31st Oct 1981 Rangers 0 Partick Thistle 2 (SFL Premier Division - game 10)

matches:1981-82: ← 20game 2122 →

Match Information

			John Greig		Peter Cormack			35y, 3m, 14d
					John Murray
					Dave MacKinnon
					George Clark (1-0, 29 mins); Maurice Johnston (2-0, 58 mins)
Willie Johnston (Derek Johnstone, 55 mins); Colin Jackson (Ian Redford, 2nd half)					George Clark (Tony Higgins); Maurice Johnston (John Lapsley)
			future Jag Jim Stewart		Alan Rough			29y, 11m, 6d
			Sandy Jardine		John Murray			21y, 11m, 1d
			Ally Dawson		Brian Whittaker			25y, 1m, 8d
			Tom Forsyth		Andy Anderson			28y, 2m, 24d
			future Jag Colin Jackson		Andy Dunlop			23y, 10m, 20d
			Jim Bett		Kenny Watson			25y, 9m, 26d
			Davie Cooper		Donald Park			28y, 3m, 12d
			Bobby Russell		Ian McDonald			22y, 10m, 5d
			former Jag Colin McAdam		Maurice Johnston			18y, 6m, 18d
			John MacDonald		Jamie Doyle			20y, 0m, 30d
			Willie Johnston		George Clark			23y, 3m, 16d
								24y, 4m, 10d
			Ian Redford		John Lapsley			29y, 11m, 7d
			future Jag Derek Johnstone		Tony Higgins			27y, 4m, 28d

Match Report

TTA report

Goals from Clark when the Rangers keeper dropped a Park free-kick at his feet (29) and Johnston when a low free-kick was deflected off his ankles (58) gave rapidly improving Thistle their 10th competitive win over Rangers at Ibrox in 134 attempts. Rangers pressed after that but made no impression. Thoroughly deserved. Up to 8th.

Scrapbook

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Match Programme, 31st October, 1981

Get a flick through the fully scanned programme; click on the external link to read and enjoy… flickr

Evening Times, 31st October, 1981

Ireland's Saturday Night, 31st October, 1981

Sunday Post, 1st November, 1981

Sunday Post, 1st November, 1981

Sunday Mail, 1st November, 1981

The Scotsman, 2nd November, 1981

Glasgow Herald, 2nd November, 1981

Gallery

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• The race is on at Ibrox as Rangers left winger Willie Johnston and Thistle right back John Murray aim for possession. (ET)

• Heading duel at Ibrox as Thistle left winger George Clark challenges Rangers centre half Colin Jackson for a high ball. (ET)

• Former Ger Kenny Watson tackles former Jag Colin McAdam. Tony Higgins looks on. (TRA)

• Agony and ecstasy; Tom Forsyth of Rangers looks on in disbelief as George Clark celebrates Thistle's first goal. (SM)

Video Highlights

Option 1: both goals

(credit: BBC Scotland )

Option 2: opening goal extended

(credits: Gary Clark / BBC Scotland )

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Who put the ball in the Rangers net?

Maurice featured at #15 in our Top 25 countdown here on The Thistle Archive →

MAURICE JOHNSTON

31.10.1981 Rangers [a] W2-0 (SFL Premier Division - game 10)
George Clark (1-0, 27 mins); Maurice Johnston (2-0, 58 mins)

League wins at Ibrox don’t come around too often for Thistle – there have been a measly six of them in our history – so our 2-0 win there on Saturday, 31st October, 1981, was certainly one to savour.

Thistle had started the season poorly, with 5 straight League defeats and a sloppy Glasgow Cup exit at the hands of Queen’s Park, but, went into this game on a run of 4 without defeat in the League. If George Clark's first-half strike had us dreaming, Mo Johnston's second-half counter made it a reality.

Former-Ger Kenny Watson pulled a foul from future-Jag Colin Jackson and, from 25-yards, Brian Whittaker drove a strange free-kick hard-and-low into the middle of the penalty box. The most alert player in the throng was 18-year-old Maurice who did well to use the pace, re-directing the ball into the corner of the goal, leaving Jim Stewart helpless. Sportscene’s Archie McPherson was even slower than the Rangers defence that day and called it “a deflection”. Rangers boss John Greig was more in touch with reality: “Thistle deserved their win”.

Building doubts about manager Peter Cormack were suddenly cast aside, and there was no real sense of the miserable season that lay ahead. Alas, Thistle won only 6 of the 36 League games all season, and were duly relegated to the second tier. Unbelievably, however, Maurice and Thistle went on to repeat the Ibrox story again in a February League match at Firhill, again winning 2-0, again with a goal in each half, again with a second half goal from Super Mo. Yes, of Thistle’s 6 League wins this term, 2 came against Rangers; it’s the Thistle way. We had great joy against the Govan side at this time, with 6 competitive wins in 3 seasons.

Looking back, the featured October goal was an important one for Maurice; after scoring on his debut he had played 7 without finding the net, and to contribute to a win at Ibrox must have been a huge confidence-booster. In just a little over the 2 years which followed, he would add another 62 goals to his tally!

This young man was hot property. Even in 1983, Watford’s £200K was a steal.

Stats Watch

ongoing sequences:

● 24 consecutive competitive appearances for Jamie Doyle, 1st Apr 1981 to date. (Longest run since: Kenny Watson - 44 games, 9th Aug 1980 to 11th Apr 1981. Club-record: Johnny Jackson - 313 games, 28th Aug 1926 to 25th Mar 1933.)

Stats Watch adheres to our stated definitions of League, League Max, Major Competitive, Competitive or All Games. Where there is no written qualification, you should presume that the Stat in question is compiled from the All Games criteria.

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