QPR team: Parkes, Clement, Gillard, Hollins, McLintock, Webb, Eastoe, Francis, Masson, Kelly, Givens
Sub: Abbott
Manchester United team: Stepney, Nicholl, Albiston, McIlroy, Greenhoff (B), Houston, Coppell, Greenhoff (J), Pearson, Macari, McCreery
Sub: Forsyth
Attendance: 28,848
Originally scheduled for the 4th December 1976, the home game against Manchester United was eventually played on Tuesday, 19th April. The Hammersmith & Shepherd’s Bush Gazette later filed the following match report:
‘Queen’s Park Rangers rocked Manchester United with a goal after just 25 seconds on Tuesday evening – and from then on, they never looked back. But even Rangers must have been surprised at the ease of their win.
United, presumably with an eye on their FA Cup semi-final against Leeds on Saturday, offered little in midfield and were constantly caught square at the back.
Rangers scored with their first attack of the game, when Masson put Don Givens away with a defence-splitting through ball, and the lanky Irishman slotted his shot past United’s Alex Stepney.
Eddie Kelly made it 2-0 after 21 minutes. The United defence only half-cleared a long free kick from Don Masson, and the ball came out to Kelly, lurking just outside the penalty area.
Kelly skillfully brought it under control, and lashed a vicious drive from all of twenty yards to score his first ever goal for Rangers.
And it was Kelly who set Peter Eastoe up for the first of his two goals six minutes into the second-half.
His pass inside caught the United rearguard with their defences down, and put Eastoe in the clear on the half-way line. The striker kept his head well despite the efforts of the advancing Stepney, and steered in number three.
The Kelly-Eastoe partnership struck again ten minutes later. Kelly clipped in a chest-high chip, and Eastoe netted QPR’s fourth with an acrobatic diving header.’
I wrote on the back of the match programme that: ‘Gerry Francis’s return made a big impact on the team.’
On the following Saturday, the R’s lost 1-2 at Loftus Road to Newcastle United.
Steve Russell
