1879 Scottish Cup final

Just before the match started, there was drama as the wooden pavilion was so overburdened with spectators that it collapsed, burying several boys, with one severely hurt.

Rangers kicked off with the advantage of a "stiffish breeze" behind, and had all the early pressure, twice skimming the bar in the early exchanges. The Vale's first chance came after about ten minutes, ending with a wide shot, and Rangers took the ball from the goal kick up the field "with scarcely a break", ending with Struthers scoring after "a short but brilliant piece of dribbling". Struthers claimed a second goal after he nodded home a Dunlop lob which Parlane had mishandled, but he was ruled offside.

With the wind against Rangers in the second half, McDougall pulled one of the forwards out of the front line to strengthen the backs. Vale only really started to perform to its capabilities in the last 20 minutes, also having a "goal" disallowed as a McIntyre free-kick from 20 yards out was sent between the posts without anyone touching the ball (as required under the laws then), and J. C. Baird struck the Light Blues' bar soon afterwards, but Rangers tended to have most of the possession - albeit ruining chances to score by relying on long shots rather than working the ball closer. Rangers paid the penalty with three minutes remaining as Vale, playing "with something akin to desperation", equalized; McDougall extricated the ball from a scrimmage a few yards from goal, passed to Ferguson, who dribbled past Drinnan, and sent a low shot just inside the left-hand post.[5][6]

19 April 1879

15:00

Vale of Leven	1–1	Rangers
Ferguson 87'	Report	Struthers 12'

Hampden Park, Crosshill

Attendance: 6,000

Referee: J. Wallace (Beith)

Before leaving the pitch in the original game, Rangers lodged a protest in respect of Struthers' disallowed goal.[7] The Scottish FA Committee considered the protest on 21 April, and ruled that, "as the point was one connected with the play", it was a matter for the officials, and it could not therefore interfere. The Scottish FA therefore arranged the replay for 26 April, with provision for an extra half-an-hour if necessary.[8]

The Vale duly turned up at Hampden, but found no opponent present,[9] as Rangers had asked - unsuccessfully - to have the appeal heard by the full association, rather than simply the committee.[10] The referee and umpires declared Vale had duly won the Cup.[11]

As the Scottish FA's annual meeting was to take place on the following Tuesday, Rangers raised the matter afresh. Thoams Vallance, representing Rangers as club captain, claimed that the umpires had misidentified Struthers for another player who had not played the ball, and James Watt of Rangers questioned apparent bias from the officials, who had warned the Vale when time was approaching, as well as an assumption that the replay would not take place as Queen's Park had arranged a match with Glasgow University at the same time. The meeting chairman, Colquhoun of Lennox, who was one of the umpires,[12] had to scotch rumours that he had money on the game, and that, unlike a Vale protest the previous year, the Rangers protest was on fact, not the laws of the game.[13]

The repercussions rumbled on, with a call for a public subscription to give Rangers a trophy,[14] or for the Vale to relinquish its title voluntarily and play afresh.[15] However the Vale had its name engraved on the trophy within a week.[16]

Rangers however did not have to wait long for revenge and a genuine cup of its own - the two clubs met in the final of the Glasgow Charity Cup on 20 May 1879, again at Hampden, and, although McDougall headed the Vale into the lead after just two minutes, Rangers fought back with goals from Struthers and a controversial goal awarded after Parlane mishandled a Struthers shot against the post, and the umpires ruled it had gone behind the line before being smuggled out of goal; the decision saw the Vale players "excitedly gathered around the umpires after the decision was given, and seemed anxious to make them reconsider". In the final minute, Parlane, who had advanced upfield, was charged by a considerably ligher Rangers forward, and Parlane took enough exception to this to kick his prostrate opponent, causing a brief pitch invasion. Despite the brouhaha, the teams dined together that evening at the Athole Arms hotel.[17][18]

Perhaps inevitably, the Vale protested against the second goal, and the protest was dismissed.[19] In effect honour was satisfied; Rangers had proved its point by beating the Vale for the first time, both teams had a trophy, and the Scottish FA had proved its neutrality by deciding both protests on the same grounds.