BowenBoys Posted December 9, 2017 Report Share Posted December 9, 2017 Who put the ball in the Rangers net? ... Referee Iain Brines also got into the spirit by waving a yellow card at Damon in celebration. What a guy. ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Jukebox Rebel Posted December 10, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2017 Who put the ball in the Rangers net? PETER McKENNAN 03.01.1938 Rangers [a] W3-1 (SFL First Division - game 21) John Wallace (1-0, 37 mins); Peter McKennan (2-0, pen 57 mins); David Alston (3-0, 61 mins) Ma Ba’ McKennan, a dazzling inside forward, was a true darling of the Firhill faithful who, with one dip of the shoulder, could send an entire backline the wrong way and, as the auld boys of Maryhill would say, “could beat three men on a tanner”. These skills, together with the bullet-shot in his armoury, combined to make him an opponent to be feared by any club, statistically verifiable by his final tally of 114 goals which, considering there were 13 clubs on his CV, was highly impressive. He was in his Thistle prime in the pre-war years of the 1930s, emerging as a teenage sensation by bagging multiple goals against both halves of the Old Firm. Indeed, I could just as easily have picked a Ma Ba’ special from the Glasgow Cup Final of October 1936, a 2-2 draw at Ibrox (tut, so much for neutrality), on the grounds that Peter was just turned 18 at the time. However, we don’t get too many League wins in Govan, so my eyes are more inclined to focus on our visit there on holiday Monday, 3rd January, 1938. 19-year-old McKennan was described as brilliant on the day, constantly unlocking the Rangers defence, and Partick Thistle were described as “superior to the champions in almost every department”. Such was the siege upon the Rangers goal that panic set in, manifest in the pathetic attempt of their left-back, Robert McDonald, to fist away a net-bound shot, mid-way through the second half. Justice was done when Ma Ba’ converted the penalty kick to put Thistle 2 nil up. A late consolation goal for the home side gave the scoreline an unrealistic air of respectability; Rangers 1 Partick Thistle 3. Some years later, fleets of coaches left Partick and Maryhill to watch Peter play for his new club, West Brom, when they played a friendly at Love Street in 1947. Such was the long-held Jaggy devotion to MA BA, Bachelor of the footballing arts. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Jukebox Rebel Posted December 11, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2017 Who put the ball in the Rangers net? MAURICE JOHNSTON 31.10.1981 Rangers [a] W2-0 (SFL Premier Division - game 10) George Clark (1-0, 27 mins); Maurice Johnston (2-0, 58 mins) League wins at Ibrox don’t come around too often for Thistle – there have been a measly six of them in our history – so our 2-0 win there on Saturday, 31st October, 1981, was certainly one to savour. Thistle had started the season poorly, with 5 straight League defeats and a sloppy Glasgow Cup exit at the hands of Queen’s Park, but, went into this game on a run of 4 without defeat in the League. If George Clark's first-half strike had us dreaming, Mo Johnston's second-half counter made it a reality. Former-Ger Kenny Watson pulled a foul from future-Jag Colin Jackson and, from 25-yards, Brian Whittaker drove a strange free-kick hard-and-low into the middle of the penalty box. The most alert player in the throng was 18-year-old Maurice who did well to use the pace, re-directing the ball into the corner of the goal, leaving Jim Stewart helpless. Sportscene’s Archie McPherson was even slower than the Rangers defence that day and called it “a deflection”. Rangers boss John Greig was more in touch with reality: “Thistle deserved their win”. Building doubts about manager Peter Cormack were suddenly cast aside, and there was no real sense of the miserable season that lay ahead. Alas, Thistle won only 6 of the 36 League games all season, and were duly relegated to the second tier. Unbelievably, however, Maurice and Thistle went on to repeat the Ibrox story again in a February League match at Firhill, again winning 2-0, again with a goal in each half, again with a second half goal from Super Mo. Yes, of Thistle’s 6 League wins this term, 2 came against Rangers; it’s the Thistle way. We had great joy against the Govan side at this time, with 6 competitive wins in 3 seasons. Looking back, the featured October goal was an important one for Maurice; after scoring on his debut he had played 7 without finding the net, and to contribute to a win at Ibrox must have been a huge confidence-booster. In just a little over the 2 years which followed, he would add another 62 goals to his tally! This young man was hot property. Even in 1983, Watford’s £200K was a steal. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peaty FC Posted December 11, 2017 Report Share Posted December 11, 2017 Was at this game. Maybe the years have embellished the memory but seem to recall the jags support was disproportionately large compared to the usual balance at ibrox. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaggy Posted December 11, 2017 Report Share Posted December 11, 2017 I was supposed to go, but ended up in hospital over the weekend. Totally gutted at the time for missing a win at Ibrox, but I would never have believed that 36 years later I would still never have seen us win there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeanieD Posted December 11, 2017 Report Share Posted December 11, 2017 On the way home I have seldom been on a happier train - roughly 50-50 split between Thistle fans and those others - many were known to each other and the ribbing they took was priceless - even my old dad found it funny - albeit "it's a bit cruel ,son" was his comment at the time!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Jukebox Rebel Posted December 12, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 12, 2017 I didnae get taken that day, but don't recall being too upset, as I had seen plenty of Thistle and Rangers action in recent years and these wins seemed like routine. The naivety of youth! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Jukebox Rebel Posted December 12, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 12, 2017 Who put the ball in the Rangers net? GEORGE SMITH 03.01.1959 Rangers [h] W2-0 (SFL First Division - game 20) George Smith (1-0, 31 mins); George Smith (2-0, 76 mins) With the games at Celtic Park and Cathkin Park having been postponed late on the day, Firhill was overwhelmed by some 40,000 paying customers, forcing the gates to be closed 20 minutes after the kick-off. So dense was the gathering inside, that hundreds of supporters spilled out over the 6ft retaining wall onto the turf, some waving white hankies of distress, and most of them being permitted to squat there for the duration of the match. A number of brave dafties climbed onto the roof of the Shed for a view, but were ordered down by the police. Press reporters were indignant at the encroachment of their box by punters, and not a few scribes were ousted from their seats. Scores of supporters gathered outside the main stand at half-time, demanding their money back. I cheekily speculate that their bar scarves were of the red, white & blue variety, and that they were unhappy with the goal-less performance of their team! In all seriousness, the mind really does boggle at what was an entirely different world back then. The Firhill playing surface was described as completely frozen and heavily sanded. Health and safety? Aye, nae bother. Jannies and sawdust. Sorted! Any personal discomfort amongst the Firhill faithful might have been forgotten on the half-hour mark. “A tremendous roar echoed across Maryhill” as Firhill erupted in response to a glorious goal from George Smith. Thistle’s goal scoring machine was fed a clever lob from Davie McParland, and he gratefully smashed it first-time from 18 yards, the ball flying knee-high, like a bullet from a gun, straight into the Rangers net. Geroge’s glory-day was completed 14 minutes from the close when another one of his rocket-shots made all of the day’s hassle worthwhile for those of a Jaggy persuasion and, by all accounts, it was a thoroughly deserved victory. He was no stranger to such glory days, and is immortalized as the “scourge of the Celts” with a mighty 17 goals for Thistle to his credit. In total, 6 goals were scored against the Gers. Not too shabby Geordie. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Jukebox Rebel Posted December 13, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 13, 2017 Who put the ball in the Rangers net? BOBBY HOUSTON 04.04.1979 Rangers [n] D0-0 (Scottish Cup Semi Final) Unlucky 13? Unlucky yer bum... Going into this semi-final, Badger, so often a man-of-the-match winger for Thistle, had a well-placed confidence about our chances: “We respect Rangers, but we are not afraid of them… we held them to a goal-less draw at Ibrox earlier in the season and then a goal from yours truly gave us a 1-0 victory over them on our own ground… we’ve got players who can turn a game… I’m saying this is Thistle’s year for the Cup” Just as it was back in 1921, Thistle’s Scottish Cup campaign of 1979 was moving along determinedly and, after this match with Rangers, we were on a run of four successive clean-sheets. As good as that sounds, it really should have been four successive wins to nil... Wednesday, 4th April, 1979 was a school night but the occasion was deemed too big to miss, and this young boy was insanely happy to be making his way to Hampden to see Thistle in a Scottish Cup semi-final. I had previously been there to see Rangers v Hearts in the final of ’76, but this time it was Thistle. This time it was personal. The whole occasion was simply awesome in my eyes. It was an 8pm kick-off and it was glorious to see heroes of mine such as Alan Rough and Bobby Houston 'neath the lights on the hallowed Hampden turf. Such was the excitement of the action that I was up and down all night from my perch on a crush barrier in the mixed North Terracing. As any kids from the pre-Hillsborough days will tell you, if the goalmouth action got too exciting, the safest thing to do was jump down before you were pushed down! All night we were knocking on the door; McCloy in the Rangers goal denied Colin McAdam time and time again. I can’t help but wonder if things might have been different if big Dougie Somner (a late call-off with a dead-leg) had been fit to play. Still, we had plenty of decent ammo; Alex O’Hara made way for Bobby Houston in the second half as Thistle really went for it. “It was a bad blow for us when Peter McCloy was hurt midway through the second half. He had a cut above his left eye and was concussed. I dreaded Thistle pushing balls inside our penalty area after that… I am happy we are still in the Cup.” Rangers boss John Greig needn’t have worried. When Thistle got their seemingly inevitable goal, it was routinely and shamelessly dismissed as illegal. With just 10 minutes left to play, a quick Thistle counter-attack was superbly executed, and Ally Love delivered an inviting cross which was beautifully met by the head of Bobby Houston, who had timed his run to perfection. At last, McCloy was beaten, and the feeling when that ball hit the net was indescribable; like a dream come true. I was off that crush barrier in an instant, bouncing around like a delirious puppy in a playground. “He’s not gi’en it, he’s not gi’en it!” exclaimed Dad as my short-lived ecstasy instantaneously collapsed into utter despondency, followed by total rage at the sheer injustice of it all. I would say it was thee single most brutal minute of my Thistle-supporting life - of which there have been many! Turns out a linesman had flagged for offside and Ian Foote (aka Ian Flute) was only too willing to go along with it. Many’s the time I’ve replayed the goal back in my head. We had a great view (nearly in line) and to this day, we swear that Bobby Houston was a good TWO YARDS ONSIDE when that cross came over. We conclude that those officials were DESPERATE to disallow the goal at all costs, and there seems little doubt that these were “Rangers minded” people. Speaking to the Thistle programme some years later, Bobby relived the cruel moment: “We all thought that we could beat them and we did 'beat' them. The goal I scored was never offside. We had practiced the move leading to the goal at training and I can remember that when I started my run I was behind Ally Dawson. The ball came to me at head height and I just had to nod it into the net. I started running about delirious only to see the linesman chalk it off for offside. I met Stan Anderson, who was the Rangers coach at the time, a couple of weeks after the game and he told me that when the ball went in the Rangers bench thought the game was over as there were only ten minutes left.” After scraping past Thistle 1-0 in the replay, Rangers took 3 games to beat Hibs in the Final. By contrast, Thistle defeated Hibs 3 times out of 4 this term. It doesn’t take a genius to figure that we were cheated out of an amazing opportunity to get our name on the famous old trophy for a second time. “The smile on the face of referee Ian Foote at the end told it all” reported Hugh Taylor in the Times. Aye, didn’t it just Hugh... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaggernaut Posted December 13, 2017 Report Share Posted December 13, 2017 A real shame that there's no tv footage of Houston's goal, as it would show everybody just how rotten to the core the officials were/are when it comes to protecting the two erse cheeks. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winter of '63 Posted December 13, 2017 Report Share Posted December 13, 2017 I was standing around the half-way line but remember commenting at the time that it looked like Bobby Houston had ran past the Rangers Defender to head the ball. Possibly even more so in the days before there were TV cameras at every game, you were never surprised when decisions were given in favour of the Old Firm. It was a brilliant game of football - without doubt the most exciting 0-0 draw I have ever seen - several people said it could have finished 5-5...but it should have finished 1-0 to Thistle. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a f kincaid Posted December 13, 2017 Report Share Posted December 13, 2017 Bob Crampsey said it was one of the best 0-0 draws he'd ever seen. Praise indeed! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaggernaut Posted December 13, 2017 Report Share Posted December 13, 2017 I was standing around the half-way line but remember commenting at the time that it looked like Bobby Houston had ran past the Rangers Defender to head the ball. Possibly even more so in the days before there were TV cameras at every game, you were never surprised when decisions were given in favour of the Old Firm. It was a brilliant game of football - without doubt the most exciting 0-0 draw I have ever seen - several people said it could have finished 5-5...but it should have finished 1-0 to Thistle. I've also always felt that it was the best 0-0 draw I've ever seen. Credit to pre-sevco, they were going all out to win it just as much as we were. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicofan Posted December 14, 2017 Report Share Posted December 14, 2017 Not been on the forum for some time..what a bloody marvellous thread FTOF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Jukebox Rebel Posted December 14, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 14, 2017 Not been on the forum for some time..what a bloody marvellous thread FTOF Nice one Broonie, great to have you back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Jukebox Rebel Posted December 14, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 14, 2017 Who put the ball in the Rangers net? IAN McDONALD 03.05.1980 Rangers [h] W4-3 (SFL Premier Division - game 34) Alex O'Hara (1-1, 37 mins); Alex O'Hara (2-1, 44 mins); Colin McAdam (3-1, 50 mins); Ian McDonald (4-1, 78 mins) Season 1979-80 was an exciting one in Scottish football, with one of the tightest top-flights ever seen. Thistle themselves finished a mere 12 points behind the champion club, Aberdeen, who, incidentally, celebrated effectively winning the League on this day with a 5-0 win at Easter Road. With 2 games to play, Rangers were desperate to win the points at Firhill, and manager John Greig boldly opted for a 4-2-4 in a sure-fire statement of intent. They had to win this match, or their chances of qualifying for the UEFA Cup were dead. To help them on their way, Ian Foote, a trusty old ally of theirs, awarded a 27th minute penalty. Sandy Jardine took it, but despite Roughie saving his third consecutive spot-kick, Bobby Russell was quick-off-the-mark to dink home the rebound over Scotland's #1. Safe from relegation, but tantalisingly just out of reach of a European place, Thistle had nothing to play for, except pride alone. At this point, it might have been expected that the end-of-season vibe might have kicked in, and perhaps a 2 or 3 nil away win would have been the predicted outcome by most. What followed, however, was 50 minutes of non-stop football fun for all Jagskind, or 65 minutes if you count the happy pie and bovril time up at the wee yellow shop. ‘Rangers reject’ Alex O’Hara took great delight in scoring twice before half-time, and big Colin McAdam bent in a beauty of a free-kick in 50 minutes, receiving the loudest roar on the day. By rights, it should really be the big man’s goal as the feature, but I’ve opted for Ian McDonald’s goal simply for the laughs. Rangers, gunning for Europe, with 4 men up front, leading after a penalty, suddenly found themselves 4-1 down at Firhill with just over 10 minutes to play. Sensation! That’s my kind of script. The goal itself wasn’t exactly spectacular – it was stabbed home from a good old stramash – but those of a red n yellow persuasion cared not a jot. The carefree Jags were 4-1 up against the desperate Gers. What joy, what fun, we had Rangers on the run! With 32 credited to his Jaggy account, Ian, undoubtedly, has scored better goals during his Thistle career, but I doubt any have been received quite so gleefully as this one! p.s. On the Wednesday, to complete a marvellous week of Old Firm bubble-bursting, Thistle (uniquely unbeaten against the champion club this season), decided not to beat Aberdeen by 10 clear goals in the last League game of the season, thereby denying Celtic the title. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Jukebox Rebel Posted December 15, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2017 Who put the ball in the Rangers net? BRIAN WHITTAKER 30.10.1976 Rangers [h] W2-1 (SFL Premier Division - game 8) Dougie Somner (1-1, 75 mins); Brian Whittaker (2-1, 90+1 mins) Brian Whittaker was a guy who practically invented Aaron Taylor-Sinclair and Callum Booth, and gave great service to Thistle from 1974 onwards, clocking up over 350 appearances, before a skint Firhill board finally gave in to the cheap lure of Davie Hay's Parkhead cheque book in 1983. To be fair, John Buckley moved in the other direction as part of the deal, so perhaps we didn't do too badly out of it. For certain, we can be thankful for a lot of great times, none more so than a battle-of-the-champions top-flight encounter in October '76 when Brian had just turned 20… When Kenny Watson put the Scottish champions ahead in the 53rd minute of this one, Thistle fans would have been ruing a series of missed opportunities and a denied penalty claim (Ian Foote was in charge, say no more). There would have been very few inside the packed Firhill who would have given the newly promoted side a chance from thereon, but Bertie Auld’s Jags – with only 1 defeat in the last 8 games – were accustomed to not losing; they were a spirited bunch with potential match winners all over the park. With a little over a quarter of an hour to play, a John Hansen cross was flashed into the net via the head of Dougie Somner, who was fast establishing himself as a real force in the Scottish game. By all accounts this was a deserved equaliser, and it made for an open and exciting finale, with both sides looking for a winner. It came in injury time, right in front of the Rangers fans in the North terracing… for the Premier Division's new boys! A John Craig throw-in was flicked on by big Dougie Somner, and our marauding left-back, Brian Whittaker, had read the play brilliantly, timing his run to perfection as the ball fell right into his path. He connected powerfully with his trusty left-foot, and Stewart Kennedy was beaten. Tommy McLean was on his backside, and John Greig and Colin Jackson could only look on with disbelief. Last-minute winners leave an amazing glow at the best of times, but bagging them against either of the Old Firm is something else altogether and, for a great character like Brian Whittaker, it’d have been ingrained into his banter for years to come; if post-match video interviews had existed back in those days he’d have left you with a smile as wide as the Clyde. Brian left us far too early, but his memory lives on, especially in the minds of Thistle and Hearts fans, where he is remembered fondly for his classy displays on the park, and his joie de vivre off it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowenBoys Posted December 15, 2017 Report Share Posted December 15, 2017 Who needs video replays when we've got TJR 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peaty FC Posted December 15, 2017 Report Share Posted December 15, 2017 I'm starting to feel very old re-living these memories 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaggernaut Posted December 15, 2017 Report Share Posted December 15, 2017 Hard to imagine now that we used to beat pre-sevco quite frequently back then. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Jukebox Rebel Posted December 16, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2017 Who put the ball in the Rangers net? WILLIE PAUL 09.02.1889 Rangers [a] W4-2 (Friendly) Willie Paul (1-1, 1st half); Jerry Suter (2-2, 1st half); Andrew Johnston (3-2, 1st half); Willie Paul (4-2, 65 mins) Research into Thistle’s history never stops and we now know that Willie Paul has (at least) a massive 228 goals to his credit as a Jag – a spectacular tally in an era when hundreds of goal scorers went unaccredited. He gave 17 years of first-class playing service to the cause, and we know that he played in (at least) 412 games for the club. If his only goal against Rangers had cannoned off his posterior in a fundraiser for Auchenshuggle Community Centre, it’s likely that he’d still have made my countdown, such is my deep admiration for the man. But this is Willie Paul we’re talking about; where there was record-making action in the nineteenth century, he was never too far away, and, almost inevitably, he has goals records against Rangers that demand inclusion. 4 times we played Rangers in season 1888-89. Unfortunately, we lost the big one (2-4 in the Scottish Cup at Old Ibrox in September), but three subsequent victories softened the blow (2-0 at Inchview in October, 4-2 at Old Ibrox in February and 6-2 at Inchview in May). This “treble” still stands jointly as the club record today, having been matched four times since – in 1904-05, 1914-15, 1934-35 and 1950-51. Willie notched his first goals against the Rangers in the October game (Saturday the 13th) and repeated his double dosage in the February return at Old Ibrox (Saturday the 9th), “outwitting the Rangers defence” on the frozen pitch as Jags ran out 4-2 winners “to the surprise of all football enthusiasts”. Sam Kennedy (in 1904-05) is the only other Thistle player to have matched this “double brace season” feat against our old rivals from Govan. Unfortunately, Willie didn’t play in the 6-2 game in May or, who knows, he may well have grabbed an historic treble brace for himself! Amazingly, immediately following on from that season, Willie scored another brace against Rangers in a Cup Final would you believe – but not, alas, for Thistle. In late July 1889, he appeared in the final of the Sir William Cunningham Cup against Rangers at Ibrox as a favour to Cowlairs whose regular centre forward was unavailable, with his two goals contributing to a 4-0 win for the Springburn club. Rangers lodged a protest about the legality of the appearance of our man (as well as Mitchell of Kilmarnock), but this was not upheld. Willie’s gold medal, as provided by Sir William Cunningham himself, was safely in his collection! Resolutely amateur all of his days, Willie played for the love of the game and not for money, so that medal was surely one to be cherished. It was rumoured that Rangers (true to form) tried to coax him over to the dark side but, thankfully, there has been no contemporary evidence uncovered to demonstrate that this ever came to pass. He was certainly a man much in demand, but he stayed loyal to the Thistle, racking up records galore. From every angle, Willie Paul was, undoubtedly, the first giant of Partick Thistle. That he lies today in an unmarked grave is a terrible shame. But Stu the Jag is on the case, so hopefully we can right that wrong. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Jukebox Rebel Posted December 17, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2017 (edited) Who put the ball in the Rangers net? ALAN HANSEN 15.03.1977 Rangers [h] W4-3 (SFL Premier Division - game 26) Harry Johnston (1-0, 20 mins); Jim Melrose (2-1, 53 mins); Alan Hansen (3-3, 67 mins); Alan Hansen (4-3, pen 85 mins) Such were the masterful mid-70s performances of Alan Hansen in the heart of the Thistle defence that he was hotly tipped to be the next capture of both Celtic and Rangers and, being a laid-back kind of guy, he’d have signed for either without thinking twice about it. He admitted, however, to feeling especially disappointed that the move to Rangers, his boyhood club, hadn’t come off in the summer of ’76, despite many positive noises from the Ibrox insiders of the day. It’d be fair to say, the big guy felt he had a point to prove; and he did just that! Season 1976-77 was a strange one for Thistle. For the first time in our history, we were now playing each of our League opponents four times; twice at home and twice away. Things were going fairly well at home (W6 D2 L4) but not so well away (W0 D6 L7) and we were only a couple of points above the relegation place. Rangers were going for the title, and couldn’t afford to be dropping any more points at Firhill – as they had done with their 1-2 loss back in October. Brian Whittaker’s injury-time winner from that day was still fresh in the minds of all spectators who assembled on the evening of Tuesday, 15th March, 1977. Surely Thistle couldn’t do it again? In what was regarded as one of the greatest games ever seen at Firhill, that’s exactly what they did, again coming back from a losing position to win both points with an oh-so-sweet late winner. Our multi-talented stroller played a blinder on the night, being involved in 3 of the goals as an epic struggle unfolded, this way and that. His 30-yard shot in the 20th minute created the chaos which ultimately led to Harry Johnston tapping home the opener. Twice Rangers levelled (the second being a 20 yard stunner from Kenny Watson) and when Derek Parlane put them 3-2 ahead on 64 minutes, all of Thistle’s hard work had seemingly been undone. But back we came, and in the 67th minute a long pass from Brian Whittaker found Alan Hansen, once again venturing deep into enemy territory. He took it on the half-volley with his left-foot and it flew gloriously into the top corner, leaving Stewart Kennedy with no chance. 3-3! What a game. This drama wasn’t over though… With just 5 minutes left to play, John Greig mistimed a pass-back, and Jim Melrose was onto it like a flash. With a goal looking certain, a desperate Greig took the “professional” option of tripping down the striker just before he pulled the trigger. No referee, no matter how deep their love of the Rangers, could argue with that one. PENALTY! Dougie Somner had missed the last two Thistle penalties, the latest being just last week in a 2-1 defeat at Parkhead. Thus, it was time for a change. Alan Hansen took the ball, with a steely-eyed look of determination on his face. Unable to look, Alan Rough crouched at the North end, head bowed to turf. Thistle fans in the main stand looked to the rafters. Rangers fans could only look on in disbelief; it was déjà vu from October as the sweetly struck ball hit the back of the net. 4-3 to the Jags!!! Come time, Bertie Auld “bit on a bashed cigar Clint-Eastwood style, and threw assorted salutes to the 10,000 crowd at Firhill”. As for the stroller himself? “I felt an extra degree of satisfaction” said he, mindful as ever of his stay-cool personna. Edited December 18, 2017 by The Jukebox Rebel 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaggy Posted December 17, 2017 Report Share Posted December 17, 2017 Great memories of the 4-3 game, but I’m positive Alan scored both goals at the City end. I was behind the goal for both of them I’m sure 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Jukebox Rebel Posted December 17, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2017 Ah, you could be right. I based my goal-end narrative purely on the Evening Times photie, taken just before the pen was struck... ...I convinced myself that Roughie had his back to the play, and clearly the East Terracing is in shot. However, now you're saying that, I've now got doubts. I guess it could just as easily be taken from the Northy with Roughie facing the play. Any back up for Jaggy's memory folks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeanieD Posted December 17, 2017 Report Share Posted December 17, 2017 Both Hansen A goals were scored at the city end. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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