Football League Division Three
Team: Smith, Taylor, Ingham, Malcolm, Williams, Keen, McClelland, Bedford, Leary, Lazarus, Barber
Scorers: Lazarus 2, Bedford 2, Malcolm
Attendance: 10,618
On Saturday, 23rd March 1963, Rangers travelled to Vicarage Road. Starting for the Hornets was former R’s keeper, Dave Underwood. Jimmy Guthrie later filed the following match report:
‘Queen’s Park Rangers chief Alec Stock had a hunch before his club’s game at Watford – and with the co-operation of two-goal Mark Lazarus it paid off.
Stock decided to switch wing-halves Mike Keen and Andy Malcolm, and inside-forwards Mark Lazarus and Brian Bedford.
Lazarus, playing his first game at inside-left this season, was Rangers’ outstanding player, scoring three goals and making another as his side romped to their away win in five games.
Even so, my verdict is that neither side is yet ready for promotion. Both lacked a general tactician, and the defences were too easily flustered under pressure.
True, Rangers were the superior team and are still outsiders in the chase for the Second Division, but they were flattered by the victory margin.
For Watford, it was their biggest home defeat of the season. They found Rangers tighter in defence and more mobile in attack.
Only two minutes had gone when Watford’s inside-left Gerry Ward did a clever balancing trick with the ball to hit home on the volley.
But the lead was short-lived. Lazarus equalised after eight minutes from Tony Ingham’s lobbed pass as Watford tried to play the offside trap.
Then, left-back Ken Nicholas fisted out a Lazarus shot which was a certain goal, and Lazarus rammed home the penalty.
Still there was little to choose between the teams, and Ward’s equaliser was a fair reflection of play.
But for 15 minutes in the second-half, Watford were without Sammy Chung and they became disorganised.
Although they had plenty of the play, they never looked capable of outwitting Rangers’ competent wing-halves.
With 18-year-old Brian Taylor making a promising debut at right-back, Rangers now played better than at any other time I have seen them this season.
Lazarus laid on a perfect cross for Brian Bedford to head home the best goal of the match.
Watford lacked guile at inside-forward, and their play was lopsided in comparison with Rangers, whose wingers, John McClelland and Mike Barber, always threatened.
Perhaps a Lazarus in the Watford line might have worked wonders, but the change of formation after Chung’s injury upset the whole formation,’
And in the programme notes the following week, ‘Ranger’ wrote:
‘Have you noticed anything different about the past week? You haven’t? Well. Whatever happened to all those chaps who have been keen to pull your leg about Rangers lately?
That great 5-2 win at Watford certainly made everyone at the club feel that the breaks are starting to come our way at last. And about time too.
There were whispers that the Watford fans were not very pleased with their team’s performance. That is as may be.
In all modesty (!) we say it takes a very good team to win at Vicarage Road. Certainly, the locals were only able to play as well as we allowed them to.’
Rangers went on to beat Bristol City 3-1 at the White City the following week.
Steve Russell