RANGERS had got the season off to a flyer as they hosted strugglers Swansea Town in Third Division.
Rangers had got the season off to a flyer as they hosted strugglers Swansea Town in Third Division.
Teams: Queens Park Rangers v Swansea City
Date: Saturday October 8, 1966
Competition: Football League Division Three
Venue: Loftus Road, London
Optimism swept around Loftus Road after an excellent beginning to the campaign seeing them drop only five points from a possible 18 – as they remained on the tail of leaders Reading.
Thumping wins over Doncaster Rovers (6-0) and Mansfield Town (7-1) saw them perfectly placed for a promotion charge, helped on by free-scoring forward Rodney Marsh.
Marsh had bagged ten goals in his opening nine games and looked in typically exciting form as he wowed the Loftus Road with his trickery and skill.
They welcomed European opposition in the guise of Swansea Town – their Welsh Cup winning exploits had given them a place in the Cup Winners Cup, but all didn’t go according to plan.
A hard-earned draw against Slavia Sofia at the Vetch Field was wiped out by a 4-0 defeat in Bulgaria, and their league form had also suffered as a result.
Town were languishing at the wrong end of the table with only one win coming in the opening ten games against Oldham Athletic (3-0).
Alec Stock kept faith with the same side that beat Grimsby Town (5-1) at Loftus Road with the in-form striker Rodney Marsh keeping his place alongside Les Allen in attack.
Indeed it was the strike duo that put Swansea to the sword, with Marsh himself dazzling the crowd with an exhibition of breath-taking skill.
Les Allen captured a brace for the home side with Marsh and midfielder Keith Sanderson putting Swansea away – despite a spirited two goals for the Whites.
Just days later the two sides faced off again in the League Cup with Tony Hazell and Mike Keen securing Rangers’ passage into the fourth round against Leicester City.
Swansea finished inches above the relegation zone under Billy Lucas with Doncaster Rovers and Workington dropping into the fourth tier.
Meanwhile QPR achieved an unlikely double to finish 11 points clear at the top of the Third Division while progressing past Leicester, Carlisle United and Birmingham City before beating First Division West Bromwich Albion in a thrilling final.
Final Score: Queens Park Rangers 4-2 Swansea Town
Attendance: 11,047
Queens Park Rangers: Springett, Hazell, Langley, Keen, Hunt, Sibley, Lazarus, Sanderson, Allen, Marsh, Morgan I.
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