Scottish Football Reminiscences and SketchesBone, David Drummond
History
Scottish Football Reminiscences and Sketches
Bone, David Drummond
Football
gave the Vale of Leven a corner-flag kick. The ball was fairly managed,
but Bruce, who had it at his toe, was tackled by Smellie, and sent down
the field. The Queen's Park had now a brilliant turn at the Leven goal,
and several hard shies at the posts were cleverly returned by the backs.
The Queen's men, however, kept pressing on, and had a corner-flag kick,
which was taken by Sellar, and splendidly sent out by Wilson. The play
after this was straggling a bit, and falls were frequent in Vale of
Leven territory, but the Queen's men were very unlucky at goal, and
could not get the ball through--Gulliland, with a hard shy, only missing
by a shave. The ball eventually passed the Leven lines in a scrimmage
not long afterwards, and as it was put over by one of the defenders,
another corner-flag kick was the consequence. Time was now wearing on,
and do all they could, with hemming in their opponents and making
innumerable shies at goal, the Queen's Park could not score, and a
corner-flag kick did not mend matters. After this the Vale team improved
very much in their forward play, and M'Lachlan and Bruce again had a
fine run up the field, and as Arnott, in tackling, let the ball go over
the lines, the Leven team had a corner-flag kick. The shot from the
pavilion end was very well taken by one of the half-backs (M'Nicol), and
the Queen's Park goal had a narrow shave, as the ball was caught by
Robertson in the nick of time and cleared. The Queen's Park were soon at
it again, however, and not only drove their powerful opponents off, but
completely invaded their stronghold. Crowding round Allan, Berry,
Gulliland, Sellar, Hamilton, and even the Queen's half-backs had shies
at the Leven goal, but Wilson saved brilliantly. When time was drawing
to a close the excitement became very intense, and while the friends of
the Vale of Leven were jubilant and hopeful about the issue, the
partisans of the senior club, who came to see their favourites conquer,
were proportionately sad and crest-fallen. "They cannot do it now," said
a chorus of voices well up on the stand, "but see this, boys," remarked
an old football follower, as Arnott rolled up the sleeves of his jersey
with a determination which gave new life to the game; and as it has been
said frequently before that the Queen's Park can rise to a great
occasion, assuredly they did on Ibrox Park on Saturday. One minute or so
more and all would be over. Pressing their opponents very hard with
shots at goal, corner-flag kicks, scrimmages almost under the
goalkeeper's feet, they were again and again repulsed by grand work on
the part of Wilson, and as the ball emerged out of the pack after a free
kick it was sent a bit down the field towards the Queen's Park
half-backs. Here Bruce, the most prominent forward of the country club,
got possession, and was about to beat Stewart, when Arnott and Smellie
came to the rescue, and the ball was immediately sent back to the Vale
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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