Team: Cunningham, Pollard, Pierce, Wiles (G), Armstrong, Yates, Coward, Burns, Goddard, Rounce, Howe
Attendance: 7,534
On 12th April 1930, QPR beat Swindon Town 8-3 at Loftus Road. This match report appeared in the West London Observer the following week:
‘Queen’s Park Rangers had a day out on Saturday at Loftus Road at the expense of Swindon Town, whom they beat 8-3.
The fact that the Rangers found their marksmanship so successful augurs well for a brilliant close of the season. Their victory gave them the fifth place in the table, one step higher than they finished last year.
Swindon were by no means a team weltering in the “fag end” of the season’s staleness, and but for the much superior finishing powers of the home team, the score could have been very nearly level. The score, which almost suggests the game to have been a walk over, was actually a well-thought tussle and interest was maintained to the finish, although the issue was never in doubt.
The opening quarter-of-an-hour produced some highly interesting football, with each side straining to get the useful advantage of an early lead.
Rangers were unlucky several times not to be successful in this, but it was Swindon who, at the end of 15 minutes, took the lead. Morris snapped up a long kick from the visitors’ half and ran through on his own to complete a fine piece of individual work with an excellent goal.
The visitors were not allowed to keep their lead for long and a fast attack by Rangers provided the equalising goal. Taking the ball very cleverly from J. C. Burns pass, Rounce went through to score from a few yards range.
A free kick against Swindon gave the home team the opportunity of going ahead. Securing within short range of goal, Coward had little difficulty in getting Rangers’ second.
A few minutes before the interval, Goddard put the Rangers further ahead. Swinging the ball out to Coward, he positioned well in front of goal, making the task of scoring a light one.
The result seemed by no means decisive after the second half progressed for a few minutes, and particularly when Penn reduced the lead with a penalty goal after Thom had been fouled. The referee was obviously in doubt and it was only after a consultation with the linesmen that he decided to award the penalty.
Feeling their lead slipping from them, the Rangers were spurred on to better efforts and their attack improved as the second half progressed.
Rounce, by a brilliant effort, got the ball well down the field before passing on to Goddard, who beat Nash for possession and kicked into the empty goal.
Rangers then came definitely on top and two excellent goals by Rounce followed in quick succession. Rangers then had the misfortune to lose Pollard, but the forwards were still busy and Goddard cleverly evaded Girvan to score his second.
Morris, however, reduced the home lead three minutes later only to see Goddard head the last goal of the match from Coward’s pass.
The match, although a good game, had the unusual result of having the highest aggregate for the number of goals scored by each side in all the divisions.’
The R’s went on to win four of their final five matches and finished the season in third place.
Steve Russell
(Jack Burns is pictured above and it comes from a 1929 edition of ‘All Sports Weekly’)
Good Pic of Jack Burns. I have not seen that before.
Third Place finish eh? Close but no cigar as they say.