It’sstillsame oldgame 90yearson
SOME would have you believe that finger-pointing at referees, disciplinary fallout and dodgy decisions are things that have got worse with the times.
But if you head back 90 years, to 1929, you’ll find a Scottish Cup Final that was every bit as contentious as its modern-day entries.
Rangers, who had thumped rivals Celtic 4-0 in the previous year’s showpiece, ran out at Hampden in front of a crowd of 114,708 to face Kilmarnock expecting another crown.
The Light Blues had just won the league title for the third consecutive year and were strong favourites.
But they failed to rise to the occasion and thanks to two secondhalf goals the men from Ayrshire won the Cup for the second time.
What made the match memorable was the ordering-off of Rangers right-half Jock Buchanan for – according to press reports – “making an indiscreet remark to the referee.”
It was the first time any player had been sent from the field in the cup final.
Then there was the Scotland v England encounter on April 13, 1929 at Hampden.
The season before, the Wembley Wizards had dominated the Auld Enemy and tore them apart 5-1 in a victory that would become legend.
This time, the crowd of 110,512 was watching a much closer contest, the match still goalless with just one minute left.
Scotland, down to 10 men as Alec Jackson had gone off after dislocating his elbow, won a corner and Aberdeen’s Alex Cheyne ran over to take it.
He made the kick an in-swinger and as the ball curled in towards goal, the Hampden swirl helped to carry it past the English keeper just under the bar at the far post.
Scoring direct from a corner had only been made legal in 1924 and this goal was a first not only for Scotland but for international matches.
There was another memorable clash that year involving Scotland – when they thumped Northern Ireland 7-3 in Belfast.
Hughie Gallagher – who had spells at Newcastle, Chelsea, Derby, Notts County, Grimsby and Gateshead in a 15-year career with 387 goals in 543 league matches – bagged five for the rampant Dark Blues that day.
Jock Buchanan was the first player sent off in a Scottish Cup Final