FA Cup 4th Round
Team: Kelly, Clement, Gillard, Watson, Mobley, Hazell, Bridges, Venables, Clarke, Marsh, Ferguson
Sub: Leach
Attendance: 30,262
After beating South Shields 4-1 at Loftus Road in the 3rd Round, the R’s then travelled to the Valley on 24thJanuary 1970 to take on Charlton. Denis Compton later filed the following match report:
‘This London derby Cup tie was a magnificent thriller. It had all the ingredients needed to provide terrific entertainment.
Queen’s Park Rangers won this tremendous battle because of the irresistible magic of Rodney Marsh.
Charlton’s defence had no answer to his genius. His reward? Two splendid goals and the manufacture of the winner.
Charlton went off like a bomb and practically swept Rangers off their feet. The powerful Graham Moore was playing some glorious stuff in midfield and laying on marvelous openings.
At this stage the Rangers defence was nervous and hesitant. Alarming gaps were opened, and Charlton took a well-deserved lead after 10 minutes.
A corner taken on the right by Mike Kenning was brilliantly headed home by Gordon Riddick. Rangers’ centre-half Vic Mobley was nowhere to be seen.
This expensive buy from Sheffield Wednesday had a wretched game and was responsible for Charlton’s second goal after 21 minutes.
With all the time in the world to clear, he kicked weakly to Riddick and his fierce cross was headed home by Harry Gregory. At this point Rangers were hardly in the game, but Marsh brought about a remarkable transformation.
After Clarke had missed an easy chance, Marsh fastened onto a ball from a corner and crashed a fine shot into the roof of the net.
The equaliser came after 31 minutes. And what a gem it was. Mike Ferguson slipped a through ball to Bridges, who pushed it for the oncoming Marsh to fire a superb shot into the corner of the net.
The second-half was a furious battle for supremacy. First Charlton had the edge, with Kenning a dashing winger and Moore a majestic architect.
The winner came after 81 minutes. Marsh picked up a loose ball, surged forward and as goalkeeper Tony Burns advanced, Marsh, with arrogant composure, squared the ball beautifully for Frank Clarke to shoot into an empty net.
It was a wonderful fightback by the West London side, but they were a little fortunate to find Charlton’s brilliant wing-half Alan Campbell in an unusually subdues mood.’
Rangers then drew Derby County in the next round.
Steve Russell