The week that was - 3rd Feb 1968 Charlton 3 QPR 3

HOME & AWAY

As promised, a classic tale of ten men defying the odds, coming back from 0-2 and 1-3 down to grab a point.

Charlton 3 (1) (Curtis, Went, Peacock) Queens Park Rangers 3 (2) (Marsh, R Morgan (2)). Att: 21,507

Charlton: Willis (Keirs), Curtis, Kinsey, Stenson, Went, Reeves, Gregory, Tees, Treacy, Booth, Peacock.

QPR: Springett, Clement, Harris, Keen, Keetch, Hazell, I. Morgan, Sanderson, Leach, Marsh, R. Morgan. Unused sub: Allen.

Referee: M Sinclair (Guildford)

Keirs came on as sub and Kinsey went in goal early in the 2nd half when Willis was forced to leave the field after colliding with Went. Charlton were reduced to ten men from the 60th minute when the injured Curtis was unable to continue.

Peter Reeves got married on the morning of the above match.

Addickted

This is one of Brian Kinsey's favourite games. I've heard him talk about it at least three times. He told me Bob Curtis was a woos and should have carried on as he certainly enjoyed himself at Reeve's wedding do that evening with no obvious ill effects.

bingaddick

My first ever game aged 8. It was my best mate's birthday and his dad took four of us to the game. We stood by the fence on the East terrace around about the halfway line. I remember Willis being injured (I think it was his debut and possibly only game as replacement for Charlie Wright). One of the lads in our party felt unwell and we left when the score was 0-2. It was the days before car radio's and I didn't learn the final score until I got home. I remember Rodney Marsh playing for them. He was very skillful with he party trick ball juggling. I haven't checked the records but I am assuming that this was the QPR team that emulated our feat of promotion from Third to First in successive seasons.

Oggy Red

One misty, dreary and very still February afternoon and QPR were top of the pile, the Morgan twins on either wing and Rodney Marsh pulling the strings in midfield. Marsh was very poised, skilful and creative as a player but with his mop of hair and blatant gamesmanship, we loved to bait him. "Rodney is a fairy", taunted the crowd.

Rangers ran the first half, and with a weakened side, teenaged Ron Willis in goal and Youth product John Stenson - later to become a Sports journalist for the Sunday People - making his one and only Charlton appearance, we were soon behind. And then it became 0-2, and the ambulance came and took young Willis to hospital. Missing Hong Kong International Charlie Wright in goal, and engine room midfielders, Scotland U-23 Alan Campbell & Welsh International Graham Moore in midfield, there appeared no way back.

Bobby Curtis, just 18 at the time, did pull a goal back (maybe a penalty?) before he limped off soon after. But reduced to 10 men and with much huffing & puffing on our part, QPR were content to run the game down.

About 3 or 4 minutes from the end, Eire international Ray Treacy shot just wide for us but, inexplicably, the ref gave us a corner - about the only stroke of luck we had all match. "You watch " said my Dad, "We'll score from this", and bugger me if we did, as Paul Went powered a header past their keeper. 3-2!

"Wally, Wally, Wally Went", sang the Covered End and the whole ground erupted, as so composed Rangers suddenly looked
like they were ready to fall apart.

And with the referee looking at his watch, there was Keithie Peacock streaking through and, one-on-one with the keeper, brilliantly firing the equaliser on the run.

I doubt there was even time for QPR to kick off.

Badger

And we had a good crowd for this game,also the Millwall home game which we won 1-0 both over the 20,000 mark,but an average of about 10,000-12,000 for other games.

Badger

QPR get promoted along with Ipswich,both Palace and Millwall finish above us.

Oggy Red

Yeah, Bing, that was the QPR side that went from 3rd to 1st in successive seasons - I think the year before they had been the first 3rd Division side to win a Wembley Final when they won the League Cup.

They never quite emulated our feat, however. Not only were Charlton the first ever club to go from 3rd to 1st, but we only missed winning the Division One League title by a point to Man City, I believe - and no, I wasn't there......

And I'm sure QPR went straight back down, losing one match 8-1.

Badger

Oggy, Eire international Ray Tracey, what a great player he was, a pleasure to watch.

Oggy Red

You were there too, Badger....?

Ray Treacy, tough little player, tenacious, good in the air and a thunderous shot if he caught it right.

I'm just thinking, Badge, that Queers Park Rangers match was probably his debut for us. Signed from West Brom for £20,000 the day before - maybe.

Soon became a Charlton legend - I remember when I used to travel on the away coaches then, we had a little chant:
"Mars Bars, Beano's and Ray Treacy"

Saturday morning for the away trip, several of us would board the coach clutching a couple of Mars Bars and our copy of the Beano. It was tradition. Anyone else remember?

bingaddick

[cite]Posted By: Oggy Red[/cite]

Ray Treacy, tough little player, tenacious, good in the air and a thunderous shot if he caught it right.

Oggy, I never realised until now that we equalised with virtually the last kick.

Ray Tracey and Matt Tees were a real handful especially in the following season.

Peter Reeves, he was one of my early hero's as was Paul Went. I remember in 1970/1 Reeves being injured in the second half of the season and we barely picked up a point after that, ending up being relegated.

letthegoodtimesroll

i was there...oh how we laughed as we all chanted 'rodney is a fairy' (which might just explain why he's always got it in for us) as he effortlessly danced around our players with the ball showing off his trick pony skills...i remember one of the morgan brothers going down hard from a tackle that he made look as if he was never going to get up from again then miraculously recovering after he got what he wanted and doing a spectacular leap onto both feet from a sitting position, much to the obvious annoyance of the charlton fans...

Stone

We had some memorable games against QPR late 60's early 70's. One that I was at was a 3-2 defeat at home in the cup when Marsh scored against us again.
Qpr away we always seemed to get beaten. The exception was a 4-1 win that my brother came home drooling over.

There were always good numbers of Charlton in the home end at QPR (The Loft?) having a go, so to speak.

LenGlover

John Stenson.

My Mum worked with his for a while. I think John went onto to Mansfield.

Oggy Red

!967 -68 season: After beating Millwall just for once (Alan Campbell scoring in a 1-0 Valley win) we'd had a bit of a bad run,
losing 3-0 in the FA Cup to Coventry (bottom in their 1st ever top flight season - it inspired their revival that saw them miraculously survive the drop and not be relegated for over 30 years) - my first ever away match- and then drawing at Boro and being thumped 4-1 at Villa.

That QPR 3-3 draw must have set the club buzzing, as we had probably our best run of the season. Our away record that year was dreadful but next game we travelled all the way to bottom of the table Plymouth Argyle and won easily 4-1, with Keithie Peacock on fire. Peacock scored another couple and one disallowed as Huddersfield were next beaten 4-2, Paul Hince - later main football reporter on the Manchester Evening paper - making his right wing debut for us.

There was an away match I cannot remember, then Blackburn were beaten 3-0 at The Valley. The unbeaten run came to an end in a home night match against Cripple Paralysis 1-0, in a game we should never have lost.

But that little run took us soaring from the basement to the heady heights of about 13th for a while, and banished all relegation fears that year.

bingaddick

Oggy, wasn't Eddie Firmani manager at the time? He certainly was the following season.

Oggy Red

Hi Bing ,

Eddie Firmani indeed was manager........Fantastic free scoring striker, of English birth but Italian descent - played for Italy a couple of times - 3 spells at Charlton, brother to Peter Firmani - 50's full back. Sold Eddie to Sampdoria the first time for mega bucks mid -50's. He came back to us the last time in 1965 or 66, in his 30's but still scoring.

When Bob Stokoe (later legendary Sunderland 'messiah' ) was sacked, September 1967, he hung up his boots and was appointed manager. maybe first match 3-0 home win against Aston Villa (if I'm remembering the right season!), 1-0 home to Plymouth, great 4-1 against unbeaten top of table Pompey. Bit variable that year, a few good runs including good Easter and last match of the season Valley victory against Hull City 5-1, where Ray Treacy scored a hat-trick.

Next season, we lost opening match 3-4 home to Millwall, despite Keithie Peacock scoring earliest goal of the season 2nd minute. That was the season we finished 3rd behind Derby and Palace - and we've already highlighted some of those matches.

Bugger! Got to go, I'm at work........... :-)

HOME & AWAY

Bump

Miserableoldgit

"just" before mytime:
started in 70, my first away match was QPR when we won 4-1 (our first away win for a zillion years).
Apparently my cousin and uncle said I was a lucky mascot !

wickford

Weren't the Firmanis South African?

thai malaysia addick

I think so

LenGlover

The Firmanis were South African but of Italian descent.

Eddie and Stuart Leary sailed to England together from South Africa to join Charlton in the early fifties.

thai malaysia addick

Of course, Brian Tocknell was another South African who appeared in this period

Nelsenout

Peter Reeves got married on the morning of the above match.

But still kicked seven bags of ****, out of Marsh

Reeves before injury robbed him of a great career was one of the best man to man markers I have ever seen

Nelsenout

[cite]Posted By: Oggy Red[/cite]One misty, dreary and very still February afternoon and QPR were top of the pile, the Morgan twins on either wing and Rodney Marsh pulling the strings in midfield. Marsh was very poised, skilful and creative as a player but with his mop of hair and blatant gamesmanship, we loved to bait him. "Rodney is a fairy", taunted the crowd.

Rangers ran the first half, and with a weakened side, teenaged Ron Willis in goal and Youth product John Stenson - later to become a Sports journalist for the Sunday People - making his one and only Charlton appearance, we were soon behind. And then it became 0-2, and the ambulance came and took young Willis to hospital. Missing Hong Kong International Charlie Wright in goal, and engine room midfielders, Scotland U-23 Alan Campbell & Welsh International Graham Moore in midfield, there appeared no way back.

Bobby Curtis, just 18 at the time, did pull a goal back (maybe a penalty?) before he limped off soon after. But reduced to 10 men and with much huffing & puffing on our part, QPR were content to run the game down.

About 3 or 4 minutes from the end, Eire international Ray Treacy shot just wide for us but, inexplicably, the ref gave us a corner - about the only stroke of luck we had all match. "You watch " said my Dad, "We'll score from this", and bugger me if we did, as Paul Went powered a header past their keeper. 3-2!

"Wally, Wally, Wally Went", sang the Covered End and the whole ground erupted, as so composed Rangers suddenly looked
like they were ready to fall apart.

And with the referee looking at his watch, there was Keithie Peacock streaking through and, one-on-one with the keeper, brilliantly firing the equaliser on the run.

I doubt there was even time for QPR to kick off.

Yeah LOL Rodney is a fairy , if he's on Talksport its worth a call in to remind him.

stonemuse

Makes me feel old, but I was also there - great to see this, brings back some good memories.

TEL

I was at this one, stood on the right side of the Covered End as you looked at it.....had to move though as fighting broke out with QPR fans trying to take the end (they didnt succeed) Ended up watching the game beneath the pylon (north east), a cracking game and great atmosphere.

Oggy Red

It was only a cracking game in that last 20 mins, with an outfield player in goal and down to 10 men, when the crowd got behind the team - and inspired that 'grandstand finish'.

Before that, our weakened team - with a rookie keeper and an 'all at sea' CM making their debuts, we were given a right run around by a promotion winning team more or less totally in control.


We scored twice in the last 3 minutes to snatch that unlikely point - but in that last 20 minutes, it was the crowd roaring on the 10 men that made the difference.

Red_Pete_in_Dubai

[cite]Posted By: Oggy Red[/cite]It was only a cracking game in that last 20 mins, with an outfield player in goal and down to 10 men, when the crowd got behind the team - and inspired that 'grandstand finish'.

Before that, our weakened team - with a rookie keeper and an 'all at sea' CM making their debuts, we were given a right run around by a promotion winning team more or less totally in control.


We scored twice in the last 3 minutes to snatch that unlikely point - but in that last 20 minutes, it was the crowd roaring on the 10 men that made the difference.

Blimey, you mean we were 3-1 down at home, playing poorly and the crowd weren't booing and giving the players dogs' abuse?! How times have changed.

TEL

To a mere 7 year old, it was a cracking game full stop, this is one of the games that whetted my apetite for all things Charlton the following season.

Anybody remember the 5-3 against Fulham the following season? Thats one thats really stayed with me as well

Red_Pete_in_Dubai

The game I really remember is the FA Cup game at the Valley against QPR around about the same time. It was a big crowd & a cracking atmosphere. Charlton went 2-0 up but lost 3-2 as Rodney Marsh inspired a dramatic comeback for QPR. I think he scored a couple of their goals too. I have never forgotten that amazing atmosphere; it was so special for a young lad on one of his first ever trips to the Valley.

TEL

[cite]Posted By: Red_Pete[/cite]The game I really remember is the FA Cup game at the Valley against QPR around about the same time. It was a big crowd & a cracking atmosphere. Charlton went 2-0 up but lost 3-2 as Rodney Marsh inspired a dramatic comeback for QPR. I think he scored a couple of their goals too. I have never forgotten that amazing atmosphere; it was so special for a young lad on one of his first ever trips to the Valley.

Pete.....Robson?