It Was 121 Years Ago Yesterday

[ian1964 10,720]

Lifted from FF

 

 

That we won the first of our 54 Championships.

 

May 21st 1891

 

Scottish League Championship Play Off

 

Dumbarton 2-2 Rangers

 

Dumbarton: McLeod, Watson, A Miller, McMillan, Boyle, Keir, Taylor, Galbraith, J Miller, McNaught, Bell

 

Rangers: Reid, Gow, Hodge, Marshall, A McCreadie, Mitchell, Henderson, H McCreadie, Kerr, McPherson, Hislop

 

The referee was Mr J Marshall of the Third Lanark club.

 

The match was played on a Thursday evening and there was a large crowd estimated at 10,000 as it was a public holiday to mark Queen Victoria's birthday

 

Goal times weren't recorded too precisely in those days. David Hislop scored for Rangers in the first minute. Hugh McCreadie also scored for Rangers in the first half.

John Taylor scored for Dumbarton just after an hour's play and John Miller equalised.

The teams discussed whether or not to play thirty minutes extra time but decided not to.

Later, the Scottish League decided not to order another match and awarded the title to be shared by both sides.

 

This was the first ever Scottish League Championship.

Rangers had met Dumbarton earlier in the season, in only the third League match, at Boghead Park back on September 13, and were well beaten (1-5).

This coming a week after Celtic had knocked Rangers out of the Scottish Cup (0-1), in front of 16,000 fans at Celtic Park.

Rangers would recover from this setback, and went unbeaten in their next 12 League games (9 Wins 3 Draws), before they got the chance to seek revenge in the return League match at Old Ibrox Park on April 25th.

Two weeks earlier, Dumbarton had suffered their first Legue defeat of the season, losing 0-1 at Celtic Park.

(whilst Rangers were down in England playing a couple of Friendlies).

Dumbarton recovered quickly with a 4-0 win at Tynecastle on the Monday.

So Rangers went into the Dumbarton game trailing by two points, but with a game in hand.

Rangers ran out 4-2 winners on the day, to go level on points, with only two games to play, needing only three from four points, to secure the first ever Scottish Championship.

The following week we had Celtic at home, and tragically Rangers lost 1-2, as Dumbarton ran out 4-2 winners v St Mirren at Greenhill Rd.

This meant Dumbarton had completed their season with 29 points, leaving Rangers on 27 points,

with Rangers having one game to play at home to Third Lanark the following week, needing a win to force a Play Off for the Championship.

Rangers would make three changes from the side that lost to Celtic the previous week, with John Muir replacing William Hodge at left back, James 'Tuck' McIntyre replacing Andrew McCreadie at centre half, and the most bizarre of changes, in the front line with Alick (Archiebald) McKenzie replacing Willy White.

Bizarre that McKenzie had made only two appearances that season, and both of them were as a GOALKEEPER.

Rangers would go on to win 4-1 with McKenzie notching a Hat Trick, and one from David Hislop.

The line up that day was

Reid, Gow, Muir, Marshall, McIntyre, Mitchell, McKenzie, Henderson, Kerr, McPherson and Hislop.

 

Just for the record, in that first ever Scottish League Championship,

Celtic, who finished 8 points adrift in third place,

were deducted 4 points for CHEATING.

(playing ineligible, unregistered players)

 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1890%E2%80%9391_Scottish_Football_League#cite_note-docked-0

[Bluedell 5,611]

That we won the first of our 54 Championships.

 

May 21st 1891

 

But we can't have as Rangers F.C. plc was only formed in 1899 and Rangers doesn't exist if it's not that company according to some.

[GovanAllan 0]

But we can't have as Rangers F.C. plc was only formed in 1899 and Rangers doesn't exist if it's not that company according to some.

 

Facts and Timmy, like water and oil.