Rangers History Eddie Rutherford

MO_TxTruBlu

MO_TxTruBlu

Well-Known Member
Born in Govan, Glasgow on Feb 8th 1921, Edward Rutherford, a product of Govan High School began his playing career with Battlefield Amateurs before moving into juvenile Football with local amateur side Mossvale YMCA.
He was signed by Bill Struth on Professional Forms in 1941.
It would be 5 more years before Eddie would make his Rangers debut, as he spent those years serving his country, mostly in England with the RAF.

Eddie Rutherford began his Rangers career shortly after the end of Second World War in 1946.
He made his debut on Oct 19th in the inaugural year of the League Cup, in a Qualifying tie v Queens Park at Ibrox, as an outside right in place of Willie Waddell, who was playing for Scotland against Wales that same day (along with Willie Thornton).
He would make 6 further appearances that season, all as a right winger.
One week before the League Cup final, with Waddell out injured, Rutherford was given another start in a League match v Clyde at Ibrox.
Rangers won 5-0 to clinch the Championship, with back up centre forward Billy Williamson scoring four goals and Rutherford scoring one himself.
A week later Rutherford proved to be an excellent replacement for Waddell as Rangers hammered Aberdeen 4-0 in the first ever Scottish League Cup Final.
Even though this game was played on April 5th, the atrocious weather conditions were such that of the 134,000 tickets that were sold for this game, more than 50,000 failed to turn up.
The actual attendance at the final was 82,684.
Two weeks earlier, more than 125,000 had turned up to see Rangers defeat Hibernian 3-1 in the semi final.
So after only 7 appearances in his first season, Eddie Rutherford had played in a League Championship Title winning game, and collected his first winners medal in the League Cup Final.

The following season 47-48, with Waddell being restricted to only 12 League appearances due to injury,
Rutherford got 27 starts in the three major competitions (22 of them at outside right, 5 at outside left).
He also played (and scored one) in the 4-1 win over Third Lanark in the Glasgow Cup Final
An inspired performance by the right winger against Celtic on Jan 2nd saw Rangers triumph 4-0 at Parkhead.
Three home defeats saw Rangers concede the League title to Hibernian by 2 points.
In the Scottish Cup Rangers went marching on, beating Hibernian 1-0 in the semi-final,
before a crowd of 143,570 ( a British record attendance between two clubs, outwith a Final, that still stands today)
In the Final itself 131,975 paid to watch Rangers and Morton finish level at 1-1 after extra time.
The replay four days later saw a record crowd for a midweek match as 129,176 turned up to witness another grueling extra time encounter.
A reporter wrote
'There were just over 4 mins to play in a hard fought Final when Cox drove a long low pass over to the left touchline, Rutherford, far out of his beat, collected the pass and crossed with his left foot, Williamson, rushing in at full tilt, met the ball with his forehead and the ball was in the net before the Morton keeper could move.
The Rangers team that collected the Scottish Cup that day
Brown, Young, Shaw, McColl, Woodburn, Cox, Rutherford, Thornton, Williamson, Duncanson and Gillick.

Rutherford collected an additional two winners medals at Hampden that season in both the
Glasgow Cup 4-1 v Third Lanark (47,000) and the
Glasgow Merchants' Charity Cup 2-0 v Celtic (69,000).
He also won his only Scotland cap two weeks after defeating Celtic in the Charity Cup.
.
1948-49 was the year of the Triple Crown, when Rangers brought home
The League Championship, The Scottish Cup and The League Cup.
Rutherford played in all but three of Rangers league games that season,
in fact he played in 35 of the 44 games that led to that Glorious Treble.
Though he started the season again at outside right, by the time New Year arrived he was already building a formidable partnership on the left wing with Jimmy Duncanson at inside left.
This was best displayed in the Ne'er day derby when Rangers beat Celtic 4-0 at Ibrox, with a hat trick from Duncanson and one from Thornton.
By the time both Cup Finals came around in March and April,
Eddie Rutherford was very much now the established outside left for The Rangers.

1949-50 saw Rangers win the Double of League Championship and Scottish Cup.
Rutherford played in 35 of the 44 games that season collecting another 2 winners medals.
Add to that 3 appearances in the Glasgow Cup, beating Celtic 2-1 in the Semi, and Clyde 2-1 in the Final (replay).
Rangers went out of the League Cup at the Semi Final 1-2 to East Fife(managed by Scot Symon).
In the previous round Rangers had shockingly lost 2-3 at home to Cowdenbeath in the first leg of the quarter final.
This was the first time Rangers had suffered defeat by a team from a lower Division.
In the return leg before a record crowd, Cowdenbeath actually took a 4-2 aggregate lead from the penalty spot, a local mining hero slotting home for the underdogs,
Rangers bombarded their goal, and it took until the 50th minute for Rangers to get on the scoresheet when Sammy Cox who had been moved forward to inside left for this game, scored with a snap shot from the edge of the penalty area.

Here is a report of the latter part of the match from a Cowdenbeath fan
'The ball came to Frank Armstrong at the Rangers end. The crowd and his colleagues urged him to kick it over the stand but Armstrong with the innocence of youth tried once again to go round George Young. This time the Scottish captain wins the ball and advances towards the Cowdenbeath half. There are 13 seconds left to play. Young punts the ball skywards towards the Cowden goal, the crowd falls silent. The ball seems suspended in the air, in time almost, and then Eddie Rutherford of Rangers barges Holland aside and rises to head the ball past the despairing Moodie. It is the equaliser, the referee blows for time, strong men weep. Rangers fans in ecstasy. Cowdenbeath, 13 seconds from glory now face extra-time.'

In the 102nd minute, Sammy Cox beats two men on the left and crashes home a drive - the winner for Rangers.

Though it is rarely mentioned,
here was a entire generation of Rangers fans spared the trauma and humiliation that a generation later had to endure following Berwick, by virtue of that Eddie Rutherford goal at Cowdenbeath 13 seconds from time.

Three days later, Rutherford scores the opener after only six minutes in an easy 4-0 league win against Celtic.
This game was boycotted by Celtic fans and had 30,000 plus fewer fans (64,000) than their League Cup qualifying match four weeks earlier which had attracted 95,000 to Ibrox, as Rangers won that one 2-0, amidst disgraceful scenes of massive infighting, bottle throwing, injuries and several arrests from the Celtic end, sparked by an alleged boot to the belly, by Cox on Tully, that went unpunished, by the referee.
Following that game, Celtic (Robert Kelly) demanded an SFA enquiry into this incident, and demanded that referees in future Old Firm clashes should not be Scottish!
The Committee voted 25-5 to censure both Tully and Cox and further stated that Tully had simulated any slight injury he may have received.
(this was the third time that Rutherford had played in a 4-0 win v Celtic, the other two coming in the previous two Ne'erday fixtures in 48' and 49').

Rutherford would score another late goal against Cowdenbeath that season in the Scottish Cup,
only this time it was nowhere near as significant, as his team mates had scored seven times previously as Rangers beat them 8-0.
In the Semi Final, he scored the equaliser against Queen of the South, forcing a replay that Rangers won comfortably.
In the Final itself, Rangers gained some revenge on East Fife with a 3-0 win.
A goal from Findlay after 30 secs, and two in two minutes midway through the second half from Thornton, both laid on by Rutherford.

The following season (1950-51) was a disappointing one for Rangers as they failed to qualify from the League Cup section, finished runners up in the League to Hibernian, and were knocked out of the Scottish Cup by them, at Ibrox in front of 102,342 fans.
Rutherford made 24 appearances for Rangers that season in the three majors, and also played in 2 Glasgow Cup games, the pre season friendly against Danish Champions Akademisk Boldklub, scoring the winner in a 2-1 win at Ibrox (50,000), and rounded the season off in a 2-0 win v Celtic at Hampden in the Glasgow Merchants' Charity Cup first round tie, which was still attracting a crowd of 70,000.

1951-52
By the time October came around Rangers had played only 3 league games, though they were well into their season, having reached the League Cup Semi Finals.
This was to be Rutherford's final month at Ibrox.
His last five appearances were,
a 1-1 draw with League leaders East Fife,
the League Cup Semi Final against Celtic on the 13th, that saw Rangers run out convincing winners by 3-0.
Four days later and a trip to London, to mark the opening of the Floodlights at Highbury, saw Rangers take on Arsenal.
A 2-0 home win v Hearts the following Saturday at Ibrox.
His final appearance for Rangers came on Oct 27th in the League Cup Final.
Despite leading 1-0 at half time, Rangers lost 2-3 to a last minute Alf Boyd goal for Dundee.

Less than two weeks later on Nov 9th 1951, Rangers surprisingly swapped Eddie Rutherford for Hearts Colin Liddell.

In the five years that Eddie Rutherford was a player at Ibrox he made 155 appearances, and scored 34 goals.
He won
2 League Championships
3 Scottish Cups
2 League Cups
 
Another of my Dad’s favourite players in the great team of the late 40’s. Not doubting you Mo_Tx but the story my Dad told me about the Sammy Cox / Charlie Tully incident was that Tully hit Sammy Cox’s fist with his jaw. Either way, a good story with a Rangers victory and a Celtic break in too.

A very young TMC was introduced to Eddie Rutherford in his paper shop in Burnside many years ago by my star struck Dad.
 
wee bud's pit boots said:
It's important that the unsung heroes are remembered and feted.

Eddie Rutherford certainly falls into that category

Because back then I'd imagine the two most feted wingers in Scotland would have been our own Willie Waddell and Gordon Smith of Hibs.
Click to expand...

Yes, and Scotland had the great Billy Liddell of Liddelpool on the Left, and even when he was not available, Hibs striker Lawrie Reilly would operate the Left Wing berth for Scotland.
 
He ran a newsagent right across the road from my old school, Stonelaw High in Rutherglen.

I used to go in for after school to stuff my face with shite but it wasnt until my auld man told me who he was that I knew he was a Rangers legend. I would have been 12 but once I knew who he was I became a bit starstuck. He was an old old man and him and his wife would be in this dingy wee old fashioned shop and here was I, starstruck!

I mustered up the courage one day to ask him if my Da was talking pish or no and he confirmed he was Eddie Rutherford of The Rangers. A year or so after, the shop shut down and became something else but I can still remember vividly the wee shop with a legend in it who always had a cheery word and a smile and the odd wee extra sweetie for a wee boy in awe of his achievements.

Eddie was a Legend, a gentleman and a tobbaconist.
 
MO_TxTruBlu said:
Born in Govan, Glasgow on Feb 8th 1921, Edward Rutherford, a product of Govan High School began his playing career with Battlefield Amateurs before moving into juvenile Football with local amateur side Mossvale YMCA.
He was signed by Bill Struth on Professional Forms in 1941.
It would be 5 more years before Eddie would make his Rangers debut, as he spent those years serving his country, mostly in England with the RAF.

Eddie Rutherford began his Rangers career shortly after the end of Second World War in 1946.
He made his debut on Oct 19th in the inaugural year of the League Cup, in a Qualifying tie v Queens Park at Ibrox, as an outside right in place of Willie Waddell, who was playing for Scotland against Wales that same day (along with Willie Thornton).
He would make 6 further appearances that season, all as a right winger.
One week before the League Cup final, with Waddell out injured, Rutherford was given another start in a League match v Clyde at Ibrox.
Rangers won 5-0 to clinch the Championship, with back up centre forward Billy Williamson scoring four goals and Rutherford scoring one himself.
A week later Rutherford proved to be an excellent replacement for Waddell as Rangers hammered Aberdeen 4-0 in the first ever Scottish League Cup Final.
Even though this game was played on April 5th, the atrocious weather conditions were such that of the 134,000 tickets that were sold for this game, more than 50,000 failed to turn up.
The actual attendance at the final was 82,684.
Two weeks earlier, more than 125,000 had turned up to see Rangers defeat Hibernian 3-1 in the semi final.
So after only 7 appearances in his first season, Eddie Rutherford had played in a League Championship Title winning game, and collected his first winners medal in the League Cup Final.

The following season 47-48, with Waddell being restricted to only 12 League appearances due to injury,
Rutherford got 27 starts in the three major competitions (22 of them at outside right, 5 at outside left).
He also played (and scored one) in the 4-1 win over Third Lanark in the Glasgow Cup Final
An inspired performance by the right winger against Celtic on Jan 2nd saw Rangers triumph 4-0 at Parkhead.
Three home defeats saw Rangers concede the League title to Hibernian by 2 points.
In the Scottish Cup Rangers went marching on, beating Hibernian 1-0 in the semi-final,
before a crowd of 143,570 ( a British record attendance between two clubs, outwith a Final, that still stands today)
In the Final itself 131,975 paid to watch Rangers and Morton finish level at 1-1 after extra time.
The replay four days later saw a record crowd for a midweek match as 129,176 turned up to witness another grueling extra time encounter.
A reporter wrote
'There were just over 4 mins to play in a hard fought Final when Cox drove a long low pass over to the left touchline, Rutherford, far out of his beat, collected the pass and crossed with his left foot, Williamson, rushing in at full tilt, met the ball with his forehead and the ball was in the net before the Morton keeper could move.
The Rangers team that collected the Scottish Cup that day
Brown, Young, Shaw, McColl, Woodburn, Cox, Rutherford, Thornton, Williamson, Duncanson and Gillick.

Rutherford collected an additional two winners medals at Hampden that season in both the
Glasgow Cup 4-1 v Third Lanark (47,000) and the
Glasgow Merchants' Charity Cup 2-0 v Celtic (69,000).
He also won his only Scotland cap two weeks after defeating Celtic in the Charity Cup.
.
1948-49 was the year of the Triple Crown, when Rangers brought home
The League Championship, The Scottish Cup and The League Cup.
Rutherford played in all but three of Rangers league games that season,
in fact he played in 35 of the 44 games that led to that Glorious Treble.
Though he started the season again at outside right, by the time New Year arrived he was already building a formidable partnership on the left wing with Jimmy Duncanson at inside left.
This was best displayed in the Ne'er day derby when Rangers beat Celtic 4-0 at Ibrox, with a hat trick from Duncanson and one from Thornton.
By the time both Cup Finals came around in March and April,
Eddie Rutherford was very much now the established outside left for The Rangers.

1949-50 saw Rangers win the Double of League Championship and Scottish Cup.
Rutherford played in 35 of the 44 games that season collecting another 2 winners medals.
Add to that 3 appearances in the Glasgow Cup, beating Celtic 2-1 in the Semi, and Clyde 2-1 in the Final (replay).
Rangers went out of the League Cup at the Semi Final 1-2 to East Fife(managed by Scot Symon).
In the previous round Rangers had shockingly lost 2-3 at home to Cowdenbeath in the first leg of the quarter final.
This was the first time Rangers had suffered defeat by a team from a lower Division.
In the return leg before a record crowd, Cowdenbeath actually took a 4-2 aggregate lead from the penalty spot, a local mining hero slotting home for the underdogs,
Rangers bombarded their goal, and it took until the 50th minute for Rangers to get on the scoresheet when Sammy Cox who had been moved forward to inside left for this game, scored with a snap shot from the edge of the penalty area.

Here is a report of the latter part of the match from a Cowdenbeath fan
'The ball came to Frank Armstrong at the Rangers end. The crowd and his colleagues urged him to kick it over the stand but Armstrong with the innocence of youth tried once again to go round George Young. This time the Scottish captain wins the ball and advances towards the Cowdenbeath half. There are 13 seconds left to play. Young punts the ball skywards towards the Cowden goal, the crowd falls silent. The ball seems suspended in the air, in time almost, and then Eddie Rutherford of Rangers barges Holland aside and rises to head the ball past the despairing Moodie. It is the equaliser, the referee blows for time, strong men weep. Rangers fans in ecstasy. Cowdenbeath, 13 seconds from glory now face extra-time.'

In the 102nd minute, Sammy Cox beats two men on the left and crashes home a drive - the winner for Rangers.

Though it is rarely mentioned,
here was a entire generation of Rangers fans spared the trauma and humiliation that a generation later had to endure following Berwick, by virtue of that Eddie Rutherford goal at Cowdenbeath 13 seconds from time.

Three days later, Rutherford scores the opener after only six minutes in an easy 4-0 league win against Celtic.
This game was boycotted by Celtic fans and had 30,000 plus fewer fans (64,000) than their League Cup qualifying match four weeks earlier which had attracted 95,000 to Ibrox, as Rangers won that one 2-0, amidst disgraceful scenes of massive infighting, bottle throwing, injuries and several arrests from the Celtic end, sparked by an alleged boot to the belly, by Cox on Tully, that went unpunished, by the referee.
Following that game, Celtic (Robert Kelly) demanded an SFA enquiry into this incident, and demanded that referees in future Old Firm clashes should not be Scottish!
The Committee voted 25-5 to censure both Tully and Cox and further stated that Tully had simulated any slight injury he may have received.
(this was the third time that Rutherford had played in a 4-0 win v Celtic, the other two coming in the previous two Ne'erday fixtures in 48' and 49').

Rutherford would score another late goal against Cowdenbeath that season in the Scottish Cup,
only this time it was nowhere near as significant, as his team mates had scored seven times previously as Rangers beat them 8-0.
In the Semi Final, he scored the equaliser against Queen of the South, forcing a replay that Rangers won comfortably.
In the Final itself, Rangers gained some revenge on East Fife with a 3-0 win.
A goal from Findlay after 30 secs, and two in two minutes midway through the second half from Thornton, both laid on by Rutherford.

The following season (1950-51) was a disappointing one for Rangers as they failed to qualify from the League Cup section, finished runners up in the League to Hibernian, and were knocked out of the Scottish Cup by them, at Ibrox in front of 102,342 fans.
Rutherford made 24 appearances for Rangers that season in the three majors, and also played in 2 Glasgow Cup games, the pre season friendly against Danish Champions Akademisk Boldklub, scoring the winner in a 2-1 win at Ibrox (50,000), and rounded the season off in a 2-0 win v Celtic at Hampden in the Glasgow Merchants' Charity Cup first round tie, which was still attracting a crowd of 70,000.

1951-52
By the time October came around Rangers had played only 3 league games, though they were well into their season, having reached the League Cup Semi Finals.
This was to be Rutherford's final month at Ibrox.
His last five appearances were,
a 1-1 draw with League leaders East Fife,
the League Cup Semi Final against Celtic on the 13th, that saw Rangers run out convincing winners by 3-0.
Four days later and a trip to London, to mark the opening of the Floodlights at Highbury, saw Rangers take on Arsenal.
A 2-0 home win v Hearts the following Saturday at Ibrox.
His final appearance for Rangers came on Oct 27th in the League Cup Final.
Despite leading 1-0 at half time, Rangers lost 2-3 to a last minute Alf Boyd goal for Dundee.

Less than two weeks later on Nov 9th 1951, Rangers surprisingly swapped Eddie Rutherford for Hearts Colin Liddell.

In the five years that Eddie Rutherford was a player at Ibrox he made 155 appearances, and scored 34 goals.
He won
2 League Championships
3 Scottish Cups
2 League Cups
Click to expand...
Read it...
 
Fantastic work OP, thanks! I went to school in Rutherglen with Eddie's grandson, and although not overly interested in football himself, I always remember how proudly he spoke about his grandpa playing for the Rangers. I have always looked out for Eddie's name ever since, but was completely unaware that he had such an involvement in Rangers history. I will be forwarding a link to this thread to him shortly.
 
Ticketybloo said:
Love reading articles like this one.
What a wonderful History we're blessed with.
Click to expand...
I agree 100%. It takes a lot of effort from the OP and people such dh1963, ao2 and others who draw these posts up for the rest of us to enjoy. Hopefully there is some way these threads can be archived to remember players such as Eddie Rutherford who I did not see play for us but who was a name I recognise from an early age.
 
MO_TxTruBlu said:
Born in Govan, Glasgow on Feb 8th 1921, Edward Rutherford, a product of Govan High School began his playing career with Battlefield Amateurs before moving into juvenile Football with local amateur side Mossvale YMCA.
He was signed by Bill Struth on Professional Forms in 1941.
It would be 5 more years before Eddie would make his Rangers debut, as he spent those years serving his country, mostly in England with the RAF.

Eddie Rutherford began his Rangers career shortly after the end of Second World War in 1946.
He made his debut on Oct 19th in the inaugural year of the League Cup, in a Qualifying tie v Queens Park at Ibrox, as an outside right in place of Willie Waddell, who was playing for Scotland against Wales that same day (along with Willie Thornton).
He would make 6 further appearances that season, all as a right winger.
One week before the League Cup final, with Waddell out injured, Rutherford was given another start in a League match v Clyde at Ibrox.
Rangers won 5-0 to clinch the Championship, with back up centre forward Billy Williamson scoring four goals and Rutherford scoring one himself.
A week later Rutherford proved to be an excellent replacement for Waddell as Rangers hammered Aberdeen 4-0 in the first ever Scottish League Cup Final.
Even though this game was played on April 5th, the atrocious weather conditions were such that of the 134,000 tickets that were sold for this game, more than 50,000 failed to turn up.
The actual attendance at the final was 82,684.
Two weeks earlier, more than 125,000 had turned up to see Rangers defeat Hibernian 3-1 in the semi final.
So after only 7 appearances in his first season, Eddie Rutherford had played in a League Championship Title winning game, and collected his first winners medal in the League Cup Final.

The following season 47-48, with Waddell being restricted to only 12 League appearances due to injury,
Rutherford got 27 starts in the three major competitions (22 of them at outside right, 5 at outside left).
He also played (and scored one) in the 4-1 win over Third Lanark in the Glasgow Cup Final
An inspired performance by the right winger against Celtic on Jan 2nd saw Rangers triumph 4-0 at Parkhead.
Three home defeats saw Rangers concede the League title to Hibernian by 2 points.
In the Scottish Cup Rangers went marching on, beating Hibernian 1-0 in the semi-final,
before a crowd of 143,570 ( a British record attendance between two clubs, outwith a Final, that still stands today)
In the Final itself 131,975 paid to watch Rangers and Morton finish level at 1-1 after extra time.
The replay four days later saw a record crowd for a midweek match as 129,176 turned up to witness another grueling extra time encounter.
A reporter wrote
'There were just over 4 mins to play in a hard fought Final when Cox drove a long low pass over to the left touchline, Rutherford, far out of his beat, collected the pass and crossed with his left foot, Williamson, rushing in at full tilt, met the ball with his forehead and the ball was in the net before the Morton keeper could move.
The Rangers team that collected the Scottish Cup that day
Brown, Young, Shaw, McColl, Woodburn, Cox, Rutherford, Thornton, Williamson, Duncanson and Gillick.

Rutherford collected an additional two winners medals at Hampden that season in both the
Glasgow Cup 4-1 v Third Lanark (47,000) and the
Glasgow Merchants' Charity Cup 2-0 v Celtic (69,000).
He also won his only Scotland cap two weeks after defeating Celtic in the Charity Cup.
.
1948-49 was the year of the Triple Crown, when Rangers brought home
The League Championship, The Scottish Cup and The League Cup.
Rutherford played in all but three of Rangers league games that season,
in fact he played in 35 of the 44 games that led to that Glorious Treble.
Though he started the season again at outside right, by the time New Year arrived he was already building a formidable partnership on the left wing with Jimmy Duncanson at inside left.
This was best displayed in the Ne'er day derby when Rangers beat Celtic 4-0 at Ibrox, with a hat trick from Duncanson and one from Thornton.
By the time both Cup Finals came around in March and April,
Eddie Rutherford was very much now the established outside left for The Rangers.

1949-50 saw Rangers win the Double of League Championship and Scottish Cup.
Rutherford played in 35 of the 44 games that season collecting another 2 winners medals.
Add to that 3 appearances in the Glasgow Cup, beating Celtic 2-1 in the Semi, and Clyde 2-1 in the Final (replay).
Rangers went out of the League Cup at the Semi Final 1-2 to East Fife(managed by Scot Symon).
In the previous round Rangers had shockingly lost 2-3 at home to Cowdenbeath in the first leg of the quarter final.
This was the first time Rangers had suffered defeat by a team from a lower Division.
In the return leg before a record crowd, Cowdenbeath actually took a 4-2 aggregate lead from the penalty spot, a local mining hero slotting home for the underdogs,
Rangers bombarded their goal, and it took until the 50th minute for Rangers to get on the scoresheet when Sammy Cox who had been moved forward to inside left for this game, scored with a snap shot from the edge of the penalty area.

Here is a report of the latter part of the match from a Cowdenbeath fan
'The ball came to Frank Armstrong at the Rangers end. The crowd and his colleagues urged him to kick it over the stand but Armstrong with the innocence of youth tried once again to go round George Young. This time the Scottish captain wins the ball and advances towards the Cowdenbeath half. There are 13 seconds left to play. Young punts the ball skywards towards the Cowden goal, the crowd falls silent. The ball seems suspended in the air, in time almost, and then Eddie Rutherford of Rangers barges Holland aside and rises to head the ball past the despairing Moodie. It is the equaliser, the referee blows for time, strong men weep. Rangers fans in ecstasy. Cowdenbeath, 13 seconds from glory now face extra-time.'

In the 102nd minute, Sammy Cox beats two men on the left and crashes home a drive - the winner for Rangers.

Though it is rarely mentioned,
here was a entire generation of Rangers fans spared the trauma and humiliation that a generation later had to endure following Berwick, by virtue of that Eddie Rutherford goal at Cowdenbeath 13 seconds from time.

Three days later, Rutherford scores the opener after only six minutes in an easy 4-0 league win against Celtic.
This game was boycotted by Celtic fans and had 30,000 plus fewer fans (64,000) than their League Cup qualifying match four weeks earlier which had attracted 95,000 to Ibrox, as Rangers won that one 2-0, amidst disgraceful scenes of massive infighting, bottle throwing, injuries and several arrests from the Celtic end, sparked by an alleged boot to the belly, by Cox on Tully, that went unpunished, by the referee.
Following that game, Celtic (Robert Kelly) demanded an SFA enquiry into this incident, and demanded that referees in future Old Firm clashes should not be Scottish!
The Committee voted 25-5 to censure both Tully and Cox and further stated that Tully had simulated any slight injury he may have received.
(this was the third time that Rutherford had played in a 4-0 win v Celtic, the other two coming in the previous two Ne'erday fixtures in 48' and 49').

Rutherford would score another late goal against Cowdenbeath that season in the Scottish Cup,
only this time it was nowhere near as significant, as his team mates had scored seven times previously as Rangers beat them 8-0.
In the Semi Final, he scored the equaliser against Queen of the South, forcing a replay that Rangers won comfortably.
In the Final itself, Rangers gained some revenge on East Fife with a 3-0 win.
A goal from Findlay after 30 secs, and two in two minutes midway through the second half from Thornton, both laid on by Rutherford.

The following season (1950-51) was a disappointing one for Rangers as they failed to qualify from the League Cup section, finished runners up in the League to Hibernian, and were knocked out of the Scottish Cup by them, at Ibrox in front of 102,342 fans.
Rutherford made 24 appearances for Rangers that season in the three majors, and also played in 2 Glasgow Cup games, the pre season friendly against Danish Champions Akademisk Boldklub, scoring the winner in a 2-1 win at Ibrox (50,000), and rounded the season off in a 2-0 win v Celtic at Hampden in the Glasgow Merchants' Charity Cup first round tie, which was still attracting a crowd of 70,000.

1951-52
By the time October came around Rangers had played only 3 league games, though they were well into their season, having reached the League Cup Semi Finals.
This was to be Rutherford's final month at Ibrox.
His last five appearances were,
a 1-1 draw with League leaders East Fife,
the League Cup Semi Final against Celtic on the 13th, that saw Rangers run out convincing winners by 3-0.
Four days later and a trip to London, to mark the opening of the Floodlights at Highbury, saw Rangers take on Arsenal.
A 2-0 home win v Hearts the following Saturday at Ibrox.
His final appearance for Rangers came on Oct 27th in the League Cup Final.
Despite leading 1-0 at half time, Rangers lost 2-3 to a last minute Alf Boyd goal for Dundee.

Less than two weeks later on Nov 9th 1951, Rangers surprisingly swapped Eddie Rutherford for Hearts Colin Liddell.

In the five years that Eddie Rutherford was a player at Ibrox he made 155 appearances, and scored 34 goals.
He won
2 League Championships
3 Scottish Cups
2 League Cups
Click to expand...
He was somehow related to my mum. Possibly her uncle. I knew him when I was very young as uncle Eddie.
 
The Meik's Crombie said:
Another of my Dad’s favourite players in the great team of the late 40’s. Not doubting you Mo_Tx but the story my Dad told me about the Sammy Cox / Charlie Tully incident was that Tully hit Sammy Cox’s fist with his jaw. Either way, a good story with a Rangers victory and a Celtic break in too.

A very young TMC was introduced to Eddie Rutherford in his paper shop in Burnside many years ago by my star struck Dad.
Click to expand...

The report I got on the incident came from a bitter bheggars site.

'On 40 minutes Findlay scored for Rangers. Ten minutes after half time Rangers were awarded the obligatory penalty after Waddell had been tackled by Alec Boden. Young hit the crossbar from the spot but Rangers went on to get the decisive second goal late on through Waddell. The Celtic fans were unhappy throughout the game with the refereeing decisions.
The big incident which changed the whole tone of the match occurred in the first half. On about 30 minutes a thru ball was played back to Brown in the Rangers goal. Cox followed the ball back shielding it from Tully who was racing to chase down the ball and challenge for it. Brown gathered the ball and Cox swivelled around and kicked Tully in the stomach. Tully went down in agony a few yards from the Rangers goal line. Play went on. Penalty kick? Sending off? Neither was given.
pandemonium broke out in the Celtic end behind the goal. Bottles flew and fights broke out. The police and ambulance men arrived in front of the stand as the crowd spilled over onto the track. '
 
MO_TxTruBlu said:
The report I got on the incident came from a bitter bheggars site.

'On 40 minutes Findlay scored for Rangers. Ten minutes after half time Rangers were awarded the obligatory penalty after Waddell had been tackled by Alec Boden. Young hit the crossbar from the spot but Rangers went on to get the decisive second goal late on through Waddell. The Celtic fans were unhappy throughout the game with the refereeing decisions.
The big incident which changed the whole tone of the match occurred in the first half. On about 30 minutes a thru ball was played back to Brown in the Rangers goal. Cox followed the ball back shielding it from Tully who was racing to chase down the ball and challenge for it. Brown gathered the ball and Cox swivelled around and kicked Tully in the stomach. Tully went down in agony a few yards from the Rangers goal line. Play went on. Penalty kick? Sending off? Neither was given.
pandemonium broke out in the Celtic end behind the goal. Bottles flew and fights broke out. The police and ambulance men arrived in front of the stand as the crowd spilled over onto the track. '
Click to expand...
Cheers MO. I have never believed what Celtic supporters say. As I said, it is a great story, a Rangers victory and a Celtic break in. A lot to like.
 
tambourineman said:
Another (yet another) outstanding post MO. Wonderful stuff they are a joy to read.
Click to expand...
Totally agree. Excellent post. I am old enough to have watched Eddie Rutherford play and remember his contribution. Perhaps MO or someone else can remind me that following Eddie Rutherford’s departure from Rangers, was there a winger called Willie McCulloch who played at the same time as Willie Waddell. Seem to remember going to the old Bayview ground at Methil, when East Fife had a really good team. Waddell and McCulloch were unstoppable on the wings with a player, Willie Gardiner, who was not a first team regular, scoring 3 or 4 goals, in a 7-1 victory.
 
Bumplittledipper said:
He ran a newsagent right across the road from my old school, Stonelaw High in Rutherglen.

I used to go in for after school to stuff my face with shite but it wasnt until my auld man told me who he was that I knew he was a Rangers legend. I would have been 12 but once I knew who he was I became a bit starstuck. He was an old old man and him and his wife would be in this dingy wee old fashioned shop and here was I, starstruck!

I mustered up the courage one day to ask him if my Da was talking pish or no and he confirmed he was Eddie Rutherford of The Rangers. A year or so after, the shop shut down and became something else but I can still remember vividly the wee shop with a legend in it who always had a cheery word and a smile and the odd wee extra sweetie for a wee boy in awe of his achievements.

Eddie was a Legend, a gentleman and a tobbaconist.
Click to expand...

Ditto.
 
The Meik's Crombie said:
Another of my Dad’s favourite players in the great team of the late 40’s. Not doubting you Mo_Tx but the story my Dad told me about the Sammy Cox / Charlie Tully incident was that Tully hit Sammy Cox’s fist with his jaw. Either way, a good story with a Rangers victory and a Celtic break in too.

A very young TMC was introduced to Eddie Rutherford in his paper shop in Burnside many years ago by my star struck Dad.
Click to expand...

What I was told by my old man is that Tully had basically roasted Ian McColl in the first of the LC section ties at the cesspit, so whether Sammy Cox took it upon himself to make sure there would be no repeat I don't know.

Again my old man thought the world of 'The marvel fae Darvel'. Could play at left half or left back as comfortable at each position. Cox was also one of the only Scotland left backs who keep Stanley Matthews in check.
 
Tomted said:
Totally agree. Excellent post. I am old enough to have watched Eddie Rutherford play and remember his contribution. Perhaps MO or someone else can remind me that following Eddie Rutherford’s departure from Rangers, was there a winger called Willie McCulloch who played at the same time as Willie Waddell. Seem to remember going to the old Bayview ground at Methil, when East Fife had a really good team. Waddell and McCulloch were unstoppable on the wings with a player, Willie Gardiner, who was not a first team regular, scoring 3 or 4 goals, in a 7-1 victory.
Click to expand...

There was a few Willies and a Billy who all played vital parts in the team of that era, as you mentioned Willie McCulloch, Willie Rae, Willie Findlay, Billy Williamson as well as Willie Waddell, so that was a forward line of Williams at our disposal.
 
wee bud's pit boots said:
What I was told by my old man is that Tully had basically roasted Ian McColl in the first of the LC section ties at the cesspit, so whether Sammy Cox took it upon himself to make sure there would be no repeat I don't know.

Again my old man thought the world of 'The marvel fae Darvel'. Could play at left half or left back as comfortable at each position. Cox was also one of the only Scotland left backs who keep Stanley Matthews in check.
Click to expand...
My Dad used to say that Tully, on his game, was a very dangerous player but was a bit of a sand dancer, to use a phrase of his. He thought Bobby Evans was a good player and the rest were generally duds.
 
wee bud's pit boots said:
There was a few Willies and a Billy who all played vital parts in the team of that era, as you mentioned Willie McCulloch, Willie Rae, Willie Findlay, Billy Williamson as well as Willie Waddell, so that was a forward line of Williams at our disposal.
Click to expand...

Imagine what the radio commentary would have sounded like if they all play in same game.
:eek::D:eek::D
 
The Meik's Crombie said:
My Dad used to say that Tully, on his game, was a very dangerous player but was a bit of a sand dancer, to use a phrase of his. He thought Bobby Evans was a good player and the rest were generally duds.
Click to expand...

My old man told me the best three yahoos he had seen were Tully, Fernie and Johnstone. (Not that he liked them you understand)

I suppose it's a generation thing, my granda said the best yahoo he ever saw was Patsy Gallagher.

Me? I just hate the lot of them. As I said, it's a generation thing. ;-)

But I'm sure we can steer it back to our own heroes and sons.
 
MO_TxTruBlu said:
You have 72 years Following Rangers, that is wonderful.
Click to expand...
Ibrox sports every year from 1946 or ‘47 to start the season great day out and top Olympic athletes.Then going to games in the ‘50’s us kids were lifted over and sat on terracing edge. Right next to our idols, absolutely brilliant !
 
wee bud's pit boots said:
There was a few Willies and a Billy who all played vital parts in the team of that era, as you mentioned Willie McCulloch, Willie Rae, Willie Findlay, Billy Williamson as well as Willie Waddell, so that was a forward line of Williams at our disposal.
Click to expand...

wee bud's pit boots said:
And don't forget Willie Woodburn too.

Commentator - 'It looks like Rangers have six King Billys on the park today'
Click to expand...

Dinnae forget yer Da's favourite, Willie Thornton (and his back ups Willie Gardiner and Willie Paton) ;)
 
MO_TxTruBlu said:
Dinnae forget yer Da's favourite, Willie Thornton (and his back ups Willie Gardiner and Willie Paton) ;)
Click to expand...
MO_TxTruBlu said:
Dinnae forget yer Da's favourite, Willie Thornton (and his back ups Willie Gardiner and Willie Paton) ;)
Click to expand...

How could I forget my old man's favourite,Willie Thornton (the greatest header of the ball he ever saw) but it was bugging me without having to resort to looking at a book to know there was another Willie there I hadn't mentioned and that was Paton.

There was an article/scribble in the fanzine, which must be eight or so years old about unsung Willies as it were during that period who all had an important part to play and some who scored a couple of landmark goals as it were.

For instance without checking I think Willie McCulloch scored our first OF goal of the 1950s, And later on that year Willie (big banana) Findlay scored the fastest ever SC final goal, a record that I'm sure stands to this day.
 
Last edited:
e1c8602d86166adc5f25ef554d018ad3.jpg

Eddie Rutherford scores the equaliser against relegation bound Queen of the South,
from a corner in the 1950 Scottish Cup Semi Final.

The keeper who had kept Rangers at bay for the best part of an hour with several magnificent saves, allowed the ball to squirm through his hands from Rutherford's corner kick.

This kept Rangers on course for the League an Scottish Cup Double.
Rangers who had 8 games left to play in the month of April, would go on to win the replay 3-0, four days later.
Rangers would go on to win the Scottish Cup, defeating East Fife 3-0 in the Final.
One week later, a 0-0 draw with Hibernian, in front of 101,000 fans at Ibrox saw Rangers complete the Double.
 
Tomted said:
Totally agree. Excellent post. I am old enough to have watched Eddie Rutherford play and remember his contribution. Perhaps MO or someone else can remind me that following Eddie Rutherford’s departure from Rangers, was there a winger called Willie McCulloch who played at the same time as Willie Waddell. Seem to remember going to the old Bayview ground at Methil, when East Fife had a really good team. Waddell and McCulloch were unstoppable on the wings with a player, Willie Gardiner, who was not a first team regular, scoring 3 or 4 goals, in a 7-1 victory.
Click to expand...

I think I found the game you are talking about.
It was on Oct 2nd 1954, and the score was actually 7-2, for Rangers, who were 1-2 down at Half Time.
It was Scot Symon's first season in charge (1954-55), and it had not started well.
Willie Woodburn had been given sine die after our first League match of the season.
The East Fife game was only our third League game of the season, and we had failed to win our first two, drawing 1-1 at home to Hibs, and losing 0-2 away to Celtic.
The week prior to the East Fife game, we had gone out the League Cup to Motherwell (2-3 on agg.), and lost 0-2 to Partick Thistle in the Glasgow Cup Final at Hampden (Att. 45,800).
The team that day to face East Fife was.
Niven, Young and Little, McColl, Stanners and Rae, McCulloch, Paton, Gardiner, Grierson and Waddell.
East Fife scored and led twice in the first half, with Willie Gardiner scoring in between for Rangers.
In the second half, a George Young penalty, a minute after the break levelled the scoring, and Derek Grierson put Rangers in front in the 57th min.
Rangers would score 4 more goals in the last 15 mins through Willie McCulloch (76 mins) Willie Paton (77, 81), and Grierson again in the last minute.
Willie Waddell who played on the Left Wing that day, was Man of the Match.

The following Saturday Rangers beat Stirling Albion 6-1 with Willie Gardiner scoring 4 goals in a 15 minute period (66, 68, 75 and 81mins).
Despite scoring 20 Goals in 26 appearances in the previous 3 seasons, it was to be Gardiner's last season at the Club.
He moved to Leicester City at the start of the 55-56 season, where he scored an impressive 35 Goals in 35 Games, in his first season for Leicester.

That 54-55 season was also to be Willie McCulloch's last season at the club.
In his 6 seasons at the club, McCulloch made 75 appearances (scoring 17 goals).
 
rangers1948to49.jpg


Back row, left to right: Bill Struth (The Man), Williie Waddell, Ian McColl, George Young, Bobby Brown, Willie Woodburn, Willie Findlay, Willie Rae, Jimmy Duncanson and Jimmy Smith (trainer);
Front row, left to right: Eddie Rutherford, Torrance Gillick, Willie Thornton, Jock Shaw (captain), Billy Williamson, Sammy Cox, and Jimmy Caskie.
 
MO_TxTruBlu said:
rangers1948to49.jpg


Back row, left to right: Bill Struth (The Man), Williie Waddell, Ian McColl, George Young, Bobby Brown, Willie Woodburn, Willie Findlay, Willie Rae, Jimmy Duncanson and Jimmy Smith (trainer);
Front row, left to right: Eddie Rutherford, Torrance Gillick, Willie Thornton, Jock Shaw (captain), Billy Williamson, Sammy Cox, and Jimmy Caskie.
Click to expand...
Great picture Mo that was my first Rangers team.
 
MO_TxTruBlu said:
I think I found the game you are talking about.
It was on Oct 2nd 1954, and the score was actually 7-2, for Rangers, who were 1-2 down at Half Time.
It was Scot Symon's first season in charge (1954-55), and it had not started well.
Willie Woodburn had been given sine die after our first League match of the season.
The East Fife game was only our third League game of the season, and we had failed to win our first two, drawing 1-1 at home to Hibs, and losing 0-2 away to Celtic.
The week prior to the East Fife game, we had gone out the League Cup to Motherwell (2-3 on agg.), and lost 0-2 to Partick Thistle in the Glasgow Cup Final at Hampden (Att. 45,800).
The team that day to face East Fife was.
Niven, Young and Little, McColl, Stanners and Rae, McCulloch, Paton, Gardiner, Grierson and Waddell.
East Fife scored and led twice in the first half, with Willie Gardiner scoring in between for Rangers.
In the second half, a George Young penalty, a minute after the break levelled the scoring, and Derek Grierson put Rangers in front in the 57th min.
Rangers would score 4 more goals in the last 15 mins through Willie McCulloch (76 mins) Willie Paton (77, 81), and Grierson again in the last minute.
Willie Waddell who played on the Left Wing that day, was Man of the Match.

The following Saturday Rangers beat Stirling Albion 6-1 with Willie Gardiner scoring 4 goals in a 15 minute period (66, 68, 75 and 81mins).
Despite scoring 20 Goals in 26 appearances in the previous 3 seasons, it was to be Gardiner's last season at the Club.
He moved to Leicester City at the start of the 55-56 season, where he scored an impressive 35 Goals in 35 Games, in his first season for Leicester.

That 54-55 season was also to be Willie McCulloch's last season at the club.
In his 6 seasons at the club, McCulloch made 75 appearances (scoring 17 goals).
Click to expand...
Really appreciate your taking the time to trace back the game that I had in mind. Guess that when you reach the ancient stage in life, the memory can become a bit erratic and I got a few things wrong. I was 16, when I traveled through to Methil that day. Seem to think that it was on a supporters bus from the Anniesland area. The good times, supporting Rangers over all these years can only be described as both numerous and precious.
 
roscof said:
Eddies son David was my mate at Rutherglen Academy, across from his paper shop.
As applies to most past Rangers legends, absolute delightful man who had time for everyone.
His son was a super guy too.
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I worked offshore with Davie in the 80's. Good lad was Davie, he was the rig Electrician. I never knew at the time how good his dad actually was. Davie told me his old fella left for Hearts as they offered him more money, must have been late 50's.
 
To have played in three 4-0 victories over them is boys own stuff. What a great read, an unsung hero indeed, and a name that deserves recognition by today's Rangers devotees.
 
MO_TxTruBlu said:
rangers1948to49.jpg


Back row, left to right: Bill Struth (The Man), Williie Waddell, Ian McColl, George Young, Bobby Brown, Willie Woodburn, Willie Findlay, Willie Rae, Jimmy Duncanson and Jimmy Smith (trainer);
Front row, left to right: Eddie Rutherford, Torrance Gillick, Willie Thornton, Jock Shaw (captain), Billy Williamson, Sammy Cox, and Jimmy Caskie.
Click to expand...
I would love to see that photo in colour!
 
MO_TxTruBlu said:
e1c8602d86166adc5f25ef554d018ad3.jpg

Eddie Rutherford scores the equaliser against relegation bound Queen of the South,
from a corner in the 1950 Scottish Cup Semi Final.

The keeper who had kept Rangers at bay for the best part of an hour with several magnificent saves, allowed the ball to squirm through his hands from Rutherford's corner kick.

This kept Rangers on course for the League an Scottish Cup Double.
Rangers who had 8 games left to play in the month of April, would go on to win the replay 3-0, four days later.
Rangers would go on to win the Scottish Cup, defeating East Fife 3-0 in the Final.
One week later, a 0-0 draw with Hibernian, in front of 101,000 fans at Ibrox saw Rangers complete the Double.
Click to expand...
Rangers wearing a red jersey with a blue and white band across the chest, am I right?
 
Rangerista said:
Rangers wearing a red jersey with a blue and white band across the chest, am I right?
Click to expand...

Sir Sasa Papac said:
I’m curious about this too. I don’t know we ever had a stripe across our home top. Would love to see it in colour

It’s not here anyway.
http://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Scottish_Football_League/Rangers/Rangers.htm
Click to expand...

I have been told it was a Blue shirt with a white hoop, and a dark red hoop directly above and below the white hoop.

Our official away top for that season was as Rangerista said,
a Red shirt with a white hoop, and a Blue hoop directly above and below the white.

rangers_1949-1950-cup-change-a.gif
 
MO_TxTruBlu said:
Born in Govan, Glasgow on Feb 8th 1921, Edward Rutherford, a product of Govan High School began his playing career with Battlefield Amateurs before moving into juvenile Football with local amateur side Mossvale YMCA.
He was signed by Bill Struth on Professional Forms in 1941.
It would be 5 more years before Eddie would make his Rangers debut, as he spent those years serving his country, mostly in England with the RAF.

Eddie Rutherford began his Rangers career shortly after the end of Second World War in 1946.
He made his debut on Oct 19th in the inaugural year of the League Cup, in a Qualifying tie v Queens Park at Ibrox, as an outside right in place of Willie Waddell, who was playing for Scotland against Wales that same day (along with Willie Thornton).
He would make 6 further appearances that season, all as a right winger.
One week before the League Cup final, with Waddell out injured, Rutherford was given another start in a League match v Clyde at Ibrox.
Rangers won 5-0 to clinch the Championship, with back up centre forward Billy Williamson scoring four goals and Rutherford scoring one himself.
A week later Rutherford proved to be an excellent replacement for Waddell as Rangers hammered Aberdeen 4-0 in the first ever Scottish League Cup Final.
Even though this game was played on April 5th, the atrocious weather conditions were such that of the 134,000 tickets that were sold for this game, more than 50,000 failed to turn up.
The actual attendance at the final was 82,684.
Two weeks earlier, more than 125,000 had turned up to see Rangers defeat Hibernian 3-1 in the semi final.
So after only 7 appearances in his first season, Eddie Rutherford had played in a League Championship Title winning game, and collected his first winners medal in the League Cup Final.

The following season 47-48, with Waddell being restricted to only 12 League appearances due to injury,
Rutherford got 27 starts in the three major competitions (22 of them at outside right, 5 at outside left).
He also played (and scored one) in the 4-1 win over Third Lanark in the Glasgow Cup Final
An inspired performance by the right winger against Celtic on Jan 2nd saw Rangers triumph 4-0 at Parkhead.
Three home defeats saw Rangers concede the League title to Hibernian by 2 points.
In the Scottish Cup Rangers went marching on, beating Hibernian 1-0 in the semi-final,
before a crowd of 143,570 ( a British record attendance between two clubs, outwith a Final, that still stands today)
In the Final itself 131,975 paid to watch Rangers and Morton finish level at 1-1 after extra time.
The replay four days later saw a record crowd for a midweek match as 129,176 turned up to witness another grueling extra time encounter.
A reporter wrote
'There were just over 4 mins to play in a hard fought Final when Cox drove a long low pass over to the left touchline, Rutherford, far out of his beat, collected the pass and crossed with his left foot, Williamson, rushing in at full tilt, met the ball with his forehead and the ball was in the net before the Morton keeper could move.
The Rangers team that collected the Scottish Cup that day
Brown, Young, Shaw, McColl, Woodburn, Cox, Rutherford, Thornton, Williamson, Duncanson and Gillick.

Rutherford collected an additional two winners medals at Hampden that season in both the
Glasgow Cup 4-1 v Third Lanark (47,000) and the
Glasgow Merchants' Charity Cup 2-0 v Celtic (69,000).
He also won his only Scotland cap two weeks after defeating Celtic in the Charity Cup.
.
1948-49 was the year of the Triple Crown, when Rangers brought home
The League Championship, The Scottish Cup and The League Cup.
Rutherford played in all but three of Rangers league games that season,
in fact he played in 35 of the 44 games that led to that Glorious Treble.
Though he started the season again at outside right, by the time New Year arrived he was already building a formidable partnership on the left wing with Jimmy Duncanson at inside left.
This was best displayed in the Ne'er day derby when Rangers beat Celtic 4-0 at Ibrox, with a hat trick from Duncanson and one from Thornton.
By the time both Cup Finals came around in March and April,
Eddie Rutherford was very much now the established outside left for The Rangers.

1949-50 saw Rangers win the Double of League Championship and Scottish Cup.
Rutherford played in 35 of the 44 games that season collecting another 2 winners medals.
Add to that 3 appearances in the Glasgow Cup, beating Celtic 2-1 in the Semi, and Clyde 2-1 in the Final (replay).
Rangers went out of the League Cup at the Semi Final 1-2 to East Fife(managed by Scot Symon).
In the previous round Rangers had shockingly lost 2-3 at home to Cowdenbeath in the first leg of the quarter final.
This was the first time Rangers had suffered defeat by a team from a lower Division.
In the return leg before a record crowd, Cowdenbeath actually took a 4-2 aggregate lead from the penalty spot, a local mining hero slotting home for the underdogs,
Rangers bombarded their goal, and it took until the 50th minute for Rangers to get on the scoresheet when Sammy Cox who had been moved forward to inside left for this game, scored with a snap shot from the edge of the penalty area.

Here is a report of the latter part of the match from a Cowdenbeath fan
'The ball came to Frank Armstrong at the Rangers end. The crowd and his colleagues urged him to kick it over the stand but Armstrong with the innocence of youth tried once again to go round George Young. This time the Scottish captain wins the ball and advances towards the Cowdenbeath half. There are 13 seconds left to play. Young punts the ball skywards towards the Cowden goal, the crowd falls silent. The ball seems suspended in the air, in time almost, and then Eddie Rutherford of Rangers barges Holland aside and rises to head the ball past the despairing Moodie. It is the equaliser, the referee blows for time, strong men weep. Rangers fans in ecstasy. Cowdenbeath, 13 seconds from glory now face extra-time.'

In the 102nd minute, Sammy Cox beats two men on the left and crashes home a drive - the winner for Rangers.

Though it is rarely mentioned,
here was a entire generation of Rangers fans spared the trauma and humiliation that a generation later had to endure following Berwick, by virtue of that Eddie Rutherford goal at Cowdenbeath 13 seconds from time.

Three days later, Rutherford scores the opener after only six minutes in an easy 4-0 league win against Celtic.
This game was boycotted by Celtic fans and had 30,000 plus fewer fans (64,000) than their League Cup qualifying match four weeks earlier which had attracted 95,000 to Ibrox, as Rangers won that one 2-0, amidst disgraceful scenes of massive infighting, bottle throwing, injuries and several arrests from the Celtic end, sparked by an alleged boot to the belly, by Cox on Tully, that went unpunished, by the referee.
Following that game, Celtic (Robert Kelly) demanded an SFA enquiry into this incident, and demanded that referees in future Old Firm clashes should not be Scottish!
The Committee voted 25-5 to censure both Tully and Cox and further stated that Tully had simulated any slight injury he may have received.
(this was the third time that Rutherford had played in a 4-0 win v Celtic, the other two coming in the previous two Ne'erday fixtures in 48' and 49').

Rutherford would score another late goal against Cowdenbeath that season in the Scottish Cup,
only this time it was nowhere near as significant, as his team mates had scored seven times previously as Rangers beat them 8-0.
In the Semi Final, he scored the equaliser against Queen of the South, forcing a replay that Rangers won comfortably.
In the Final itself, Rangers gained some revenge on East Fife with a 3-0 win.
A goal from Findlay after 30 secs, and two in two minutes midway through the second half from Thornton, both laid on by Rutherford.

The following season (1950-51) was a disappointing one for Rangers as they failed to qualify from the League Cup section, finished runners up in the League to Hibernian, and were knocked out of the Scottish Cup by them, at Ibrox in front of 102,342 fans.
Rutherford made 24 appearances for Rangers that season in the three majors, and also played in 2 Glasgow Cup games, the pre season friendly against Danish Champions Akademisk Boldklub, scoring the winner in a 2-1 win at Ibrox (50,000), and rounded the season off in a 2-0 win v Celtic at Hampden in the Glasgow Merchants' Charity Cup first round tie, which was still attracting a crowd of 70,000.

1951-52
By the time October came around Rangers had played only 3 league games, though they were well into their season, having reached the League Cup Semi Finals.
This was to be Rutherford's final month at Ibrox.
His last five appearances were,
a 1-1 draw with League leaders East Fife,
the League Cup Semi Final against Celtic on the 13th, that saw Rangers run out convincing winners by 3-0.
Four days later and a trip to London, to mark the opening of the Floodlights at Highbury, saw Rangers take on Arsenal.
A 2-0 home win v Hearts the following Saturday at Ibrox.
His final appearance for Rangers came on Oct 27th in the League Cup Final.
Despite leading 1-0 at half time, Rangers lost 2-3 to a last minute Alf Boyd goal for Dundee.

Less than two weeks later on Nov 9th 1951, Rangers surprisingly swapped Eddie Rutherford for Hearts Colin Liddell.

In the five years that Eddie Rutherford was a player at Ibrox he made 155 appearances, and scored 34 goals.
He won
2 League Championships
3 Scottish Cups
2 League Cups
Click to expand...

Brilliant that brings back glorius memories, as i watched Eddie playing.Im now feeling my age.
 
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