22/04/61: QPR (H)

Thanks very much, Timbo.

In fact this not so much a story as a series of personal observations on one of many remarkable matches which took place at Plainmoor in the 1960s.

I have already written about my favourite game in terms of the end-to-end entertainment provided by two closely matched and attacking teams (Mansfield, 1962).

There was also the cup match against Tottenham Hotspur in January 1965, when we all stood and watched in awe as the skill and reputations of Blanchflower, Greaves and Cliff Jones were ultimately thwarted by Robin Stubbs in a remarkable finish.

Then there was a match against Chester in November 1963 when Torquay won 5-0 and so dominated the game that at times it seemed as though their players were invisible.

I wonder how many people remember the winter of 1961/62, when our pitch was the only one playable for weeks on end and we played six home games in a row ?

This game against QPR in April 1961 was something else entirely.

This was the season after our first promotion in the Football League and, despite starting rather shakily, by the end of the calendar year we were well up there in about fourth place thanks to an unbeaten run of 15 games.

What went wrong after that was really a mystery, although I personally was very unhappy that both Larry Baxter and Mervyn Gill, the goalkeeper, were dropped for a while. We eventually ended up in 12th place after winning only three more games in the New Year and conceding 18 goals in the final four games.

Meanwhile, QPR had moved up to 3rd place and in fact missed out on promotion by two points. To be honest, they were in an entirely different class to Torquay and the extent to which they outplayed, out-manoeuvred and outthought us verged on the embarrassing. It resembled the siege of the Alamo from the very start and came as a real eye-opener to the home fans.

Mike Keen, at right half, was their driving force, but they had real quality all over the pitch. They had ace goalscorers in Brian Bedford and Bernard Evans, a rock-like centre half in Keith Rutter and a Jimmy Leadbetter clone on the left wing in Jimmy Andrews, who had Colin Bettany all at sea throughout the game.

Their real star on the day was Mark Lazarus on the right wing, who gave Dennis Penford such a torrid time that he never looked the same afterwards and was replaced not long into the next season. Lazarus was a very tricky winger with blistering pace and the ability to deliver pin-point crosses, and his was the most outstanding performance by an individual player that I have ever seen at Plainmoor.

It was only 0-2 at half-time, but Bedford and Evans ran riot in the second half and Tom Northcott's goal right at the end was not even a consolation.

The main reason I have described this match as remarkable came after the final whistle.

These days, a 1-6 home defeat would undoubtedly result in massive booing and calls for the manager's head. In that game nearly 50 years ago, the QPR team was applauded long and loud as they left the field by the whole crowd, who were stunned by their performance and the result, yet sufficiently open minded to show their appreciation of something really special.

Yes, of course, you are right. I went to all of those six games and God, it was so cold. I think there was brushed-off snow around the pitch for two or three of them.

Easy for a young lad to withstand conditions such as those, but I'm afraid I wouldn't fancy going now and standing there with stiffened joints and chilled lungs !!

My next planned trip to Torbay is for the Burton Albion match, but whether or not I actually go to the game will all depend on the temperature on the day.