QPR Team: Howes, McLarney, Wassell, McGargill, Taylor, Edwards, Thompson, Fletcher, Brewis, Handford, Bevan(probable line-up?)
Chelsea Team: Harmer, Wolff, Miller, Harris, Whiting, Craigie, Toomer, Caswell, O’Hara, Robertson, Donaghy
Rangers travelled to Stamford Bridge on 11th November 1905 for a South Eastern League encounter.
Headlined: “The Reserves Are Still Unbeaten” – the following match report later appeared in the Kilburn Times:
‘I do not know how many more times I shall be able to use this phrase, but on Saturday they regularly paralysed the Pensioners, as the men of Chelsea are called, by running up a score of 6-2 against them, and upon their own ground.
When their half-time score, 5-2, (must have been later in the game as Rangers were losing at half-time) was sent round at Park Royal a regular “roar” went up.
Surely there cannot be many better “reserves” in the country, and their successes should certainly ensure quite a respectable “gate” for their matches.
Chelsea historian, Rick Glanvill, passed on this amusing postscript which had appeared in the following Chelsea home match programme:
‘At our reserve match last week someone (probably some irresponsible youth) made himself a nuisance to players and spectators alike by blowing a whistle at intervals.
Will he and any intending imitators kindly prepare themselves on a future occasion to be led gently but firmly by the ear to the exit gate?’
And from a different perspective the Chelsea News & General Advertiser also covered the match:
‘The reserves came an awful cropper at Stamford Bridge on Saturday when the second string of the Queen’s Park Rangers garnered two more South Eastern League points by scoring six goals to Chelsea’s two.
Our “boys” played really good football in the first-half, when they led by two goals to one, Harris and Robertson scoring.
The latter’s success was a typical effort, the ball being sent at a terrific pace in a direction which Howes, the Rangers’ custodian, vainly tried to follow.
The visitors re-started in very brisk style, and when Harmer “presented” them with their equalising goal their play became even more strenuous.
Wolf, who had previously been showing good form, received a nasty kick on the knee soon after the resumption, and it wasduring his absence that the Rangers added two additional points.
The Rangers’ right-wing provided Tommy Miller with many opportunities of showing his defensive qualities, and his many duels with Murphy – a last year’s Irish international – were quite a feature of the game.
Our “juniors” will do better when they are strengthened in the half-back line. On Saturday’s showing Whiting should be given an opportunity of acquiring more experience with a side whose engagements are purely junior. His present methods are too effeminate.
Toomer, the St. John’s College player, did well at outside-right, but he will do better when the inside position is allocated to a player of higher merit than Caswell. Harmer in goal is not yet a Sutcliffe.’
Rangers’ scorers were: Edwards, Bevan, Brewis 2, Fletcher 2.
This result left Rangers in fourth place. Woolwich Arsenal were top, followed by Brighton and Tottenham Hotspur respectively.
Steve Russell
(Thanks to Rick Glanvill, Peter Wollaston & Colin Woodley for their assistance)