On March 8th 1947, dreams of a Rangers “treble” were dashed when Hibs won a Scottish Cup replay at Easter Road by 2-0 thanks to goals by Willie Ormond and Jock Cuthbertson. It meant that Hibs had a record of 2 wins and 2 draws from the 4 matches played between the teams in season 1946/47, holding something of an Indian sign over the Ibrox men, even though Rangers were league leaders. The crowd was just under 49,000, an incredible number for the Easter Road ground, but that number would be dwarfed just a fortnight later as both clubs were paired together again in the League Cup semi-finals.
Hampden Park was the venue on March 22nd, and the clash between the country’s best teams attracted an astonishing crowd of 125,154. The massive attendance was perhaps no surprise, with the two teams having played in front of over 100,000 just 9 months earlier in the Victory Cup final at the national stadium, and the first Scottish Cup drawn match a few weeks earlier had attracted 95,000 to Ibrox.
This was seen by many as the final before the final, whoever came out on top would be huge favourites to take home the trophy for the first time. The Rangers side that lined up at Hampden saw some significant changes from the team who lost at Easter Road. Willie Rae replaced veteran Charlie Watkins at left half, while Willie Waddell and Billy Williamson came into the forward line with Jimmy Parlane and Jimmy Caskie dropping out. The full Rangers starting eleven was as follows:
Bobby Brown, George Young, Jock Shaw; Ian McColl, Willie Woodburn, Willie Rae; Willie Waddell, Torry Gillick, Billy Williamson, Willie Thornton, Jimmy Duncanson.
The massive crowd expected a classic, and they weren’t disappointed as both teams went all out for goals. It was Rangers who won the battle, a magnificent first half display seeing them score three times though a Gillick header in 17 minutes, another header from the deadly Willie Thornton and a brilliant angled shot from Willie Waddell. Although Hibs managed a reply from Cuthbertson, the Easter Road men had to admit defeat to the better team on the day, as Rangers finally got the better of their Edinburgh rivals. The match was a particular triumph for Rangers captain Jock Shaw, whose magnificent positional play and sharp tackling had rendered the Hibs danger man Gordon Smith totally ineffective. This was particularly important in the second half, as Rangers had to play for virtually the entire second period with ten fit players after Waddell pulled a muscle and was no more than a spectator. The 3-1 final score matched the scoreline from the Victory Cup the previous June.
It was a sad day for Edinburgh, as Hearts crashed 6-2 to Aberdeen in the other semi-final, meaning the first ever Scottish League Cup final would be contested between Rangers and Aberdeen.
Waddell's injury meant he missed the final a few weeks later, when Rangers won the first-ever League Cup competition when goals by Torry Gillick, Billy Williamson and Jimmy Duncanson (2) gave them a thumping 4-0 win over The Dons. Waddell would never win a League Cup badge, also missing the final two years later when Rangers beat Raith Rovers 2-0 on the road to securing the first treble in Scottish football history.
Rangers and Hibs would meet in front of 3 more 100,000+ crowds during their great post-war rivalry. The largest of all these attendances came in the Scottish Cup semi-final the following year, when 143,570 packed into Hampden to see a Willie Thornton goal separate the teams and earn Rangers a place in the final against Morton.
The other two 6-figure attendances were at Ibrox. In April 1950, a crowd of 101,209 crammed into the stadium to see the teams play out a 0-0 draw that took Rangers to within a point of the title. Then, in February 1951, Ibrox hosted 102,342 when Hibs knocked holders Rangers out of the Scottish Cup with a 2-1 win. There have only been 4 recorded crowds of more than 100,000 at Ibrox, it's perhaps surprising to some that half of them were against Hibs.
Hampden Park was the venue on March 22nd, and the clash between the country’s best teams attracted an astonishing crowd of 125,154. The massive attendance was perhaps no surprise, with the two teams having played in front of over 100,000 just 9 months earlier in the Victory Cup final at the national stadium, and the first Scottish Cup drawn match a few weeks earlier had attracted 95,000 to Ibrox.
This was seen by many as the final before the final, whoever came out on top would be huge favourites to take home the trophy for the first time. The Rangers side that lined up at Hampden saw some significant changes from the team who lost at Easter Road. Willie Rae replaced veteran Charlie Watkins at left half, while Willie Waddell and Billy Williamson came into the forward line with Jimmy Parlane and Jimmy Caskie dropping out. The full Rangers starting eleven was as follows:
Bobby Brown, George Young, Jock Shaw; Ian McColl, Willie Woodburn, Willie Rae; Willie Waddell, Torry Gillick, Billy Williamson, Willie Thornton, Jimmy Duncanson.
The massive crowd expected a classic, and they weren’t disappointed as both teams went all out for goals. It was Rangers who won the battle, a magnificent first half display seeing them score three times though a Gillick header in 17 minutes, another header from the deadly Willie Thornton and a brilliant angled shot from Willie Waddell. Although Hibs managed a reply from Cuthbertson, the Easter Road men had to admit defeat to the better team on the day, as Rangers finally got the better of their Edinburgh rivals. The match was a particular triumph for Rangers captain Jock Shaw, whose magnificent positional play and sharp tackling had rendered the Hibs danger man Gordon Smith totally ineffective. This was particularly important in the second half, as Rangers had to play for virtually the entire second period with ten fit players after Waddell pulled a muscle and was no more than a spectator. The 3-1 final score matched the scoreline from the Victory Cup the previous June.
It was a sad day for Edinburgh, as Hearts crashed 6-2 to Aberdeen in the other semi-final, meaning the first ever Scottish League Cup final would be contested between Rangers and Aberdeen.
Waddell's injury meant he missed the final a few weeks later, when Rangers won the first-ever League Cup competition when goals by Torry Gillick, Billy Williamson and Jimmy Duncanson (2) gave them a thumping 4-0 win over The Dons. Waddell would never win a League Cup badge, also missing the final two years later when Rangers beat Raith Rovers 2-0 on the road to securing the first treble in Scottish football history.
Rangers and Hibs would meet in front of 3 more 100,000+ crowds during their great post-war rivalry. The largest of all these attendances came in the Scottish Cup semi-final the following year, when 143,570 packed into Hampden to see a Willie Thornton goal separate the teams and earn Rangers a place in the final against Morton.
The other two 6-figure attendances were at Ibrox. In April 1950, a crowd of 101,209 crammed into the stadium to see the teams play out a 0-0 draw that took Rangers to within a point of the title. Then, in February 1951, Ibrox hosted 102,342 when Hibs knocked holders Rangers out of the Scottish Cup with a 2-1 win. There have only been 4 recorded crowds of more than 100,000 at Ibrox, it's perhaps surprising to some that half of them were against Hibs.
