Football League Cup Third Round Replay
Team: Parkes, Clement, Gillard, Leach, McLintock, Webb, Thomas, Francis, Masson, Bowles, Givens
Sub: Hollins
Attendance: 31,583
After knocking out Shrewsbury Town on 9th September 1975, Rangers then drew 1-1 with Charlton Athletic in the third round at Loftus Road.
The replay then took place on Tuesday 14th October, and the following report appeared in the local Gazette & Post two days later:
‘It’s a pity the TV cameras were not at Charlton’s spacious Valley ground to record Dave Thomas’s spectacular opening goal for Rangers on Tuesday night, writes Richard Baker.
The Rangers winger would be a leading contender for any “goal of the season” prize you care to mention.
Picking the ball up just inside the Charlton half, Thomas seemed to be setting off on another of those jinking runs that had been leading QPR up blind alleys all evening.
Instead, he checked, picked his spot, and crashed the ball past an astonished Graham Tutt from fully 30 yards.
This was an important goal for Rangers in more ways than one. Not only did it put them 1-0 up in this League Cup replay, it also knocked much of the fight out of a Charlton side who had pluckily run themselves ragged trying to prove that last week’s 1-1 draw at Loftus Road was no fluke.
In fact, the first-half followed a similar patten to last week’s match, with Charlton making most of the running.
They were kept at bay mainly by Rangers’ slick offside trap which caught Mike Flanagan and Derek Hales out time after time.
Nethertheless, they kept pushing forward, and Rangers often had to pull everybody back, apart from Stan Bowles.
Rangers, however, rarely allowed their opponents a clear goalscoring opportunity and were content to soak up the pressure and mount an occasional counter-attack.
It was Rangers who were closest to scoring in the first-half, when Bowles chipped a free kick over the Charlton wall and Gerry Francis ran in but was unable to control the ball.
The Second Division club maintained the initiative after the interval but were unable to break down QPR’s well-disciplined rearguard.
Then came Thomas’s goal and it was suddenly all too easy for the West Londoners.
Rangers’ second goal came from a Dave Clement cross to the far-post, where Don Givens was waiting to knock the ball to the unmarked Don Masson, who had the easiest of tasks in tapping in from just two yards.
There were seconds remaining when Bowles made it 3-0, nonchalantly beating two defenders and side-footing the ball home under Tutt’s diving body.’
Elsewhere, Dave Sexton was quoted as saying: “I was very impressed with Charlton, who would have been very difficult to beat if they had the inspiration of a goal.”
Rangers were then given a home tie against Newcastle United in the fourth round.
Steve Russell