The FA Youth Cup Run Of 1963-64

With the FA Youth Cup tie at Loftus Road coming up next week against Bristol City, some R’s fans may not know that QPR reached the semi-final for the first time in 1964. There was a convincing 4-2 away win at Southend in Round One with Ian Morgan and Mick Leach grabbing a couple of goals each. Rangers were then drawn away again in the next Round and forced a replay with Watford after drawing 2-2. Leach and Vafiadis were the scorers. Then a lone goal from Ian Morgan was enough to put the R’s through. A hard fought goaless draw against Tottenham led to a superb away win after extra time with Mick Leach netting a brace. Next up were Norwich City at Loftus Road in Round Four and the R’s managed a 2-0 victory with two goals from Frank Sibley. This was followed by a 2-1 win at Luton in Round Five with goals from Ian Morgan and George Jacks.

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Unfortunately, Rangers didn’t go all the way and were knocked out by Swindon Town in the semi-finals after losing the first leg 2-0 at Loftus Road and then 4-1 in the return. Colin Parker was the scorer of our goal. 17 year old Peter Springett had played in all five games for England in the ‘Little World Cup’ in Holland before flying back for the first leg. Another emerging star was Don Rogers who had also played for England and he scored one of Swindon’s goals at Loftus Road and made the other one. The crowd was given as just under 5,000. The team lined up as follows: Springett, Gale, Nash, Blake, Hunt, Hazell, Sibley, Jacks, Leach, Vafiadis and Ian Morgan. Surprisingly, the second leg was played the same night as the First Team’s match against Reading?

However, Rangers did win the South East Counties League on Cup Final day with a victory over Chelsea. Their record reads: played 30, won 23, 6 were drawn and just one defeat. 106 goals were scored and 30 conceded. Chelsea finished 4 points behind on 48 points. The 1964-65 Handbook lists the leading scorers in league and cup that season as: Leach 29, Ian Morgan 26, Vafiadis 26 and Roger Morgan notched up 17 goals. The league also included the likes of Arsenal, Tottenham, West Ham, Fulham and Portsmouth.

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Derek Healy was the Youth Team Manager and he wrote: “Every effort is made to make the boys realise that they have not merely joined a professional football club but they have also become members of a happy team. Team spirit and a belief in the club is most essential. That is half the battle towards making a good footballer.”

As a reward for such a successful season, the Club Directors approached the FA who nominated the Rangers Youth Team to enter the Martini Tournament in Geneva. The Handbook also mentions that the Tournament winners were Torino of Italy who beat Caroupe from the host country and goes on to say: ‘The Swiss keeper saved Tony Hazell’s penalty thus denying a place in the final.

The FA Youth Cup started in 1952-53 and Rangers did well to reach Round Five. Manchester United actually won it for the first five seasons. Good luck to the team next Wednesday and turn out if you can to support them. Kick-off is 7pm and tickets are now available at £5.00 and £2.00 for concessions.

Steve Russell

10 thoughts on “The FA Youth Cup Run Of 1963-64

  1. “However, Rangers did win the South East Counties League on Cup Final day with a victory over Chelsea”
    As mentioned in my Growing up in the Bush articles watching this was a real labour of love on a Cup Final day!The team produced many players who became first team regulars over the next few seasons.
    Must have been the greatest percentage of players to have come from an Rs Junior side to have appeared in the First Team in Rangers history. No doubt Steve and Kerrins will correct me!

  2. Great article
    What a youth squad: Springett, Hunt, Hazell, Sibley, Leach, Ian Morgan and Roger Morgan. Amazing.
    And puts QPR youth development over the last number of years to shame.

  3. Steve..wonderful article.

    We had a truly great youth team in that season…which was more than could be said for the first team back then!!

    I was at that Swindon game(one of the very few QPR youth matches I attended) and shame on me for not going more often.

    The mystery to me is that the best player George Jacks never really came through…and had to have his football career and first team football started at Millwall.

  4. I’m looking to find as much info on QPR youth team betwwen 1997 – 2000. I played for QPR between these times – I would also appreciate if you could put me in touch with ex players who were part of the same team – would be nice to speak to them again etc.

    Photos//programes would be nice as I have a 2 year old son who I can sho them to.

  5. i’m looking to find John Newall who used to play for QPR during 97 – 2000, if theres anyone who knows him i’d love to get in touch. Thanks

  6. I am interested in hearing from my fellow teamates for QPR youth team 1957/58 and 1958/59.I played centre half with John Delaney in goal,Bruce Butler Jim Potter, Tony Nimmo,Johnny Collins,Clive Clarke,Ron Hudson.Clive went on to play for the first team and so did Johnny Collins.We started under Jack Taylor as Manager but he was replaced by Alec Stock.
    The South East Counties League that year was a special year in that Chelsea had nearly all their later famous players like Bonnetti/Venables/Tambling/Harris/Bridges etc etc.West Ham had Bobby Moore.We gave as good as we could against Chelsea on about 4 occasions during that season but never beat them.Alec Farmer was on the admin side and he had a habit of making us go out and do more laps if we were talking after training.His view was that we should have given our all and not be able to chat after.
    Les Lock used to train with us .He was a known 400 metre runner for Scotland and would just lope along saying come on Ray catch up.One training night we were running up and down the terraces following Les and he accidently led us off the edge of the terrace down to the under terrace area.Nobody was hurt which was a miracle.We ended up in a pile .A real hoot.
    On tuesday’s the Show Biz team used to train with us which was great fun.Celebrities like Tommy Steel/Billy Wright/Mike and Bernie Winters/Dave King/Ronnie Carrol/and the Dallas Boys/Des O’connor(he doesn’t look any older)Chas Mcdevitt and many more.
    Jack Taylor asked me to turn Pro but at the end of the season he got the sack and quite frankly I had no real respect for Alec Stock so I declined.Sometimes I wonder what life would have been like.I came back to QPR after a year and played in the 3rd team in the seanglian league.I went on playing Amateur footbal for Southall and Maidenhead United in the Athenian league for 12 years or so.
    I still have fond memories for QPR and wonder how my old teamates have got on.Anyone there.??

    • try Abbeymoor golf club, green lane, addlestone surrey, he’s a director of activity enterprises ltd who run the golf course.Many a story told of his old days with QPR and Pompey !

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