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QPR (4) – Gillingham (1) – 'The Highlight of the Game for Me was the 20-Yard Screamer of a Goal from Wing-Half Andy Malcolm'
FA Cup First Round
Team: Springett, Brady (P), Angell, Malcolm, Brady (R), Keen, Lazarus, Leary, Bedford, Graham, McQuade
Attendance: 12,141
On Saturday 16th November 1963, QPR took on Gillingham in a 1st round FA Cup tie at Loftus Road. I viewed the game from a very crowded School End Terrace.
The goals were shown on the BBC Sports News evening round-up. The Rangers goalscorers were Brian Bedford, Stuart Leary, Andy Malcolm and Malcolm Graham.
As the sides had a blue and white colour clash, both teams were required to change strip, as per the rules of the FA that season. The R's played in red shirts, white shorts whilst the Gills were in all-white.
The score-line on the face of it appears to be an emphatic win, but it was far from it.
Rangers were being held at 1-1 and at this stage it looked a real struggle as Gillingham got on top. In the end though the R's ran our 4-1 winners.
The highlight of the game for me was the 20-yard screamer of a goal from wing-half Andy Malcolm.
Walking home after the match, I noticed that there were a great number of Gills fans coaches in the surrounding streets. Unusual for so many in that era. The magic of the FA Cup eh?
In the next round the R's were drawn away to Colchester United, and won 1-0. I was at that fixture too.
Bernard Lambert (Kerrins)
The following match report (partial) later appeared in the local Gazette:
'There was an electric cup-tie atmosphere sparking around the ground half-an-hour before the kick-off. About 3,000 early arrivals from Gillingham gave their hopes full voice and young boys carried banners around the pitch to the wild acclaim of the rival sections of the crowd.
Springett, sharp-shooting and two things that Rangers have been lacking all season – luck and money – knocked gallant Gillingham out of the FA Cup at Loftus Road on Saturday.
The slick-moving, confident Kent side, who are at the top of the Fourth Division, constantly pushed Rangers back on defence, and fired machine-gun bursts of shots at Springett.
But the teenage wonder boy was in fantastic form, making the most brilliant saves, faultless in his judgement and generally creating the illusion of a brick wall in front of the home net.
When Springett was beaten, luck came to Rangers' rescue as shots rebounded off the posts, or were kicked off the goal-line.
And while Gillingham did most of the attacking and only scored once, QPR only occasionally threatened their visitors' goal, but scored four goals.
The money that aided the economically unstable Shepherd's Bush club was near the £30,000 they spent last season when with the millionaire John Bloom in the camp they thought they were rich – to buy Andy Malcolm and Stuart Leary.
It was great goals from these two big buys, who stamped their class on this game, which kept Rangers' nose ahead against the run of play until the final stages when Graham and Bedford made sure the name Queen's Park Rangers went into the bag for Monday's second-round draw.
A jubilant Alec Stock commented after the game: "Gillingham didn't deserve to lose by four goals." How right he was!'
Steve Russell
