QUEENS PARK RANGERS 1 CITY 1
League Division 1
24th August 1968
attendance 19,716
Scorers
City Doyle
QPR Bridges(21)
Ref Jack Taylor
City Mulhearn, connor, Pardoe, Doyle, Heslop, Oakes, Lee, Bell, Summerbee, Young – unused sub Owen
QPR Kelly, Hazell, Watson, Sibley, Harris, Keen, Sanderson, Allen, I Morgan, Bridges, R Morgan
FROM THE PRESS BOX
There was a touch of last season’s barnstorming championship triumph as Manchester City ran Queens Park Rangers ragged in a brilliant second half at Loftus Road.
City in full flight gave the First Division newcomers a subtle lesson in the arts of midfield command and authority as they maintained a punishing pace in the strength sapping heat to win their first away point of the season. It would have been two but for some equally brilliant goalkeeping by an unknown who cost Rangers £1,500.
Mike Kelly kept out City with a series of thrilling saves, with efforts from Alan Oakes and George Heslop particularly outstanding.
But Kelly never saw the Mike Doyle header from a left wing corner which crowned a superb performance for the non-stop City wing half who turned in his best display of the season.
It was Doyle and Colin Bell who gave City fresh second half heart after too many in the Blues’ ranks had stopped running towards the interval.
They had flagged following a 21st minute debut goal by Barry Bridges, the £50,000 centre forward Rangers bought from Birmingham City in midweek. But earlier they had dictated the pace with some bright attacking play.
That, however, was nothing compared to their second half onslaught when, for 20 minutes, it seemedRangers might be wiped off the park. They weren’t because of Kelly.
PETER GARDNER WRITING IN THE MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS 26TH AUGUST 1968