After winning the pulsating top of the table clash with Man City the week before, I skipped the trip to Loftus Road, and so missed my 2nd game of the season, but Forest continued their top of the table form with a win at Queen's Park Rangers to remain first division leaders.
Loftus Road - I missed out this time but would go later in the season
A Relatively Short QPR History
QPR turned professional in 1898, when they changed their name from St Jude's. They used to mainly play in the Southern League and won it three times before being admitted into the league in 1920 when the league was extended to three divisions. So, Forest's higher status than Rangers had been uncontested for the first 18 years of their existence. Since joining the league, QPR had only finished above Forest 8 seasons in two spells, from 1948 to 1951 and again for the 5 seasons since Forest's relegation from the first division in 1972. They went up the season after we went down.
QPR team the season after their last Southern League Championship
In contrast, Forest had finished above them 43 times whilst both teams were in the league. Our most dominant season over them was 1964-65 when we finished 5th in the First Division whilst QPR languished in 14th place in Division Three - that's 58 league places higher. But QPR were about to undergo a transformation after that and started climbing the league, winning promotion two years running (and getting relegated again) before going back to the top flight in 1973-74. Their best season over us (28 places) was also their best ever, in 1975-76, when QPR finished runners-up in the league and we ended up a respectable 8th in the Second Division - our first full season under Cloughie.
QPR, latecomers to the top tier
League Cup Winners at Wembley 1967
The most glorious season for QPR was undoubtedly 1966-67 when they won the third division championship and the League Cup double.
To get to Wembley and win the third biggest domestic trophy, still as a third division side, was a massive achievement, even in those days, before the League Cup started to be taken more seriously. They beat West Bromwich Albion, of the First Division, 3-2 in the final.
To be fair, they had a relatively easy passage through to the final apart from beating first division Leicester City 4-2 at home in the 4th Round (Last 16).
Their final record in the league was very impressive too, finishing 12 points above 2nd place Middlesbrough - in the days of two points for a win. This was also before the days of goal-difference, which had only been introduced a couple of years before this match. QPR's goal average (as it was calculated before) was their best ever in 1966-67, at 2.71 goals for per goal against. Rodney Marsh scored 44 goals that season!
Rodney Marsh - gets one of his 44 in 1966-67
Rodney!!
QPR - Third Division Champions 1966-67
Runners-Up 1975-1976
Queen's Park Rangers undoubtedly had their best side just a couple of season before this match. In fact, manager Dave Sexton very nearly steered a quality squad to winning the title. They started well, beating eventual champions Liverpool at home, 2-0, dropping a point at home to Aston Villa and then thrashing the previous season's champions, Derby County, 5-1 at the Baseball Ground.
They took over from previous leaders Manchester United at the top of the league at the end of September and alternated with them for a while before a dip in form around Christmas left them 5th at the end of January.
QPR then went on an amazing run, winning 11 out of their next 12 games. On March 6th, having beat Coventry City 4-1 at Loftus Road (in front of a paltry 19,731 it has to be noted), QPR went back to the top where they stayed until the second Easter game. QPR fatefully lost 3-2 at Norwich whilst Liverpool beat Stoke 5-3 at Anfield to regain the lead. Liverpool got a tough away win at Man City whilst QPR beat Arsenal to set up the grand finale of the season.
QPR beat Leeds five days later in their last match whilst Liverpool had to wait 15 days before their last match against Wolves (who also needed to win to have a chance of staying up so there was no question of them rolling over). The delay was due to the small matter of the UEFA Cup final. Liverpool beat FC Bruges in the first leg at Anfield 3-2 (after being 0-2 down.) So, at Molineaux Liverpool, we are told, only needed a point to win the league - even though, looking at the final table that doesn't make sense - a draw would surely have put them on 59 points along with QPR with an inferior goal difference. In the end it wouldn't matter - Liverpool went a goal down early on and only equalised with 15 minutes to go - so their 3-1 win sealed the title for Liverpool and relegation for Wolves. 15 days later, Liverpool added the UEFA Cup to their trophy haul drawing 1-1 in Bruge to win the two legged final 4-3 on aggregate.
QPR's best season - missing out on the league by one point to Liverpool in 1976
The team was surely their best ever. Phil Parkes, an ever present in goal. A back four of Dave Clement, Dave Webb (ex Chelsea), Frank McLintock (ex Arsenal) and Ian Gillard. The midfield comprised Gerry Francis, the ever present Don Masson (surely the best player to come from Notts County for decades) in the middle with the speedy Dave Thomas, from my home town Kirkby-in-Ashfield, darting down the wings without shin pads. John Hollins (also ex-Chelsea) shored up the midfield and Irish international, Don Givens, was their top scorer but Stan Bowles was probably the biggest star of the team.
The best QPR team ever
Gerry Francis
No shin pads for Dave Thomas. Never rolled around like a five-year-old when he got tackled either
David Needham - ex Notts County
Don Masson - ex Notts County Legend
Stan Bowles - Legend
I loved the Old Classic QPR Chequered Programme Cover
The three years around this achievement, were also QPR's best Three-Year Period in their history.
1973-76 QPR's Best Three-Year Stint in the Football League
The Teams
Much of the QPR side was the same as their 1975-76 side, with the notable replacement of the centerbacks with David Needham and Don Shanks. Dave Thomas had moved onto Everton. Gerry Francis was injured.
Archie Gemmill replaced John McGovern who was out with a thigh strain. It was only Archie's second start but he wouldn't miss another all season.
Queens Park Rangers
1 Phil Parkes, 2 David Clement, 3 Ian Gillard, 4 John Hollins, 5 David Needham, 6 Don Shanks, 7 Peter Eastoe, 8 Martin Busby, 9 Don Masson, 10 Stan Bowles, 11 Don Givens.
Substitutions: Brian Williams (12) came on for Don Givens(11).
Nottingham Forest
1 Peter Shilton, 2 Viv Anderson, 3 Colin Barrett, 4 Archie Gemill, 5 Larry Lloyd (captain), 6 Kenny Burns, 7 Martin O'Neill, 8 Ian Bowyer, 9 Peter Withe, 10 Tony Woodcock, 11 John Robertson.
Goals : Kenny Burns 1, Ian Bowyer 1.
Attendance 24,248
The Game
This was only the 11th time the two clubs had met before in a competitive game. The first being a 4-0 F.A. Cup win to Forest in 1934. It was all square so far.
Forest arrived in London for the third time this season. Being top of the league, and facing a QPR side that had started badly (they were just one point and one place above the relegation zone) they must have fancied their chances of a win.
After a scrappy and bruising first half, with QPR coming close to scoring a number of times, they went in 0-0 at half time. Don Givens was injured in the first half and replaced by Brian Williams. On 59 minutes, John Robertson raced along the left and whipped in a low cross. Phil Parkes only succeeded in diverting the ball into the path of Ian Bowyer, who dispatched the ball to make it 1-0.
QPR fought back and came close a number of times. Don Masson creating a lot of chances. But on 82 minutes, Peter Withe was fouled and Kenny Burns curled a stunning free-kick past Parkes to win it 2-0.
Myself, I went to Mansfield that day to watch their second division match at home to Sunderland. Mansfield lost 1-2 in front of 12,276 to continue their slide down the table after a promising start to their only ever season in the second tier. After this, they were only four places above the relegation zone and it wouldn't get any better. They ended up relegated, six points away from safety. I'm not sure why I skipped QPR away. I can only imagine that I wanted to show some support to Mansfield in their best ever season and this was a game I decided to sacrifice. I didn't miss many that season. Out of Forest's 56 competitive games, I only missed six, home or away.
Other Matches That Day
With two points in the bag, Forest's position could only improve as their nearest rivals were playing each other in the Merseyside derby. As Liverpool and Everton fought out a 0-0 draw it meant Forest extended their lead to two points. West Brom thrashed Man Utd 4-0 to overtake Everton in 3rd place.
In the second division, Spurs beat Bristol Rovers 9-0 but remained 2nd behind early leaders Bolton Wanderers.
Two point lead at the top now
Next up for Forest was another break from the league and back to the cup - a local derby at home to Notts County.
40 years ago, the Brian Clough Stand was nearing completion and, despite not yet having a roof, people started sitting in the vast array of seats of its upper tier. It wasn't called "The Brian Clough Stand" then, of course. Someone, bizarrely, thought "The Executive Stand" was appropriate. It would seem a perverse name, even in today's billionaire infused world of football, never mind in those dark days at the end of the 1970s, as Britain was only just throwing off its last flirtation with socialism. Filling the seats was something we had never really questioned, as Clough and Taylor had brought so much success to Nottingham in the last two years. The City Ground had attracted several 40,000+ attendances during this era, so getting 32,000 or so once the City Ground capacity was reduced, would surely be no problem. However, Forest's league form seemed to suddenly become very fragile as the construction of the stand neared its completion. Most alarmingl
The 1977-78 season was sliding inexorably to the so-called "pointy-end" (meaning, I think, when things are decided). Forest, top of the first division by four points, after drawing 0-0 at Derby now turned their attention to a League Cup Quarter Final - the first time they'd ever got this far in the tournament. In their way stood third division Bury, who were looking for some cup glory themselves. They had already beaten 4th Division Crewe Alexandra, 3rd Division Oxford United, 2nd Division Millwall, and 1st Division West Bromwich Albion on their way to this quarter final. But, unlike Forest, they'd been here before. In fact if they won, Bury would get to the semi-finals of the League Cup for their second time. Could they do it, or would it be Forest's year? You know the answer but before describing my trip to the match let's pay respect to the long history of Bury F.C. and some of their great historical highlights. The North West is Football Mad
40 Years is a long long time. Here, touching back, brings us round again to find when Forest took a big step towards returning to returning to Wembley to defend the League Cup that they had won the season before (when they were victorious over the mighty, mighty Liverpool in a replay at Old Trafford) by eliminating a swarm of ascendant hornets. (That's Watford, to those not acquainted with their nickname.) In this post, I'll give a brief outline of Watford Football Club's bizarre chameleon-like (but, it has to be said, remarkably unsuccessful) history before doing a big catch up with what had happened in the world of football in the weeks between Forest beating Brighton in the quarter finals back at the start of December, and this game. The most famous Watford fan, of course, is Reg Dwight. Y'know... Elton John - so I'll do a bit on him as well, interweaving his career into my life via my dear sister who, as far as I was aware, discovered him, and some of his f
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