Chelsea’s dream becomes nightmare

Press, 10 February 1986, Page 29

Chelsea’s dream becomes nightmare

NZPA-Reuter London Chelsea’s dream of returning to the top of the English first division for the first time since March, 1965, turned into a nightmare yesterday when they were thrashed 4-1 at home by a struggling Oxford.

Only six games survived the snow and ice and with Liverpool and Manchester United meeting today, the third-placed Chelsea team appeared to have a glorious chance of replacing 1985 champions Everton at the top.

But missing six first team regulars through injury, including the international strikers, Kerry Dixon and Scot David Speedie, Chelsea never looked capable of containing Oxford who made nonsense of their third-from-bottom league placing. Ironically, it was the former Chelsea winger, Peter Rhoades-Brown, who sparked Oxford's unexpected success with a superbly taken free kick in the twentieth minute which he venomously rifled past the goalkeeper, Eddie Niedzwiecki, from 20 metres. Oxford, without an away win all season, immediately grew in confidence and they moved further in front five minutes from the interval when Rhoades-Brown carved open the Chelsea defence with a surging run down the left.

Rhoades-Brown reached the by-line before curling a delightful cross into the goal mouth which the Welsh international, Jeremy Charles, rammed home at the far post. Even though John Bumstead reduced the deficit in the sixty-sixth minute, Oxford struck back through Trevor Hebberd and John Aldridge in the seventy-sixth and seventy-seventh minutes.

Chelsea’s defeat means either Liverpool or Manchester United could go top after today’s game at Anfield. At present, Everton lead with 56 points from 28 games but are closely followed by United (55), Chelsea (54) and Liverpool (53). Tottenham, who have slid into the lower half of the table in spite of boasting one of the most impressive first team squads in Britain, suffered another embarrassing home defeat at the hands of lowly Coventry. The visitors, parading Alan Brazil, from Manchester United, who has just been signed, won 1-0 courtesy of an eightieth-minute goal from the former England striker, Cyrille Regis. Brazil, formerly with Ipswich and Tottenham, moved to Covenntry in partexchange for the striker, Terry Gibson, who will make his league debut for United against Liverpool. The Scottish Premier League leaders, Hearts, stretched their unbeaten home run to 13 games though they met with some unexpectedly tough resistance from Dundee who took a ninthminute lead through Bobby Mennie.

The Edinburgh club, rank outsiders at the start of the season, responded in magnificent style and ran out 3-1 winners with goals from John Colquhoun (22 minutes), John Robertson (60) and Gary Mackay (69).

Dundee United, tiWever, are nicely poised injsecond

place tour points behind with three games in hand.

United crushed Hibernian 4-0 at home with goals from Eamonn Bannon, Tommy Coyne (2) and Kevin Gallacher, the discovery of the season north of the border. The champions, Aberdeen, six points off the pace.but with two games in hand, also found goals easy to come by agalnt visiting Clydebank, whom they thrashed 4-1. The striker, Eric Black, scored a hat trick for Aberdeen which must have impressed the manager, Alex Fergons, who will now find it difficult to leave the youngster out of his World Cup plans. The international midfielder, Jim Bett, scored Aberdeen’s fourth goal. English league Division one Birmingham 0, West Bromwich 1; Chelsea 1 Oxford 4; Manchester City 2, Queens Park Rangers 0; Nottingham Forest 1, Newcastle 2; Southampton 1, Luton 2; Tottenham 0, Coventry 1. Postponed: Aston Villa v. West Ham, Ipswich v. Arsenal, Sheffield Wednesday v. Leicester, Watson v. Everton. Division two Grimsby 1, Leeds 0; Oldham 3, Blackburn 1; Shrewsbury 0, Norwich 3; Sunderland 2, Carlisle 2. Postponed: Barnsley v. Sheffield United; Bradford v. Middlesbrough, Crystal Palace v. Portsmouth, Huddersfield v. Hull, Millwall v. Wimbledon, Stoke v. Fulham.

Division three Bristol Rovers 1, Doncaster 0; Chesterfield 2, Notts County 2; Gillingham 2, Bournemouth 0; Swansea 3, Bolton 1; Wigan 2, Cardiff 0; York 1, Derby 3. Postponed: Bury v. Blackpool, Darlington v. Bristol City, Newport v. Brentford, Plymouth v. Rotherham, Reading v. Lincoln. Divison four Exeter 0, Mansfield 1; Orient 3, Cambridge 1; Preston 1, Rochdale 1. Postponed: Burnley v. Crewe, Hereford v. Hartlepool, Northampton v. Torquay, Peterborough v. Stockport, Scunthorpe v. Colchester, Swindon v. Chester, Wrexham v. Aidershot. Tranmere 0, Halifax 3, Southend v. Port Vale postponed. Scottish league Premier Division Aberdeen 4, Clydebank 1; Celtic 1, St Mirren 1; Dundee United 4, Hibernian 0; Hearts 3, Dundee 1; Motherwell 1, Rangers 0. Division one Clyde 0, Falkirk 2; Kilmarnock 1, Morton 1. Postponed: Brechin v. Montrose, Dumbarton v. Ayr, Forfar v. Airdrieonians, Hamilton v. Alloa, Partick v. East Fife. Division two Queen of the South 1, Meadowbank 0; Queen’s Park 1, Arbroath 2. Postponed: Albion v. Dunfermline, Cowdenbeath v. Stranraer, Raith v. East Stirling, St Johnstone v. Stenhousemuir, Stirling v. Berwick.