1986 Football League Cup final

1986 Football League Cup final

Oxford United lifting the cup
Event	1985–86 Football League Cup
Oxford United Queens Park Rangers 3 0
Date	20 April 1986
Venue	Wembley Stadium, London
Referee	Keith Hackett
Attendance	90,396

The 1986 Football League Cup Final (known for sponsorship reasons as the Milk Cup) was a football match held on 20 April 1986 between Oxford United and Queens Park Rangers. Oxford won the match 3–0 to capture the League Cup – their first and only major honour. Trevor Hebberd opened the scoring in the first half, and Ray Houghton added a second. Jeremy Charles scored the third following up when John Aldridge had a shot saved by QPR goalkeeper Paul Barron. The match was played at Wembley Stadium in front of 90,396 spectators.

Because UEFA voted that the ban on English clubs in European competitions (beginning after the Heysel disaster in May 1985) would continue for a second season, Oxford United were denied a place in the 1986–87 UEFA Cup.

Route to the final

See also: 1985–86 Football League Cup

Oxford United

Round	Opposition	Score
2nd[1]	Northampton Town (h)	2–0
	Northampton Town (a)	2–1
	Aggregate score 4–1
3rd	Newcastle United (h)	3–1
4th	Norwich City (h)	3–1
5th	Portsmouth (h)	3–1
Semi-final[1]	Aston Villa (a)	2–2
	Aston Villa (h)	2–1
	Aggregate score 4–3

Oxford United and Queens Park Rangers were both playing in the First Division and both entered the competition at the second round stage, under the tournament format in place at the time. Oxford had never previously progressed past the quarter finals, which they reached in the 1969–70 and 1983–84 seasons.^[2] Queens Park Rangers, on the other hand, were victorious in the 1967 final where they defeated West Bromwich Albion.^[3] In the second round, Oxford defeated Northampton Town of the Fourth Division 4–1 on aggregate after two legs.^[4] The 2–1 away victory at County Cricket Ground was Oxford's first and only away win at Northampton in cup competitions.^[5]: 363

Queens Park Rangers

Round	Opposition	Score
2nd[1]	Hull City (h)	3–0
	Hull City (a)	5–1
	Aggregate score 8–1
3rd	Watford (a)	1–0
4th	Nottingham Forest (h)	3–1
5th	Chelsea (h)	1–1
replay	Chelsea (a)	2–0
Semi-final[1]	Liverpool (h)	1–0
	Liverpool (a)	2–2
	Aggregate score 3–2

After a third-round home win against Newcastle United,^[6] Oxford United faced Second Division side and cup holders Norwich City in the fourth round, winning 3–1.^[7] In the fifth round Oxford defeated Portsmouth 3–1,^[8] making it the third consecutive round where a 3–1 home victory was recorded. Despite the fifth-round tie, the attendance for the game was around 400 lower than the league average, after a boycott was organised because of increased ticket prices.^[5]: 121

The semi-final against First Division Aston Villa was contested over two legs. The first at Villa Park finished 2–2,^[9] with the return leg ending in a 2–1 victory for Oxford after goals from Jeremy Charles and Les Phillips.^{[10][5]: 122}

QPR began the competition against Second-Division Hull City, winning 8–1 on aggregate, including a 5–1 away victory at Boothferry Park.^[11][12] In the third round they beat Watford of the First Division 1–0 at Vicarage Road.^[13] The "Hoops" defeated another First Division team, Nottingham Forest, in the fourth round,^[14] but found the fifth round tougher against Chelsea. After the first match ended in a 1–1 draw at Loftus Road, the reply held at Stamford Bridge ended in a 2–0 win with goals from Alan McDonald and Michael Robinson.^[15][16] In the semi-finals, Queens Park Rangers took on Liverpool. QPR went through 3–2 on aggregate after a 1–0 home win was followed by a 2–2 draw at Anfield.^[17][18] Apart from the second-round tie against Hull City, all the teams that Queens Park Rangers defeated on their way to Wembley played in the First Division, including champions Liverpool. In contrast, Oxford United only faced two, Newcastle United and Aston Villa.

Match details

20 April 1986

Oxford United	3–0	Queens Park Rangers
Hebberd 40' Houghton 52' Charles 86'	Report

Wembley Stadium, London

Attendance: 90,396

Referee: Keith Hackett (Sheffield)

Oxford

QPR

GK 1 Alan Judge DF 2 Dave Langan DF 3 John Trewick MF 4 Les Phillips DF 5 Gary Briggs DF 6 Malcolm Shotton (c) MF 7 Ray Houghton FW 8 John Aldridge FW 9 Jeremy Charles MF 10 Trevor Hebberd (Man of the Match[19]) MF 11 Kevin Brock Substitute: FW 12 Andy Thomas Manager: Maurice Evans

GK 1 Paul Barron DF 2 Alan McDonald DF 3 Ian Dawes DF 4 Warren Neill MF 5 Steve Wicks DF 6 Terry Fenwick (c) MF 7 Martin Allen MF 8 Robbie James FW 9 Gary Bannister FW 10 John Byrne MF 11 Michael Robinson Substitute: FW 12 Leroy Rosenior Manager: Jim Smith

Match rules 90 minutes 30 minutes of extra-time if necessary Replay if scores still level One named substitute Maximum of one substitution

References

1. The second round and the semi-finals were played over two legs
2. "Oxford United". The Football Club History Database. Archived from the original on 11 October 2008. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
3. "Queens Park Rangers". The Football Club History Database. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
4. "English League Cup round 2". Soccerbase. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
5. Andy, Howland; Roger Howland (1989). Oxford United: A Complete Record 1893–1989. Breedon Books. ISBN 0-907969-52-6.
6. "English League Cup round 3". Soccerbase. Retrieved 8 February 2009.
7. "English League Cup round 4". Soccerbase. Retrieved 8 February 2009.
8. "English League Cup round 5". Soccerbase. Retrieved 8 February 2009.
9. "English League Cup Round SF". Soccerbase. Retrieved 8 February 2009.
10. "English League Cup Round SF". Soccerbase. Retrieved 8 February 2009.
11. "English League Cup round 2 Leg 1". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2 September 2009.
12. "English League Cup round 2 Leg 2". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2 September 2009.
13. "English League Cup round 3". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2 September 2009.
14. "English League Cup round 4". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2 September 2009.
15. "English League Cup round 5". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2 September 2009.
16. "English League Cup Round e Replay". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2 September 2009.
17. "English League Cup Round SF". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2 September 2009.
18. "English League Cup Round SF". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2 September 2009.
19. "Trevor Hebberd". Oxford United F.C. Retrieved 24 February 2018.

External links

• Full League cup results history
• Final line-ups