J. Smith.
The Cambuslang team were never famed for the brilliancy of their back play. It was what the forward division had done for that club in some of the most severe and uncertain of their matches that forced them to be looked upon in Scotland as one of the crack elevens. Mr. Smith was rather of the quiet and unassuming order of players, who thought much but said little, and did his work well. He was a fine kicker with either foot, and his tackling was severe, but honest and clean. With a good wind in his favour, few backs could equal him in a long kick, but he sometimes made mistakes near goal when he was hard pressed.
Mr. M'Farlane.
The best back in the Cambuslang eleven that season was undoubtedly Mr. M'Farlane. He reminded me very much of the style of Mr. A. H. Holm (Queen's Park), who captained the Scottish team against England at Sheffield in 1883. He had rare ability in close tackling; used to get the ball away by clever heading, and was the most plucky young fellow to go to the assistance of a half-back one could see anywhere. His only defect—and it was a very bad one—consisted in getting up to an opponent and trying to take the ball away from him in the rear. Sometimes it came off well, but at others his club had to pay the penalty with a free kick.
Mr. Russell.
In the present contest Mr. Russell was one of the three half-backs, and in no match during that season had a trio such terrible opponents to encounter as the two Campbells, M'Call, and M'Callum, who were perfect demons among the Renton forwards. Russell held out bravely for a time, but was eventually cornered, and, in the second half particularly, "lost his head," and allowed the Renton men to get up to Dunn too often. In some of the smaller matches of the club he played brilliantly, but did not really rise to the occasion in this memorable cup tie, and in most of the tackling came off second best.
John Gourlay.
It has often been said about Cambuslang that it was a club of three names! Those names, however, both individually and collectively, were fearless opponents to meet in any tussle, let alone a cup tie, and to the credit of Cambuslang be it said, no combination of players ever served a club so well, and had such pleasure in their hard work, as the Buchanans, Gourlays, and Smiths. They were more feared than admired by the members of the clubs twenty miles around, than the Elliots, and Armstrongs, or, shall I say, the Græmes, of the "debatable land" long ago. Both Mr. James and Mr. John Buchanan were famous players in their way, but the back was decidedly the best man, and was selected to play against Wales the same season.
A. Jackson.
Cambuslang's style of play, with their fast following up and jerky kicking, suited, or, I might say, favoured the old style of six forwards and only two half-backs, but they insisted on being in the fashion. The three half-backs, however, were only names to conjure with, but nothing in real practice, for Mr. Jackson was always made the kind of "flying man" of the team, and was nothing more or less than a forward. He always joined the latter division when they were attacking an opponent's goal, and retired well up among the backs when his club were pressed at the lines. In 1886 Mr. Jackson played against Wales, and was also included in the team against Ireland in 1888.