hard on the re-start, McLean ran through and whipped in one of his very own, that went flying past the outside of Hempsey’s right post like greased lightning, Rangers seemed to see that the time for them was now or never. You could see them become suddenly energised. The half-backs following close up behind the forwards and trying all they knew to break down the able Third Lanark defence. Brownlie came through a crowd of eager Rangers men, dodging and jumping after the old style. Them, from a corner, Rangers had a seemingly good penalty claim for ‘hands’ disallowed, next Archibald forced a corner and placing it perfectly, saw Dixon send back McCormack’s clearance, and Muirhead ram the ball into the net out of the reach of Brownlie’s right hand. This was Rangers’ dominating period, and with the scoring of the goal they looked pretty sure winners, though there is no denying that the Third Lanark forwards had quite a handful of chances afterwards to pull off a draw. Hempsey had one desperate sort of save then he got the ball just under the bar at his full stretch of arm and jumping for it. But against that we might place the bringing down of Archibald inside the penalty area, and another unsuccessful claim by Rangers. It was the some Archibald who contributed much to the winning of the match. Bowie’s policy of playing nearly all to the centre in the first half was an obvious mistake – proved so by results that followed the playing of the outside men with the ball. Some of Muirhead’s usefulness was lot at centre, but it was not a day for a player to be severely criticised. The man making the tackles had always things in his favour, which may partly have accounted for the inability of McLean to get clear of Dixon, who played well. Third Lanark conceded nothing at half-back or in the rear – Brown, for one, was as clever as any half-back playing – but there was a suggestion about the Rangers forwards of being able to stay the course that the home front line lacked, smart in the open as these latter often were. And we must not forget that Third Lanark began the game short of a forward and that Duncan was latterly rushed on to take the place of the lost Love
