My thirteenth birthday was on the horizon and it was time to make a decision regarding my main present from my parents. There was little hesitation on my part when I opted for a day trip to Ashford Town with all expenses paid, to see Rangers take on the Kent non-league minnows in the FA Cup 2nd Round tie. My Father was not exactly overwhelmed with my choice:”You mean to tell me that I have got to take you all the way down there to see that load of rubbish when I could be watching quality top division football over at Craven Cottage instead ! Why can’t you make do with a Hornby Train Set, a Meccano or Scalectrix like most normal boys of your age ?” No not me ! Even in those days I was never a machine person, ‘Up The R’s’ and to hell with all that toy gadgetry and technology.
So on the bright crisp morning of Saturday 25th November 1961, a slightly reluctant father with a very keen son in tow, set off for Charing Cross to board the football special to Ashford. There was no doubt amongst our fellow Tube passengers who I supported. My blue and white bobble hat and scarf festooned with QPR FC insignia said it all.
When the football special pulled into Ashford Station just before 1pm, the mass hordes of Rangers fans spilled out on to the platform and headed their separate ways to the town centre and the Essella Park Stadium, most I suspected via various pubs enroute. My Dad suggested we eat lunch at a nearby ‘Greasy Spoon ‘and I agreed provided that ‘Giant Killing Stew’ and ‘Cup Surprise’ were not on the menu.
The game itself was not all ticket although a 5,000 crowd was expected. We arrived at the ground early in order to get a decent view, even paying an extra one shilling and thruppence to sit on a wooden bench just a few feet from the touchline. What a surreal experience that proved to be. I was so close to the play I thought I was playing at outside right ! Following the removal of blue and white balloons from the centre circle together with a rather rotund R’s supporter wearing a top hat in the club’s colours, the game got underway. The locals roared on their team and Ashford in their green and white strip, put Rangers under extreme pressure. We were being given the runaround. The old legs of veteran full backs Tony Ingham and Roy Bentley could not cope and twice the woodwork came to the rescue of our keeper Ray Drinkwater. What was going on ? This was not in the script ! Roll on half time.
The 2nd half was a different story though. At last the R’s got to grips with the opposition. In the end, goals from Bernard Evans, John Collins and John McClellend, with the help of two errors by the Ashford keeper Les Haydon, saw us home as 3-0 winners. It was however a flattering scoreline and on our exit a disgruntled Ashford supporter commented that we would not get any further and damn it, he was right ! In the next round we were drawn away to the eventual finalists and Football League runners-up Burnley and were thrashed 6-1. It was also going to be sad news for my Father a few more months down the line because Burney defeated Fulham 2-1 in a FA Cup semi-final replay. Hmmm thirteen candles on my cake…unlucky for some maybe.
Bernard Lambert (Kerrins)
Bernard kindly sent me a copy of the programme and inside it states that: ‘Today’s game is being covered by the local and national Press and the BBC will be broadcasting a few candid comments about the game during ‘Sports Session’ at 6.15pm on the Home Service this evening.’ There was also a nice tribute to Alec Stock: ‘They are managed by Alec Stock, a good type of Manager who has the golden touch and knows how to get the best out of any player. A psychologist type, a man who has been very astute in his transfer dealings whilst at the Orient and the Rangers, yet at heart a very human man.’
For the record our team that day was: Drinkwater, Bentley, Ingham, Keen, Rutter, Angell, McClellend, Bedford, Evans, Collins and Towers. The attendance was given as 5,000 and the scorers were Collins, McClellend and Evans. Rangers drew at Barry Town in the 1st Round courtesy of an own goal but won the replay at Loftus Road 7-0. Brian Bedford got a hat trick with Collins and Evans scoring a couple each. As Bernard has mentioned, the R’s went down 6-1 at Turf Moor in the 3rd Round. There were 28,352 in attendance and Bernard Evans scored our goal.
Steve Russell
Brilliant Bernard, funny how all those names bring back memories, though I couldn’t say how good they were, other than Johnny Collins and Mike Keen of course.
Me,gotta be honest, I’d have took the Meccano set mate.
…and 38 years later it will be Burnley again.
No I have NOT asked my father aged 93 to treat me to this particular fixture as a belated 60th birthday present!! lol
but those QPR slippers..Hmm now there’s a thought.
Err…should be 48 years later!
Good article Bernard.
Out of that team I only ever saw Mike Keen play, and that was a few years later.
John ‘Whacka’ Collins.
Could be wrong, but I think Tommy Collins is a cousin of his.
Steve Zico.
I am certain John Collins and Tommy Collins are in fact related….Cousin or Brother?
Yes,definitely Cousin.
I think John Collins is now connected with Reading.
Thanks for making me feel old again young Kerrins! And…for reminding me of my trip to Burnley for the 6-1 game! I suppose we did at least see an away goal!
Colin.
If you attend the forthcoming 2009 encounter against Burnley at least this time you wont have to walk all the way home from Willesden at midnight….and have a gang of us waking you up early the following day for a kick about over at Ravenscourt Park lol
It was difficult enough to get my Dad to take me to Ashford..there was no chance of a trip to Burnley.
You had a Father who was an R’s supporter…My Father and Grandfather were both Fulham followers…I guess that saved me from witnessing the 6-1 thrashing up at Turf Moor.
“I guess that saved me from witnessing the 6-1 thrashing up at Turf Moor. ”
Didn’t we count that as a win in those days Bernie!?
Was that our last away goal!?
A very Lowry like day of greyness and fog but a great day out nevertheless.Could have done without the walking!
I too saw that game, I was 14 and taken to Ashford by my dad. Thank you for rekindling some memories. I also remember getting up at 4am to go on the Supporters Club coach to the Burnley game. We did quite well in the first half, I think we were 1-0 down. Long trip back on the coach; however, all the supporters were in good spirits.
Hello Ray. Thank you for your response.
Those were the days when the FA Cup meant something to everyone!!
Yes we did quite well in the first half against Burnley one of the top teams in the Football league at the time. I recall being at home watching Grandstand and informed that the HT score was only 1-0..was this an own goal by Tony Ingham?
I have never been back to Ashford…..I bet the place has changed a bit since then!
Kind Regards
Bernard Lambert
Its coming up to the 50th anniversary! Tempus fugits!
Now then let me see. What shall I have for my 63rd Birthday…Shall I go for Hornby train set this year?..we dont have an FA Cup fixture on the 25th of November this season.
Bernard Lambert
One thing’s for sure Bernard, you will be back in the Bush mate. I’ve just had a quick look at the records and I see that the next match on your birthday was a 0-1 defeat at Huddersfield in 1967 !!! I remember going up there on the Supporters Club coach, bit about the game, scuffle in the car park and the other thing was that Bonnie & Clyde had just come out and at the time there was a brief fashion trend with wearing some of the inspired gear !
Steve
I was at that Huddersfield match. One of the supporters club coaches broke down near the ground and Daphne Biggs insisted that her coached picked them up and crammed them in so that that could get to the game. (health and Safety my ar*e lol)..Blimey were we on the same coach and didnt know it. We had many chances to equalise near the end and although playing in an all white strip it was not Leeds or Real Madrid finishing!
The other thing that sticks out in my mind was that grotty cafe near the ground with the jukebox continually playing Miles and Miles by the Who.
by the way for the record the date of my actual birth is 12th November..as soon as the cup draw was made just prior to that date the Cup outing to Ashford was the present I really wanted.