Killie Headed For League Cup Final!
Rangers 2
Kilmarnock 3
(Scottish
League cup semi-final,
Hampden Oct 10 1962)
At long last a Kilmarnock cup
win over
Rangers, a thrilling
victory that took them into their
third Scottish League
Cup final. Killie's night of glory came on
Wednesday at Hampden
Park, where 76,000 spectators saw them
gain a merited 3-2
semi-final
success to qualify for a laststage
meeting with Hearts on the same ground on Saturday, 27th
October. Brian
McIlroy, Andy Kerr
and Bertie Black scored the goals that brought rejoicing the
thousands of
Kilmarnock supporters in the large crowd.
Courageous Killie playing with
will-to-win spirit matched Rangers
in power and pace but bettered them
in making and taking chances: In
fact Killie would have won by 4-2
had McIlroy made better use of a
fine scoring opportunity in the
closing minutes. But by that time
Kilmarnock had
the game won and their
supporters were in forgiving
mood. As at Celtic Park
on Saturday this
was a game in which
defences outshone
attacks, with the
Rugby Park half-backs
magnificent and mighty.
Commanding
McGrory
Young
Jackie McGrory has definitely arrived. He held the
menacing, bustling Jimmy Millar like an
experienced veteran and
at all times his
play was cool and commanding.
On his left Frank Beattie
took the
wing-half honours away from-, internationalist
Jim Baxter with another
top-ranking display which
presented
a problem young
John Greig was
unable to solve. Ralph Brand got Rangers two goals
but that was no
reflection on the skill and determination
of Pat O'Connor who
subsequently
removed his sting by
exerting a close watch
on him.
Behind this tremendous trio, full
backs Richmond and Watson started
off by giving Rangers wingers too
much scope but as time wore on they
marked them
more closely to good
effect. Matt Watson was the game's most heroic figure.
Victim of a leg
injury in the first half and playing
at outside-left for a
period, he
returned to his own position in the
second session and,
although
obviously far from fit, more than
held his own with the
tricky, darting
Billy Henderson. And completing a tight defensive
set-up goalkeeper Sandy
McLaughlan was
superb when he needed to be and
that wasn't particularly
often considering that the way to goal was
splendidly blocked on
most occasions by
his co-defenders in the outfield.
Baxter Booked
If the Kilmarnock forwards failed
to sparkle as it was hoped they
would they had their moments of
splendour and compared more than favourably with their more
publicised
opposites. Their goal-getters, Kerr, McIlroy and Black,
made more impression on the game than either
Brown or Sneddon who failed to
strike the form of which they have
shown themselves capable in recent
games. Making comparisons on the
night's showing between the right-wing
candidates for an international
cap, Billy Henderson was a better
prospect than Hugh Brown but
neither approached international
standard. Wilson and Millar were
the most enterprising Rangers forwards with Shearer, Davis
and
McKinnon the backbone of a defence which, although
reasonably
sound, were not so well balanced or
closely knit as their counterparts. Jim Baxter blotted his
copybook by
some tousy play, which resulted in
his name being taken for a rough
tackle on O'Connor.
Quick to
settle, Kilmarnock gained
confidence by scoring first in 18
minutes. A Brian McILROY shot
was headed by
Caldow to Brown who
promptly returned it
goalwards for the outside-left to beat Ritchie with a
neat header. Rangers
hit back with a BRAND Goal 3 minutes later, the
inside-left’s long-range
shot appearing to be
deflected by Watson
past McLaughlan. And it
was also BRAND who shot
Rangers into the lead in the 24th minute when he gave a pass
to Wilson and
took up position for the return, got
it and made the most of
it by blasting the
ball into the net.
Shortly after this
Watson was injured in a tackle and moved to
outside-left with
Mcllroy at inside,
and hereabouts
Kilmarnock made a
discovery - that in
Sneddon they have a
potential full-back,
star. He met with
instant success in
holding Henderson.
Black's Late Winner
If Kilmarnock
experienced a bad break
over Watson's injury it was
offset with a lucky
break which rescued
them from being 3-1 down.
A Greig shot, which
looked a certain scorer, was wiped out by Brand
making sure by netting
with his hand from
an offside position and
whether for a foul or offside the
referee rightly awarded
Kilmarnock a
free-kick. As if to celebrate this
escape Kilmarnock raced
off and scored a
well-taken equaliser.
From Sneddon to Beattie
and Beattie to
Black the ball travelled and
when the last-named sent it
inside McKinnon KERR was
in perfect position to make the interval score 2-2.
A hectic, furiously fought second-half
with excitement mounting all
the time as each side battled for the
winner was
highlighted by a magnificent
save by Ritchie from
Sneddon, and an
equally masterly save by
McLaughlan from Wilson. 
Watson clearing a
Davis header off the line,
a thrilling run by Brown
who spoiled it
with a weak finish: and then - joy
for Kilmarnock - the
winning goal 10
minutes from the end. The ball
came over from a Sneddon
corner and there
was BERTIE BLACK (right) back-heading it
into the net with Caldow
making a despairing effort
to save but merely
helping the ball
on its way. For Killie fans never
did 10 minutes take so
long to pass as
Rangers made, a desperate but
unavailing bid to save
the game. And
just when time was almost up
Brian McIlroy found
himself clear with
only Ritchie to beat but muffed
this great chance by
shooting against
the side net.
Final verdict - a memorable and
merited Kilmarnock victory in a
game worthy of the occasion.
Kilmarnock
- McLaughlan; Richmond
and Watson; O'Connor,
M'Grory and Beattie; H. Brown,
Black, Kerr, Sneddon and M'llroy.
Rangers
- Ritchie; Shearer and Caldow;
Davis, McKinnon and
Baxter;
Henderson, Greig, Millar,
Brand and Wilson.
