Monday, January 20, 2014

20 January 1934 - With Numbers Like That, Records Were Bound To Fall

On 20 January 1934, Rangers' Jimmy Fleming scored a club-record 9 goals in a club-record win over Blairgowrie.

The victory came in the Scottish Cup. Seven-time cup champions Rangers had last won the trophy in 1932, but were eliminated by Kilmarnock in 1933 as rivals Celtic went on to win the final. So, in the 1933-34 season, Rangers were looking to recapture the cup, starting with a first-round match against Blairgowrie at Ibrox.

The thirty-year old Fleming, playing in his ninth season for Rangers, wasted little time in setting the tone for the day, scoring in the first minute. He went on to add goals in the 10th, 30th, and 44th minutes as the hosts had 5 by the break (Willie Nicholson got the other goal in the 6th minute).

In the second half, Fleming scored five more times (57', 60', 62', 88', 89'), setting the club record for most goals scored by a player in a single match. Rangers also got strikes from Alex Venters (56', 80') and James Marshall (59', 66') to end the day with a 14-2 win that matched the club's record for most goals in a single game, set in September 1883 against Whitehill, also 14-2.

The result sent Rangers into the competition on a high note and they proceeded to win the cup, beating Saint Mirren in the final, 5-0.

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