DOUBLE DUTCH
Rangers v Ajax
ANDY CAPPED
A SPOT OF BOTHER
Rangers could have been forgiven
for seeing double during their 1978
European Cup tie with Dutch side
PSV Eindhoven. The Netherlands'
champions included identical twins
Rene and Willy van de Kerkhof in
their line-up!
When they defeated PSV 3-2 in
the away leg, Gers became the
first visiting team to win a
European match in Eindhoven's
Philips Stadium.
www.rangers.co.uk
With football starting up again in the
middle of the cricket season, it's
impossible nowadays for players to
reach the top in both sports.
However two famous former Rangers
excelled at the bat-and-ball game.
Nine-in-a-row goalie Andy Goram and
former Gers player and manager Scot
Symon were both double
internationalists at football and cricket.
In 1989 Andy, then with Hibs, hit
four runs in a cricket international
against Australia.
It was a Dutchman who instigated
one of the most confusing events
in Rangers' history.
After the Gers' 1971 European
Cup Winners' Cup tie against
Sporting Lisbon had ended 6-6 on
aggregate, Dutch referee Laurens
van Ravens ordered that penalties
be taken to decide the winner.
Gers missed four of their kicks in
the Jose Alvalade Stadium and
understandably thought they had
crashed out of the tournament.
However several Scottish
newspapermen were adamant
that a mistake had been made
and informed Light Blues
manager Willie Waddell that
newly-introduced regulations
meant that Willie Henderson's
extra-time goal should have
counted 'double' in terms of the
'away goals' rule.
Ibrox supremo Waddell wasted no
time in cornering the UEFA
delegate and, after a tense private
meeting, the official confirmed
that Gers would take their rightful
place in the quarter-finals!
