The Big Match - Week 8

This week's Big Match comes from the weekend of 17 October 1971 and features the fantastic old shallow A-frames at Loftus Road and a perfect hat-trick from Rodney Marsh as QPR thrash Birmingham City.



What is interesting is how well the Loftus Road nets retain the ball, in contrast to QPR's later reputation and despite the basic lack of area in which to do so.

Might this be down to the saggy software of big white squares, which was later replaced by the thin mesh-like net of the later 1970's?

A-list A-frames - Huddersfield Town FC

Huddersfield Town boasted a proud history of on-field hardware at their old Leeds Road ground.

In 1971 they welcomed the Manchester United of Best, Law and Charlton with black stanchions (and perhaps the "double-netting" seen at Colchester about the same time?)




Ten years later the Leeds Road hardware was white and slightly off the shoulder.



Later that decade, by the time the Terriers hosted Manchester's other club, the stanchions have made way for Continental D's.

Hot Tub Time Machine - FC Halifax Town

The reformed and reconstituted FC Halifax Town play out their non-league promotion fairytale between an unworthy pair of box goal nets.


But jump in the old Hot Tub Time Machine and we see the Shaymen knocking Man City out the FA Cup in front of a set of A-frames modelled on - what do you think? - Manchester United's?



Then, jump 10 years further back we see the old Halifax beating Man United with what may be the same stanchions, just painted black?

Budapest Honved FC

To stand out from the crowd, some clubs go for brightly coloured nets.



While other clubs choose fancy-schmancy stanchions.



But nobody - NOBODY - ever painted the crossbar and goal posts.

Except Budapest Honved.