The Greatest Day in QPR History

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Forty Years Ago Today: May 11, 1968

While opinions might vary, arguably this was the greatest - and most momentous - day in QPR history: May 11, 1968, the day that "little" QPR won promotion to the First Division (as it was then called) opened up new vistas and a new horizon for a team that was historically "just" a little Third Division Team. To reach the First Division...The feeling for a QPR fan was truly incredible.

The history should be known to all QPR Fans: Promoted the previous season as Third Division Champions and League Cup Winners, QPR had previously spent only four seasons (1948-1952) in the Second Division. Only one other team in history had gone straight through from the Third to the First Division in successive seasons. Basically with a couple of additions and departures, this was the same team that got QPR promoted from the Third Division. Incoming: Ron Springett, Frank Clarke...Outgoing: Peter Springett, Mark Lazarus.

May 11, 1968, QPR travelled to Aston Villa, neck and neck with Blackpool chasing for promotion. (In an era, when there were two points for a win; there was goal aggregate (goals for divided by goals against) rather than goal difference; and only two teams were promoted - with no playoffs for the teams below). The Programme Mick Leach scored QPR's first. Eight Minutes from time, a Bradley Own goal put QPR 2-1 up and that was the final score. QPR promoted with a marginally better goal aggregate than Blackpool.

The QPR team on that day: Mike Kelly in goal. Allan Harris, Bobby Keetch, Tony Hazell and Ian Watson in defense
Ian Morgan, Mike Keen Les Allen, Mick Leach
Rodney Marsh, Frank Clarke

The 1967-1968 Season: If "1967" has become synonymous with QPR's Wembley Victory (and the Third Division Championship!) 1968 was in some ways even more beyond belief.
Managed by Alec Stock...coached by Bill Dodgin...Captained by Mike Keen...Inspired by Rodney Marsh and Roger and Ian Morgan...

The 1967/1968 Players: Mark Lazarus started with QPR and moved on to Crystal Palace. Formre England Goalkeeper, Ron Springett had returned to QPR in a swop, in which his brother Peter Springett moved to Sheffield Wednesday. Alan Harris joined QPR. Rodney Marsh missed the start of the season with a broken foot, but ended the season as top goalscorer with 14 goals. Near the transfer deadline, Frank Clarke joined QPR from Shrewsbury (after QPR failed to sign John O'Rourke)
Les Allen, Frank Clarke, Dave Clement, Alan Harris, Tony Hazell, Ron Hunt, Mike Keen, Bobby Keetch, Mick Leach, Rodney Marsh, Ian Morga, Roger Morgan, Keith Sanderson Also: Mark Lazarus, Bobby Finch, Backup goalie, Mike Kelly, Frank Sibley, Ian Watson, Alan Wilks. Ever presents: Mike Keen, Roger Morgan, Allan Harris.
Leading Scorers: Rodney Marsh 14, Ian Morgan 10, Mick Leach 10, Roger Morgan 8, Les Allen 6, Mike Keen 6, Frank Clarke 3.
And of course the season, when in the League Cup, Alan Wilks scored a record five goals in QPR's 5-1 win over Oxford United.

A couple of team photos from the era: The 1967 squad and Many of QPR's 1967/1968 Squad

Memories of the May 11, 1968 day on the Indepdent Rs Site: Memories I
Memories II

Ex-Blackpool's Tony Green Recalls QPR's 1967/1968 Promotion Pipping
Blackpool Gazette, February 9, 2008 - Legends: Tony Green
"...Signed with Pool already doomed to drop out of the old First Division, Green was sidelined for the '69/70 promotion season and a further ankle injury finished him at 25.
His abiding memory of five years at Bloomfield Road was being denied promotion back to the First Division on goal difference in '67/68, when Pool came third behind Ipswich and QPR.
"We'd won at Huddersfield and thought we were up. Our supporters crowded onto the field and were going daft but we got back in the dressingroom to find that QPR had scored a winner in the last minute against Aston Villa. They'd been losing with ten minutes left," said Green, who lives at Poulton.
"Inside a few minutes the mood went from euphoria to massive disappointment. But we were eventually upbeat because our manager Stan Mortensen was a fairly upbeat character." Blackpool Gazette

See
1967/1968 Table

1967/1968 Division Two Week-by-Week Results,

For further Nostalgia: "Where Are They Now" - See QPRNet's Section for some of the players from the 1960s

1967/1968 - DIVISION TWO TABLE & RESULTS

Pld W D L GF GA Pts
1 Ipswich Town 42 22 15 5 79 44 59
2 Queens Park Rangers 42 25 8 9 67 36 58

3 Blackpool 42 24 10 8 71 43 58
4 Birmingham City 42 19 14 9 83 51 52
5 Portsmouth 42 18 13 11 68 55 49
6 Middlesbrough 42 17 12 13 60 54 46
7 Millwall 42 14 17 11 62 50 45
8 Blackburn Rovers 42 16 11 15 56 49 43
9 Norwich City 42 16 11 15 60 65 43
10 Carlisle United 42 14 13 15 58 52 41
11 Crystal Palace 42 14 11 17 56 56 39
12 Bolton Wanderers 42 13 13 16 60 63 39
13 Cardiff City 42 13 12 17 60 66 38
14 Huddersfield Town 42 13 12 17 46 61 38
15 Charlton Athletic 42 12 13 17 63 68 37
16 Aston Villa 42 15 7 20 54 64 37
17 Hull City 42 12 13 17 58 73 37
18 Derby County 42 13 10 19 71 78 36
19 Bristol City 42 13 10 19 48 62 36
20 Preston North End 42 12 11 19 43 65 35
21 Rotherham United 42 10 11 21 42 76 31
22 Plymouth Argyle 42 9 9 24 38 72 27

RESULTS

1-1 Away v Portsmouth 1967-08-19 2nd Division, 1967/68, Match 1
2-0 Away v Bristol City 1967-08-22 2nd Division, 1967/68, Match 2
2-0 Home v Norwich City 1967-08-26 2nd Division, 1967/68, Match 3
3-1 Home v Bristol City 1967-08-29 2nd Division, 1967/68, Match 4
3-1 Away v Rotherham United 1967-09-02 2nd Division, 1967/68, Match 5
3-0 Home v Aston Villa 1967-09-05 2nd Division, 1967/68, Match 6
0-1 Home v Derby County 1967-09-09 2nd Division, 1967/68, Match 7
2-1 Home v Hull City 1967-09-12 Football League Cup, 1967/68, Round 2
2-0 Away v Preston North End 1967-09-16 2nd Division, 1967/68, Match 8
2-1 Home v Charlton Athletic 1967-09-23 2nd Division, 1967/68, Match 9
0-1 Away v Crystal Palace 1967-09-30 2nd Division, 1967/68, Match 10
1-0 Home v Bolton Wanderers 1967-10-07 2nd Division, 1967/68, Match 11
5-1 Home v Oxford United 1967-10-10 Football League Cup, 1967/68, Round 3
0-2 Away v Hull City 1967-10-14 2nd Division, 1967/68, Match 12
3-1 Home v Millwall 1967-10-21 2nd Division, 1967/68, Match 13
1-0 Away v Blackpool 1967-10-28 2nd Division, 1967/68, Match 14
1-2 Home v Burnley 1967-10-31 Football League Cup, 1967/68, Round 4
1-3 Away v Carlisle United 1967-11-11 2nd Division, 1967/68, Match 15
1-1 Home v Middlesbrough 1967-11-18 2nd Division, 1967/68, Match 16
0-1 Away v Huddersfield Town 1967-11-25 2nd Division, 1967/68, Match 17
1-0 Home v Ipswich Town 1967-12-02 2nd Division, 1967/68, Match 18
0-2 Away v Birmingham City 1967-12-09 2nd Division, 1967/68, Match 19
3-1 Home v Blackburn Rovers 1967-12-12 2nd Division, 1967/68, Match 20
2-0 Home v Portsmouth 1967-12-16 2nd Division, 1967/68, Match 21
0-0 Away v Norwich City 1967-12-23 2nd Division, 1967/68, Match 22
1-0 Away v Plymouth Argyle 1967-12-26 2nd Division, 1967/68, Match 23
4-1 Home v Plymouth Argyle 1967-12-30 2nd Division, 1967/68, Match 24
6-0 Home v Rotherham United 1968-01-06 2nd Division, 1967/68, Match 25
2-0 Home v Preston North End 1968-01-20 2nd Division, 1967/68, Match 26
1-3 Home v Preston North End 1968-01-27 F.A. Cup, 1967/68, Round 3
3-3 Away v Charlton Athletic 1968-02-03 2nd Division, 1967/68, Match 27
2-1 Home v Crystal Palace 1968-02-10 2nd Division, 1967/68, Match 28
0-4 Away v Derby County 1968-02-17 2nd Division, 1967/68, Match 29
1-1 Away v Bolton Wanderers 1968-02-24 2nd Division, 1967/68, Match 30
1-1 Home v Hull City 1968-03-09 2nd Division, 1967/68, Match 31
1-1 Away v Millwall 1968-03-16 2nd Division, 1967/68, Match 32
2-0 Home v Blackpool 1968-03-23 2nd Division, 1967/68, Match 33
1-0 Away v Blackburn Rovers 1968-03-30 2nd Division, 1967/68, Match 34
1-0 Home v Carlisle United 1968-04-06 2nd Division, 1967/68, Match 35
1-0 Home v Cardiff City 1968-04-12 2nd Division, 1967/68, Match 36
1-3 Away v Middlesbrough 1968-04-13 2nd Division, 1967/68, Match 37
0-1 Away v Cardiff City 1968-04-16 2nd Division, 1967/68, Match 38
3-0 Home v Huddersfield Town 1968-04-20 2nd Division, 1967/68, Match 39
2-2 Away v Ipswich Town 1968-04-27 2nd Division, 1967/68, Match 40
2-0 Home v Birmingham City 1968-05-04 2nd Division, 1967/68, Match 41
2-1 Away v Aston Villa 1968-05-11 2nd Division, 1967/68, Match 42
Statistics Source

QPR's 1967/1968 Statistics.

P W D L F A Home% Away% Total%

All League Matches 42 25 8 9 67 36 90.5% 47.6% 69.05%
F.A. Cup 1 0 0 1 1 3 0.0% - 0.00%
Football League Cup 3 2 0 1 8 4 66.7% - 66.67%

Home 25 20 2 3 54 16 84.0% - 84.00%
Away 21 7 6 8 22 27 - 47.6% 47.62%

August 4 3 1 0 8 2 100.0% 75.0% 87.50%
September 7 5 0 2 12 5 75.0% 66.7% 71.43%
October 6 4 0 2 11 6 75.0% 50.0% 66.67%
November 3 0 1 2 2 5 50.0% 0.0% 16.67%
December 7 5 1 1 11 4 100.0% 50.0% 78.57%
January 3 2 0 1 9 3 66.7% - 66.67%
February 4 1 2 1 6 9 100.0% 33.3% 50.00%
March 4 2 2 0 5 2 75.0% 75.0% 75.00%
April 6 3 1 2 8 6 100.0% 16.7% 58.33%
May 2 2 0 0 4 1 100.0% 100.0% 100.00%

Weekend Match 36 19 8 9 55 36 83.3% 44.4% 63.89%
Midweek Match 10 8 0 2 21 7 85.7% 66.7% 80.00%

Statistics