Independent Rs Messageboard

[Steve Russell]

28th April 1965: QPR (2) – Tottenham Hotspur (2) – Rangers joint Winners of the
Southern Junior Floodlight Cup

Team: Brooks, Blake, Finch, Hazell, Moughton, Sibley, Morgan (I), Parker, Leach,
Adams, Morgan (R)
Attendance: 1,339

Rangers had started this 1964/65 cup campaign with a 4-0 home win over Reading,
followed by a 4-2 victory against Luton Town and reached the final after knocking
out Fulham. The young R’s were then set to face Tottenham Hotspur.

The two-leg final was scheduled to begin on 8th April at White Hart Lane but was
rained off. The second-leg was to be played at the White City on Wednesday 28th April.

Turnstiles were opened at the junction of Wood Lane and White City Road entrances.
The price of admission to the ground was three shillings and 1/6 for boys and old age
pensioners. Transfer to the centre stands – Blocks G & H cost two shillings:

‘After 120 minutes of gruelling football the young footballing talents of Rangers and Spurs
agreed to become joint winners of the Junior Floodlit Cup and so hold it for six months
each.

And what a fight these lads had put up. The tension in this action-packed game exploded
into near-hysteria nine minutes from time when Spurs snatched their equaliser.

Rangers, who had dominated the game for so long, were leading 2-1 when Spurs earned a
free kick outside the penalty area.

Left-back Tony Want took the kick, the ball glided in from the dark areas on the wing, with
Steve Pitt’s glancing header sending the ball swerving past Brooks. Spurs had earned themselves
a reprieve, and almost a victory.

The game started off in dismal weather conditions. A darkened sky and a steady downpour had
frightened off the anticipated 4,000 fans and only 1,339 trickled through the turnstiles to lose
Themselves in the vast stadium. The pitch was so waterlogged that the players were almost
paddling.

Rangers attacked first. A quick free kick gave Adams a chance but Spurs’ keeper Skeet came out
fast to save. Then Spurs came away and John Brooks did well to save a low drive from Pearce
following a corner-kick.

Both teams were a little subdued in the early stages, as Rangers, aided by the first-team experience
of the Morgan twins on the wings and half-backs Sibley and Hazell, were the first to overcome the
initial attack of nerves and soon settled down to play some good football.

Left-half Frank Sibley showed perfect understanding when his low pass was perfectly placed for
Roger Morgan to run on to and hit the ball across the Spurs area.

Then twin brother Ian Morgan hit a scorching shot from the right-wing and seconds later appeared
on the left to confuse the Tottenham defence.

It was all Rangers at this stage. Roger Morgan, after some tricky inter-passing with Colin Parker,
brought another fine save out of keeper Skeet, although his chances of scoring would have improved
greatly had he taken the ball closer before shooting.

Spurs threatened occasionally with the left-wing pair of Jordan and Mail, and Rangers’ goalkeeper
Brooks left his goal to make a courageous, diving save following one of Mail’s centres. But mainly
the first-half belonged to Rangers.

A goal had to come and minutes before the interval the inevitable happened.

Right-back John Blake took a free kick and dropped the ball near the far post, as inside-left Adams
managed to keep the ball in play and turn it back into the six-yard area where Colin Parker pushed
it into the net.

Rangers led until the interval, but only seconds after the re-start Spurs snatched a dramatic equaliser.
Inside-right Johnson streaked through on his own, and Brooks could only get a hand to the inside-right’s
shot as it slithered into the net.

It was then that the battle really warmed up. Ian and Roger Morgan tried several long drives that dipped
dangerously over the bar and Tony Hazell surged down the right-wing and dropped a delicate lob over
the goalkeeper’s head, only to see it rebound from the crossbar.

Rangers took the lead again in the 49th minute. Spurs’ keeper Skeet dropped a simple ball at the feet
of Parker and then grabbed him by the ankle as the inside-right dribbled past him and prepared to shoot
into an open net.

It was a blatant, almost comical foul and Tony Hazell lashed the penalty past Skeet so hard that the ball
bounced out again from the back of the net.

Now Spurs really had their backs to the wall and Skeet was constantly called upon to snatch the ball from
the feet of the advancing forwards.

In the 83rd minute the game was thrown wide open again when Spurs grabbed an equaliser. Tony Want
dropped a free kick into the penalty area and outside-right Stephen Pitt rose above the defence to head
a brilliant goal.

The goal seemed to revitalise Spurs, and as extra time began Rangers started to fade, and on two
occasions only John Brooks’ fine positional sense kept his side out of trouble.

Ten minutes after extra time started an incident occurred that swung the game irrevocably in favour
of Tottenham. Rangers’ left-half Frank Sibley, who had played a fine game, was spoken to by the
referee on the far side of the field.

It seemed to be a trifling incident and when Sibley walked off and stood on the touchline little notice
was taken of him.

However, it turned out that he had been sent off, and it was a decision that marred the whole game.
Still, the decision stood, and Rangers were reduced to 10 men with 20 minutes to go.

Tottenham immediately launched themselves against a determined home defence. Right-winger
Steve Pitt squirmed past Finch with a dazzling display of footwork and his shot thudded against the
bar with Brooks well beaten.

Inside-left Jordan was pulled down outside the penalty area as the weary Rangers players struggled
to earn the Cup that had seemed to be within their grasp. Rangers dug down into a reserve of courage
and energy and somehow survived those last few minutes.

At the end of the game, 22 soaking wet and exhausted players were presented with their medals by
Mr Bill Hicks, Sports Editor of the Daily Mail, and given a rousing cheer by the crowd.’

In the final league home match programme on 23rd April, the “Club Notes by Ranger” stated:
'Tonight’s match with Exeter City marks the end of an era in Queen’s Park Rangers’ history.

This is farewell to first-team football at Loftus Road, for the next time we take the field in search
of league points we shall be at our new home at White City.’

It never happened of course. I had been taken to the White City by my dad on the previous occasion
a few years previously and remember having mixed feelings at the time about moving there again.

[Steve Russell]

From David Bowers on our Facebook group
"I was there with my dad who was a Spurs supporter, me I was Rangers.

But what made it interesting for us is that we knew the Spurs winger Steve Pitt
who came from Kilburn and was a Rangers supporter,

Steve scored for Spurs the game ended a 2-2 draw and the cup was shared.
It was the last time I saw Rangers at the White City.'

[Steve Russell]

And this from Paul Harris...
'There were preparations at this time to return to the White City, luckily they woke up
in time to remember the 2 previous mistakes.

Perhaps the crowd of 1000 + at this match in a stadium holding 70,000 might have been
the decider!!

I saw all the games there during the 62-63 season. You needed binoculars to get past the dog track
& the athletics track and a total lack of atmosphere with crowds averaging 6000.

On the plus side, it was easy for my dad to park the car plus loads of room under the stand to go
to the loo & get a drink at half-time.'