Rangers 6 - 2 Aberdeen
HT Score: Rangers 2 - 1 Aberdeen
Div 1 (Old)
Rangers scorers: Kyle, Smith, Stark, Rankine, Spiers, StarkAberdeen scorers: Lennie, Low.
01/09/1906 | KO:
This League fixture was decided at Ibrox Park, before an attendance of 13,000, and under tropical conditions. Winning the toss, the light blues elected to play with a bright sun behind them, an advantage which assisted them considerably in the opening period. Twenty minutes, however, elapsed before Kyle opened their score with a fast shot close in, Smith following with an other. The Aberdonians were by no means idle, and from one of their rushes a penalty was granted, which Newbigging saved in brilliant fashion. A few minutes before the interval Lennie beat the Rangers' custodian with a fast oblique shot, the ball striking the post and rebounding into the net. Half-time:- Rangers, two goals; Aberdeen, one. On resuming, the game continued fast, and both goalkeepers were continually on the alert. Ultimately, Stark raised the home total to three from a well placed corner by Smith. Rankine next scored a capital goal from the touchline, and when Spiers once more beat Mutch, all interest in the game seemed to disappear. H. Low, however, enlivened the closing minutes by dashing in between Campbell and Jackson and scoring. Stark added a sixth for the home side before the whistle sounded. Result:- Rangers, six goals; Aberdeen, two. The drawings all in amounted to £342.
Source: The Scotsman 03-09-1906
The Aberdeen team paid their first visit to Glasgow for the season, when they met the Rangers at Ibrox Park. When the players turned out the heat was overpowering, and altogether unsuitable for football. The teams were:-
Aberdeen: Mutch; Boyle, Gault; Halkett, Strang, W. Low; Ford, Ward, H. Low, Edgar, Lennie.
Rangers: Newbigging; Campbell, Jackson; Mainds, Stark, May; Rankine, McFie, Spiers, Kyle, Smith.
Referee - Mr. Murray, Stenhousemuir.
Aberdeen kicked off with the sun facing them, and right from the start made away on the left, Lennie and Edgar working beautifully together. The Rangers gradually shook off the opposition, but Aberdeen again transferred play to the other end. Here Jackson was prominent with fine defensive work, and robbed Ford of a capital chance of scoring. A combine run by the Rangers' forwards ended in Spiers shooting past. Keeping the game in the Aberdeen quarters, the Rangers tried hard to open the scoring, and two remarkably good shots from McFie and Kyle were cleverly saved by the Aberdeen goalkeeper. Smith picked up a pass on the left, and, working his way towards goal, he finally drove straight for Mutch. Halkett's head intervened, however, and from a succeeding corner kick the Rangers failed to improve their position. Thus early in the game, however, the players were feeling the effects of the heat. The Aberdeen left wing was prominent for tricky work, and, from a cross by Edgar, Ford was on the point of shooting when May tok the ball from his feet. The play up to this time was fairly well divided, with the Rangers generally the more dangerous near goal. Halkett and Boyle were specially good in the defensive work. Fifteen minutes form the start the Aberdeen defenders were hemmed in by the Rangers' forwards, and Kyle, profiting by a momentary slackness by the opposition, rushed in and scored with a fast, low shot. A few minutes later the Rangers almost got a second goal. Alec Smith dribbled the ball from midfield to within a yard or so of the Aberdeen goal line. Centring at the right moment, Spiers rushed in, and would undoubtedly have had the ball in the net had Mutch not come out of his goal and reached the ball in time to prevent the centre forward from getting in a shot. Aberdeen made repeated efforts to break through, but Jackson's powerful back play kept them at a safe distance. All things considered, however, Aberdeen played remarkably well when facing the sun, but the Rangers gave the more finished display. Their forward movements in particular were more methodical - indeed all over, the Glasgow team worked well together. Aberdeen's goal had a lucky escape on one occasion. A shot from Smith bounced out of Mutch's hands, and when a goal appeared likely to fall to the Rangers, the Aberdeen goalkeeper whipped round his left hand, and scooped out the ball from almost under the bar. Lennie and Edgar gave the Rangers' defence a lot of trouble, and when the first-named got clear away with a clever run he was pulled up for offside - a rather unfair decision, for the left-winger was easily in play. A terrific drive from near the penalty line by Henry Low was grandly saved by Newbigging - perhaps the best shot of the day. The heat was so great that the wonder was that the players managed to get along at all - not to mention the pace at which the game was played. Pressing home the attack, the RAngers penned in the Aberdeen team, and two capital efforts by Spiers were smartly saved by Mutch. Still, considering the work of the Rangers' forwards, a goal was bound to come, and, from a cross by Rankine, Smith closed in on the defence, and beat Mutch, thus placing his side two goals up. Aberdeen did not lose heart, however, and a melee near the Rangers' goal ended in May handling the ball within the penalty area. Edgar took the kick, and shot straight at the goalkeeper, who brought off a very fine save. A second foul by May went by unheeded by the referee; but later on Lennie, by a clever move, ran right through the defence, finishing up with a fast shot that struck the post and rebounded into the net. No more scoring took place, and half-time found the scores standing - Rangers, 2 goals; Aberdeen 1.
The Rangers went off with a rush on play being resumed. Mutch ran out to save a high shot, and was successful, but a second attempt at goal by one of the Rangers went over the bar - and lucky, too, for Aberdeen, as Mutch had not got back into position. A surprise shot by Halkett almost beat Newbigging, who caught the ball and threw out just in time. Fine play by Smith and Kyle on the Rangers' left went for nothing through weak finishing by the other forwards. Faulty play by the Rangers' defence was taken advantage of by Lennie, who dribbled almost to the goal line, and although hampered by Campbell, the pluck left winger kept control of the ball, and his final shot from a difficult position just missed the mark. Fifteen minutes after the restart a corner fell to the Rangers. Smith kicked fairly wide of the goal and the ball coming to Stark, that player headed into the net, Mutch having left his goal unprotected. Spiers missed a very easy chance of scoring a fourth for the Rangers, sending the ball wide of the posts. Lennie tried his utmost to reduce the leeway, and it was hard luck on him to see many of his fine crosses going past untouched, while at other times Ward was pulled up for offside. A fourth goal came to Rangers as the result of a long drive by Rankine - almost from the touchline - which the Aberdeen goalkeeper entirely misjudged. Then a fifth goal was got by the Ibrox team, but when Spiers scored the point was clearly in an offside position, having only the goalkeeper in front of him when he received the pass from Rankine. Brilliant play on the Rangers' left wing was the feature of the later stages of the game. Close on time Henry Low ran right through the Rangers' defence and scored a second goal for his side. This was followed by Stark dribbling half the length of the field and adding a sixth for the Rangers. Immediately afterwards the whistle blew, and the game ended.
Although two at least of the winners' goals might have been saved, they were easily the better side, Aberdeen being outclassed.
The gate amounted to £296; stands, £44 - total, £340.
Source: Aberdeen Daily Journal, 3rd September 1906
Another Gruelling.
Few Aberdonians have any conception of how the game went at Ibrox. Since arriving home, I have heard there was weakness in goal, the same at half, and the front line on a par with last week's performance. The first half went all right, Aberdeen giving as good a display as their more experienced opponents, and it would have been only proper had the scores then read 2-2. To go somewhat further, with a little luck, it should have been 2-1 in Aberdeen's favour, for Gault, in rushing across received the shot which glanced off him into the net outside Mutch altogether. In going to pieces the last quarter-of-an-hour, the cause was mainly due to W. Low, Strang, and Boyle - the latter being injured. The other two seemed most affected with the heat, and were unable to come up to anything like their ordinary form. It was purely a day for "light weights," those carrying too much flesh suffered severely under the 90 degrees of blazing sun under which they tried to play football.How It Came About.
Looking squarely at the play in the first half, Aberdeen held their own, but that jade (ill luck) which seems still to dog their wanderings hugged them closely. It was well on in the second half before the Rangers got into their stride, and then their class was apparent. The winners displayed more familiarity with the ball than the Aberdonians have done this season, and latterly gave them a clean pair of heels. On the right wing there were faults, both men tiring perceptibly, and losing the ball when they ought to have stuck to it, or at least made an effort. This threw a great amount of work on the halves who, with the exception of Halket, were unable to cope with it. Mutch's saving was brilliant at times, but he could not withhold the solid attacks of the Rangers unaided. Gault was good, and Boyle indifferent, the best men being Lennie, Edgar, H. Low, and Halket.Chatty Bits.
No doubt about it, the Aberdeen felt the long tedious journey to Glasgow in such sweltering heat more than they ever did before. They fagged perceptibly in the second period. Our suggestion that Gault should take the penally kick was not acted on, and another went abegging. When will the players take counsel among themselves and see what can be done for the best interests of the club? Another question arises - Did the players get all the ball practice necessary preparatory to such a game as Saturdays? We have reason to think not, and plead that this, should be attended to. Our only change in Saturday's team would be that McKinley should be tried at centre, and Henry Low relegated to the half-back line. Walter Arnott expresses this idea in his "Comments on the Game." Owing to various meetings in connection with the East of Scotland and Scottish Leagues, the directors are not to meet to make a final selection for this Saturday till late in the week. The result was a sad blow to the Pittodrie spectators, who would pay better to send the "A" team away, was a common remark. The home spectators got grand value for their money on Saturday. There was a fine feeling of comradeship in the team. It was a feather in "Gowie" Robertson's cap to be captain of such a side. May he be able to repeat such a success this week at Dens Park. It will be a pity if his team is tampered on account of the first team's failure. Owing to the Qualifying Ties there was only one League game on Saturday. The players at Pittodrie could have been doing with a little less sun, and a little of the breeze which they will be getting later on. Wilfred Low is not a patch on what he was last season. He is either over-trained or gone stale. If a player goes this way the best thing to do is rest him. There is no doubt about it there is plenty of play in "Wilfie" Against St. Mirren this week there are any amount of rumours as to radical changes. Don't get panic struck over these reverses! Tom Strang wishes to be relieved of the captaincy of the team. It is a job he does not care about. "Gowie" Robertson seems to improve with age, for his display on Saturday was as good as ever. Not in his palmy days has he equalled it.Source: Bon-Accord, 2nd September 1906
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Pittodrie Stadium, Aberdeen AB24 5QH