Football League Division Two
Team: Woods, Shanks, Gillard, McCreery, Hazell, Wicks, Roeder, Goddard, Allen, Currie, Burke
Sub: Harkouk
Attendance: 15,054
On 22nd March 1980, Luton Town were the visitors to Loftus Road. Peter Gorman later filed the following match report:
‘An angry Tommy Docherty waded into his team and skipper Glenn Roeder in particular, after Rangers had tossed away a two-goal lead in a bizarre promotion battle.
Roeder, a £250,000 buy from Orient two years ago, was substituted by the Doc after 55 minutes “because he wasn’t competing at all”.
Roeder left Loftus Road grim-faced and fuming. When told what Docherty had said, his only reply was: “The manager is entitled to his opinion. I’m not expressing mine.”
Docherty, seething at dropping a vital promotion point at this stage of the season, went straight to the Rangers’ dressing room at the end.
“I told my players that some of them are not good enough. I had to tell them straight.”
Roeder, who was replaced by Rashid Harkouk, was at Rangers when Docherty arrived from Derby, but he switched him from the back-four to midfield, and later, made him captain of the Shepherd’s Bush club.
Yesterday, Rangers looked red hot favourites to nail Luton after Paul Goddard rushed them into a two-goal lead after 31 minutes, but they fell away disastrously in the second-half.
Their surrender started when Paul Price sent a shot against the bar and then goalkeeper Chris Woods sloppily allowed a Brien Stein effort to go through his hands and strike a post.
On both counts, Goddard was put through by winger Steve Burke. The first came after only two minutes, with Burke’s first-time cross finding Goddard, who whipped the ball coolly into the net in one movement.
After 31 minutes, Goddard pounced again for his 16th goal of the season after top scorer Clive Allen had failed to connect with Burke’s centre.
Luton manager David Pleat said before the game that it was time his team showed grit. They did – and deserved their two goals.
The first came in the 73rd minute when Stein headed Bob Hatton’s centre wide of Woods and then Ricky Hill struck the equaliser with only ten minutes left.
Docherty justifiably blamed his defence for the shambles. On the Luton fightback, the Doc said: “If we go up and play like this, we’ll score 100 goals and have 98 against us.”
Pleat praised his team: “We came through very well. After the early goal against us, we had to be bold, and that meant we had to attack.”
And the last word went to the Doc: “Luton were a better footballing side. They were better even when we were two up.”
“In fact, Luton are the best footballing side in the Second Division. They thoroughly deserved the point.”
In the match programme, the Bush Telegraph reported that: ‘Congratulations to Rangers’ Youth Team on attaining the final of the Southern Junior Floodlit Cup.
This is to be played against Aston Villa in two legs, the first of which will be staged at Villa Park on Monday 31st March 1980 (kick-off 7.30pm).’
Rangers lost 0-3 at Shrewsbury the following week.
Steve Russell