Forest topples Norwich with Q.P.R. win

Press, 20 October 1986, Page 26

Forest topples Norwich with Q.P.R. win

NZPA-Reuter London Nottingham Forest ended Norwich City’s one-week reign as leaders of the English first division when they beat Queen’s Park Rangers 10 on Saturday to return to the top as Norwich drew 1-1 with West Ham.

But Brian Clough’s team, heralded as the most refreshing team for a decade in some quarters a few weeks ago, had to be content with an undistinguished win courtesy of a forty-seventh minute goal from the manager’s son, Nigel. Cynics might even suggest Forest’s most telling move was played on Friday when Clough senior refused Norwich’s request to retain the central defender lan Butterworth on loan for a second month.

He was plainly missed in the Norwich defence on Saturday as the West Ham striker Paul Goddard marked his first appearance of the season with the Londoners’

seventy-fifth minute equaliser, Kevin Drinkel, having opened the scoring for Norwich after 58 minutes.

Liverpool, beaten at home by Tottenham last week, recovered their normal form at Anfield by trouncing League Cup holders Oxford United 40 to move up to a threatening third position.

But Tottenham failed to capitalise on a chance of moving closer to the top when they were held 1-1 at home by Sheffield Wednesday — a big disappointment for the fans who had expected something special on the home debut of the Belgian international striker Nico Claesen.

Claesen, who joined Tottenham from Standard Liege for £600,000 ($1,692,000) failed to impress against the physically powerful Sheffield defence. Clive Allen scored his thirteenth goal in 13 appearances this season from a pass by his cousin Paul to put Tottenham in front only seconds before

halftime, but the midfielder Gary Megson levelled the scores on the hour.

Claesen, a hat-trick hero in midweek as Belgium beat Luxembourg 6-0 in the European championship, would have loved the home debut of the man he replaced at White Hart Lane.

Mark Falco, who was sold by Tottenham to Watford for £340,000 ($958,800), hit a hattrick as the club, whose chairman is rock star Elton John, ended Aston Villa’s revival with a 4-2 victory. Falco, considered surplus to requirements by Tottenham’s manager David Pleat, hooked in his first goal in the fiftieth minute, headed his second in the fifty-second and tapped in his third after 72 minutes.

The Welsh international midfielder, Kenny Jackett, scored Watford’s fourth with Mark Walters and Simon Stainrod replying for Villa, previously unbeaten in the five games since Billy McNeill took over as mana-

ger. • In Scotland, Celtic retained top spot in the premier league with a 3-1 victory over Motherwell, but the most impressive- result was Rangers’ 5-1 success at Falkirk where Robert Fleck hit a hat-trick. ENGLISH LEAGUE Division one

Charlton 2, Leicester 0; Chelsea 2, Manchester City 1; Liverpool 4, Oxford 0; Manchester United 1, Luton 0; Newcastle 1, Arsenal 2; Norwich 1, West Ham 1; Nottingham Forest 1, Queen’s Park Rangers 0; Southampton 0, Everton 2; Tottenham 1, Sheffield Wednesday I; Watford 4, Aston Villa 2. Division two Birmingham 4, Crystal Palace 1; Bradford 3, Ipswich 4; Brighton 1, Barnsley 1; Hull 0, Reading 2; Leeds 3, Portsmouth 1; Plymouth 2, Sunderland 4; Sheffield United 0, Huddersfield 0; Shrewsbury 0, Derby 1; Stoke 1, Blackbum 0; West Bromwich 1, Grimsby 1.

Played Friday: Oldham. 2,

Mill wall 1. Division three Blackpool 3, Notts County 1; Brentford 3, York 1; Bristol Rovers 0, Port Vale 0; Bury 0, Bournemouth 1; Chester 1, Mansfield I; Doncaster 0, Darlington 0; Gillingham 1, Carlisle 0; Middlesbrough 3, Walsall 1; Rotherham 1, Bolton 0; Swindon 2, Chesterfield 1; Wigan 2, Fulham 0. Postponed: Newport v Bristol City. Division four Burnley 2, Stockport 0; Hartlepool 1, Peterborough 2; Hereford 1, Exeter 1; Lincoln 1, Rochdale 1; Orient 2, Wrexham 4; Preston 1, Aidershot 2; Southend 3, Crewe 1; Swansea 1, Wolverhampton 0. Played Friday: Cambridge 2, Northampton 3; Colchester 3, Cardiff 1; Halifax 0, Tranmere 0; Scunthorpe 2, Torquay 0. SOUTHERN LEAGUE Premier division Alvechurch 2, Cambridge City 2; Aylesbury 3, Salisbury 0; Basingstoke 2, Bedworth 2; Dartford 7, Redditch 0; Dud-

ley 2, Corby 1; Fareham 6, Shepshed 0. SCOTTISH LEAGUE Premier Division Celtic 3, Motherwell 1; Dundee United 2, Clydebank 0; Falkirk 1, Rangers 5; Hamilton 1, Hearts 3; Hibernian 1, Aberdeen 1; St Mirren 4, Dundee 1. Division one Brechin 2,‘ Queen of South 1; Dumbarton 2, Airdrieonians 1; Dunfermline 1, Morton 1; East Fife 1, Clyde 1; Kilmarnock 3, Forfar 0; Partick 5, Montrose 0. Division two Albion 1, Stranraer 1; Alloa 2, Raith 2; Arbroath 0, Stirling 1; Cowdenbeath 3, Ayr 1; Meadowbank 1, East Stirling 0; Queen’s Park 0, Stenhbusemuir 0; St Johnstone 3, Berwick 2. NORTHERN IRISH LEAGUE Ards 1, Glentoran 1; Ballymena 1, Larne 1; Carrick 1, Glenavon 4; Crusaders 2, Distillery 2; Linfield 2, Coleraine 1; Newry» 0, Cliftoriville 1; Portadown 0, Bangor 2.