| Match Pictures | Matches: 1919 – 1920 | Pictures: 1919-20 Pictures |
Trivia
- The reporter in Monday's Herald waxes lyrical about the superiority of the home side in inflicting a first defeat on Celtic. LINK
- The Tommy McInally who started the season so brilliantly is described in scathing terms.
- In the week before the Anglo-French conference in Paris to decide who rules the post war Ottoman nations in the Middle East the Herald carries and article entitled "The Syrian Problem" which centres on the concerns of Emir Feisal, who fears for his country when the British withdraw their troops as they are seen as friends of Islam.
- Another, conflicting report, in the Herald details fighting between Denekins' White Russian army and the Bolsheviks' Red Army at Tsaritsin on the Volga River.
Review
Teams
RANGERS:
CELTIC:
Referee: W. Bell (Hamilton)
Attendance: 75,000
Articles
- Match Report (see end of page below)
Pictures
- Match Pictures
Articles
The Glasgow Herald – Oct 20, 1919
Celts’ First Defeat.
While Celtic had to find substitutes for two international players, Rangers had a clean bill of health, and any alterations made in the home team were directed towards further strengthening a formidable eleven. The goal record of the Ibrox club shows that Manderson and Ritchie have amply protected Lock, and by scoring in nearly every game in which he had taken part Reid had merited retention at centre forward. To tamper with an attack and defence and recast an eleven in one of the most important engagements of the League campaign savoured of boldness amounting to recklessness. A famous man put it on record that it is audacity, always audacity, that gains the day, and so Rangers found it. All their experiments were justified; every player fitted perfectly into the new combinations. Gordon was the mainstay of the defence, Cunningham an inspiring leader in attack, Bowie a combination of both, Cairns a replica of Bowie. And just as these players adapted themselves to the positions assigned them so did the entire eleven develop a game that always promised to command success. The forwards made no attempt to copy the involved movements of their opponents that entailed unnecessary exertion and went unrewarded. By adhering to their open game, making the most of their superior pace and physique, they swept down on the Celtic defence, and repeatedly had such experienced players as McNair and Cringan in difficulties. The Celtic attack ran on normal lines, and for that reason only check-mated. McMenemy and Gallagher initiated numerous intricate movements that puzzled in midfield and came to nothing at goal. Dazzling outfield wing play was lost on a centre-forward so completely held in subjection as was McInally by Dixon. The Celt lacked every physical attribute to create or utilise opportunities when his side held a commanding lead on play in the first half, and should have been leading on goals as well. An early goal enabled the Ibrox forwards to relax their endeavours and view with complacency the futile attempts of their opponents to equalise. A second success, implicating Shaw, obtained shortly after the interval, proved the turning point of the game. Thence to the finish Rangers monopolised the attack, gradually wore down their opponents, and finished by all three goals the better team. It was then the Celtic turn to be outplayed in their own territory, and while they were somewhat unfortunate to lose two goals in simple fashion, a third – from Paterson – in no way represented the superiority of the home team in the last half-hour.