'Was it wise to play such an attractive fixture on Christmas Day?'

RANGERS embarked on their toughest stretch of championship matches by stealing two points at Easter Road with only 15 seconds left of a game in which they were outplayed for lengthy spells.

Just before the end their captain, John Greig, took a throw-in beside Rangers' dugout and learned that there were only a few minutes to go. At that stage, Rangers were ready to pat themselves on the back for salvaging one point, let alone two.

At that point they had goalkeeper Peter McCloy to thank for being all square and then, out of the blue, Colin Stein headed the only goal from a corner by Tommy McLean on the left, and there was Jim Herriot, the Hibs goalkeeper, appealing in vain that he had been fouled by Willie Johnston. His gentlemanly protest continued as he walked off at the finish beside the referee, B Padden, of Ardrossan.

Hibs will feel robbed, particularly after their first half display when the cultured Alex Edwards, superbly backed by Willie McEwan, supplied the cue for skill and Rangers had to introduce robust methods to prevent a total eclipse.

Alex MacDonald was booked; Greig, Stein and Johnston were frequently penalised. Edwards became involved and less composed though still a major threat to the Ibrox men.

MacDonald could have been ordered off since he rushed at McEwan in a pre-interval squabble when the Hibs half-back was booked for retaliation.

The justice in this case matched the final scoreline.

However, Hibs manager Eddie Turnbull was quick to point out that goals are needed to win games and that his team had failed where Rangers had succeeded.

He wasn't too unhappy, though, for he had seen his team demonstrate that, in terms of quality football, they were miles ahead.

Significantly, McCloy was the outstanding Rangers player. He saved certain goals from Edwards, Arthur Duncan and Jimmy O'Rourke and must have been very relieved to look on as Alex Cropley missed the chance of the game by shooting high.

Dave Smith showed dignity in defence and high crosses posed no problem for the busy Rangers defence. But, apart from a brief burst after half time and, of course, their late strike, the forwards were unable to make an impression.

With Jim Black unfit, Hibs moved Pat Stanton to centre-half and missed his drive in midfield. He could have been the man to end the deadlock earlier with one of his 25-yarders.

For Rangers, the points came as a Christmas surprise and Hibs should be consoled that they will not always be so short of a little luck. They'll play a lot less fluently and win.

There were 26,000 at Easter Road and it could be asked whether it was wise to play such an attractive fixture on Christmas Day.Family commitments almost certainly cut at least 10,000 off the potential ''gate''.

At Parkhead, too, there ought to have been 10,000-15,000 more than the 35,000 attendance.

It was significant that when Hearts scored their second goal there was hardly a cheer.

Some market research by the Scottish League could provide them with better information on when to play such key games..

A brave effort by Hearts

Celtic 3, Hearts 2

CELTIC and Hearts provided a memorable Christmas game at Parkhead but on looking back, one wonders if the Edinburgh side did not make the more generous contribution by trying bravely to match the champions at their own game.

For Celtic it was business as usual, with the accent on attack and a first-minute goal by Harry Hood. For Hearts, playing without two key men - Jim Townsend and Alan Anderson - there must have been the temptation to close it up when the score was levelled by Derek Renton. By refusing to consider this negative device Hearts lost, but kept the 35,000 crowd roaring until the final whistle.

Even a remarkable goal by Jimmy Johnstone and another for Dixie Deans did not damp this determination to ''have a go'' and it was Celtic who were defending after Jim Brown had made the score 3-2.

Both teams can tell a hard luck story. Three times Celtic struck woodwork. Twice Denis Connaghan made acrobatic saves when Tommy Murray seemed certain to score. In a magnificent game neither goalkeeper had time to relax.

After a first half which provided a classic contrast between Celtic's sweeping raids, with two overlapping backs repeatedly in the van and Hearts mounting their counter-attacks with polish and precision, Johnstone came into his own with a sample of his finest footballing ability.

His contribution alone was worth the admission money, but the man of a great match had to be good to feed off the other challengers for the title, like Harry Hood, Murray or Brown.

Before driving home to a belated Christmas dinner on Tayside, Hearts manager, Bobby Seith, commented: ''A disappointing result for us, but what a great game it was.''