Saturday May 3 1986 First Division

Venue: Highfield Road Att: 17,673 Referee: N Wilson

Coventry City 2 Kilcline (37) Bennett (44)

QPR 1 Byrne (28)

For the third season in a row City's bid for safety in the First Division went down to the last game.

The Sky Blues had struggled all season and a 5-0 defeat at Liverpool in April sealed Don Mackay's fate as Coventry manager. With three games to go John Sillett and George Curtis were appointed with the task of steering the Club away from relegation.

City entered the match just one point above the drop zone and after 28 minutes QPR took the lead when John Byrne's shot took a wicked deflection off Trevor Peake which fooled Steve Ogrizovic.

The score was level 10 minutes later, when Brian Kilcline drilled a low free-kick past Paul Barron.

Just before half-time Dave Bennett gathered possession and ascended on a mazy run through the R's defence and coolly picked his spot to give City the lead.

The second half was a tense affair with QPR hitting the crossbar 13 minutes before the end but City held on and staved off relegation courtesy of Leicester winning and Oxford and Ipswich drawing.

Coventry City: Ogrizovic; Borrows; Downs; Adams; Kilcline; Peake; Bennett; McGrath; Regis; Brazil; Pickering

QPR: Barron; McDonald; Dawes; Neill; Wicks; Fenwick (Chivers); Kerslake; James; Rosenior; Byrne; Fereday