Team: Stejskal, Bardsley, Wilson, Wilkins, Peacock, McDonald, Impey, Holloway, Bailey, Penrise (Thompson), Sinton
Sub Not Used: Maddix
Attendance: 8,443
On 23rd September 1992, QPR defeated Grimsby Town 2-1 at Loftus Road in the 2nd round of the Coca-Cola Cup. Les Ferdinand scored both the Rangers goals.
Two weeks later the R’s travelled to Blundell Park for the 2ndleg. The match kicked-off ten minutes late and Keith Farnsworth wrote the following match report:
‘Brave Grimsby, struggling at the wrong end of Division One, bowed out of the League Cup at Blundell Park last night, defeated in a penalty shoot-out after giving Premier League pacemakers Queen’s Park Rangers a tremendous fright in a pulsating second-round duel.
Trailing 1-2 from the first leg, Grimsby led through an Andy Sinton own-goal early in the second-half, were pulled back by Dennis Bailey’s 68th minute equaliser but deservedly took the tie into extra time when Neil Woods – who gave an outstanding display – headed in after 81 minutes.
Indeed, the game might not have gone into extra time had Woods not had a shot cleared off the line by Alan McDonald and then been inches wide of the far post, both his efforts coming moments before the end of the first 90 minutes.
Moreover, the tie would not have gone to a shoot-out had Woods (twice) and Gary Childs not been denied by fine saves from Jan Stejskal, and Jim Dobbin not narrowly missed.
In the penalty shoot-out, fortunes fluctuated dramatically as Neil Woods missed Grimsby’s second kick, Clive Wilson failed with QPR’s third; but when it went to sudden death, Jan Stejskal saved from Tony Rees and Alan McDonald sealed victory for QPR with their seventh spot-kick.
Wilson should have put QPR in front after 55 minutes following Penrice’s ball into the box, but he steered his shot wide of the far post. That miss had looked costly within a minute when Grimsby went ahead with Sinton’s own goal.
Sinton, under pressure from Watson, tried to push the ball back to his goalkeeper at the near post, and turned it past Stejskal.
However, 11 minutes later after Rhys Wilmot had made a terrific save to deny Sinton, the resulting corner saw Sinton’s ball to the near post flicked on by Penrice and Bailey equalised for Rangers from close range.
Woods regained the lead for Grimsby nine minutes from the end of normal time when he headed in Gilbert’s chipped cross from the left.’
Gerry Francis said after the game: “Penalty shoot-outs are unfair on the player who misses. Over the two matches they’ve caused us more problems than any Premier League team so far and I can’t believe that they’re struggling in the First Division.”
“They made a lot of chances and both keepers had to make fantastic saves. I’m just relieved to get it over with.”
Ray Wilkins, Andy Sinton, Ian Holloway, David Bardsley, Dennis Bailey all scored and after Macca had hit the winner, Alan Barnes recalls asking someone standing next to him for the time and was told that it was twenty to eleven!
Rangers were drawn away to Bury in the next round.
Steve Russell