Queens Park Rangers vs Crystal Palace

THE OFFICIAL MATCHDAY PROGRAMME OF QUEENS PARK RANGERS FC 2022/23 SEASON 

£2.50 

vs 

CRYSTAL PALACE 

23.07.22 | 3PM | PRE-SEASON FRIENDLY

hoops 

2 WWW.QPR.CO.UK // @QPR // @OFFICIALQPR // OFFICIALQPRFC

#QPR 

@QPR on Twitter 

Contents 

hoops 

CLUB DIRECTORY 

Queens Park Rangers FC 

QPR Holdings Ltd, Kiyan Prince 

Foundation Stadium, South Africa 

Road, London, W12 7PJ 

Main Switchboard: 020 8743 0262 

Commercial Sales: 020 8740 2560 

Superstore: 020 8749 6862 

Direct Mail Order Line: 0870 240 4547 

Community Trust: 020 8740 2509 

Official Website: www.qpr.co.uk 

STAFF 

QPR FC/QPR Holdings Ltd Chairman: 

Amit Bhatia 

QPR Holdings Ltd Vice-Chairmen: 

Tony Fernandes, Ruben Gnanalingam 

Board members: 

Tony Fernandes, Ruben 

Gnanalingam, Amit Bhatia, 

CEO: Lee Hoos 

Financial Director: Ruban Ghandi 

Director of Football: Les Ferdinand 

Head Coach: Michael Beale 

Club Ambassador: Andy Sinton 

Club Historian: Chris Guy 

OFFICIAL TWITTER 

Queens Park Rangers @QPR 

QPR+ Pass @QPRPlusPass 

QPR in the Community Trust 

@QPRtrust 

QPR Women @QPRWFC 

PROGRAMME 

Editor: 

Ben Kosky 

Contributors: 

Tony Incenzo, Simon Cheshire, 

Lennie Harvey 

Designed by: 

Thomas Ridge 

This programme was produced on 

behalf of Queens Park Rangers by 

Ignition Sports Media. 

www.ignitionsportsmedia.com 

Printed by: Stephens & George Print Group 

The views of this publication are not necessarily the 

views of Queens Park Rangers Football Club. Material 

in this publication is copyrighted and may only be 

reproduced with written permission of Queens Park 

Rangers Football Club. All information correct at 

time of print. 

04 08 

13 20 

04 THE GAFFER 

Words from Michael Beale 

07 NEWS + MESSAGES 

All the latest from W12 

08 THE BIG READ 

Interview with Osman Kakay 

13 VISITING W12 

A look at our opposition 

16 MAGIC MOMENT 

A 6-0 victory for the R’s 

19 NEW FACES 

Welcome our summer arrivals 

20 BLAST FROM THE PAST 

Tony Scully on his R’s days 

24 JUNIOR HOOPS 

Test your knowledge 

26 ANDY SINTON 

Our ex-winger pens his column 

28 FIXTURES & RESULTS 

Stay updated this season 

OFFICIALQPRFC // @OFFICIALQPR // @QPR // WWW.QPR.CO.UK 

3

hoops 

The Boss 

OUR HEAD COACH SETS THE SCENE FOR TODAY’S GAME... 

This afternoon is my first 

game in charge of QPR at 

Loftus Road. It’s a hugely 

proud moment for me and my 

family and I’m really looking 

forward to it. 

One of the main reasons I 

wanted to join the club was that 

I know how big a difference the 

atmosphere and support you 

give the team can make. Given 

that it’s certainly not cheap to 

travel around Europe at the 

moment and we were playing at 

two stadiums that weren’t the 

easiest to get to, it was fantastic 

to see the fans travelling to 

Germany last week. To have 

our fans supporting us made 

the games we played feel more 

real, in a way, for the players 

and staff. It just underlined the 

pride and passion you have 

in your team, that will never 

be underestimated and we’re 

hugely thankful for it. 

We had a really positive camp 

out there, we trained extremely 

hard and didn’t give the boys 

much breathing space. It wasn’t 

just about training, though – 

there were a lot of meetings 

off the pitch as well because it’s 

important for everyone to get 

to know each other and if you’re 

all away together, nobody’s 

rushing to get home. We’ve had 

some new staff coming in, with 

myself and Damian Matthew, as 

well as Ross Bennett stepping 

up from the academy as head 

of sports science. The camp 

really helped our new signings to 

integrate with their team-mates 

and around that are new ideas 

as well. 

Part of my job is to allow people 

to be the best versions of 

themselves. This pre-season 

has been a clean slate for 

anyone that’s been out on loan, 

as well as the academy players 

and Under-23s who joined us – 

it’s a chance for those guys to 

step up and take the opportunity 

to show what they can do. 

We have key players that are 

established in the first team but 

we’ve also lost 12 or 13, which 

represents a lot of experience. 

I’m in a position now where I can 

give accurate feedback to all 

the players on their roles in the 

squad – and that clarity is really 

important. I think the players 

respond to clarity, it enables you 

to have peace of mind and that 

will enable you to perform. 

It was a big boost to have Chris 

Willock back in limited training, 

he’s a key player in the team and 

really well liked in the changingroom. 

His level of training will 

increase with a view to him 

being involved in some part at 

Blackburn, that’s our aim at this 

stage. Luke Amos had a minor 

setback, so he wasn’t involved 

in the games in Germany and 

the same goes for Tyler Roberts. 

It’s just a matter of building their 

fitness – the days they’ve missed 

in pre-season, we need to put 

those back in their legs. 

I’d like to welcome the Crystal 

Palace staff and players to 

Loftus Road, it’s great to have 

them here for our only home 

pre-season friendly and we 

wish them well for the coming 

season. A special mention to 

our former player Ebere Eze 

– it’s fantastic to see how well 

he’s done since moving to the 

Premier League. 

I look forward to meeting you 

all during the season and thank 

you in advance for your support, 

which is incredibly important to 

all the players and staff. 

Come on you R’s! 


hoops 


5

hoops 

errea.com 

We stand for Clean sport. 

Even for your skin. 

Sport is the most beautiful thing in the world, and nothing must be allowed to pollute that beauty. That is why, besides developing 

increasingly high-performance materials that have a low impact on the environment, we at Erreà are the first teamwear company in 

Europe to have been awarded STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX ® certification. This certification sets extremely strict limits for 

substances harmful to health, which is why our fabrics are highly safe in all conditions. With Erreà, sport and health run side by side. 


hoops 

EVIE RAE 

To Evie, our Rae of sunshine. 

We know that you‘re with 

us, supporting both of your 

teams today. We love and 

miss you always. Your family 

xxx 

WATCH THE 

BOYS TRAIN AT 

LOFTUS ROAD 

QPR supporters can 

see the players train at 

Loftus Road under the 

watchful gaze of new 

head coach Michael Beale 

on Tuesday 2nd August, 

just four days before our 

first home game against 

Middlesbrough. 

The open training 

session gets under way 

at 11am and continues 

for approximately 90 

minutes, after which the 

players will be available to 

sign autographs and pose 

for selfies. 

The Paddocks open at 

10am and fans are asked 

to make a small donation 

on entry, which will be split 

equally between QPR in 

the Community Trust and 

Prostate Cancer UK. 

Meanwhile, there will 

also be an opportunity 

to check out the new 

2022/23 range in the QPR 

Superstore, which is open 

from 9.30am to 4.30pm. 

MEDICAL TEAM 

SHAKE-UP 

Ross Bennett has been 

appointed head of sports 

science as part of a wider 

restructuring of the club’s 

medical department over 

the close season. 

Bennett, who previously 

worked with Rangers’ new 

head coach Michael Beale 

at Chelsea, steps up after 

nine years with the club’s 

academy and is assisted 

by Matt Horton. 

Aaron Harris remains as 

head physiotherapist, 

while he and Bennett both 

report to Dr Imtiaz Ahmad, 

the newly-appointed 

head of medicine and 

performance. 

OBITUARY 

PAUL COUGHLAN 

Lifelong Rangers fan Paul 

Coughlan sadly passed 

away during the close 

season. Despite living in 

south London and Kent for 

many years – surrounded 

by Crystal Palace family 

and friends – Paul never 

forgot his west London 

roots and would get back 

to Shepherd’s Bush as 

often as he could. He liked 

nothing better than having 

a pre-match pint in the 

Queen Adelaide and talking 

about all things Rangers. 

MITCHELL 

Our wonderful 

grandson Mitchell Bath 

turned 18 on Friday 15th July. 

Mitchell has been coming 

to watch the R’s since he 

was seven with his Nan and 

Grandad. He’s a season ticket 

holder in MU in the Upper Loft 

and definitely loves an away 

day too (as many as possible!) 

Hoping for a great season, 

with lots of love as always 

from Nan and Grandad xx 


7

hoops 


hoops 

INTERVIEW: BEN KOSKY 

MAKING AN 

IMPRESSION 

LONG-SERVING DEFENDER OSMAN KAKAY 

DISCUSSES HIS AIMS FOR THE NEW SEASON, 

DIFFERENT FORMATIONS AND THE RETURN OF A 

FAMILIAR FACE TO LOFTUS ROAD THIS AFTERNOON… 

Pre-season’s come around very 

quickly, Ossie. Given you had 

AFCON qualifiers with Sierra Leone 

in June, I’m wondering whether you 

managed to fit in a break at all… 

Yes, I had a holiday with my family before 

I went away with Sierra Leone. We had 

two games against Nigeria and Guinea- 

Bissau, which were a good test for us. 

Then fortunately the gaffer gave the 

players who were away on international 

duty an extra three weeks off, so I was 

able to spend some more time with my 

family before we got started. 

It’s only six months since you played at 

the last AFCON finals – what was that 

experience like for you? 

It was an unbelievable experience, one 

of the best of my career – to represent 

my country at the tournament was a 

great honour and I’m itching for more 

of that in the future. As a nation we did 

well, drawing against two big teams – 

Algeria and Ivory Coast – but we could 

have done better. It’s all a learning curve 

though and hopefully we’ll qualify for the 

next one. Going up against players like 

Riyad Mahrez and Wilfried Zaha was a 

good test for me, a good challenge and 

what I want to be doing more of. 

Back at QPR, you’re now playing under 

your fifth manager/head coach since you 

joined the first-team squad. How are you 

enjoying working with Mick Beale? 

He’s a really good coach, his philosophy 

and style of play is very clear and all the 

players have taken it on board well. I 


9

hoops 

think the style will suit us as a team and 

hopefully I can be part of it. He’s been 

very open and given everyone a clean 

slate. As pre-season’s been so short, 

we’ve had to adapt very quickly and get 

on with it and training has been really 

competitive. 

In terms of formation, the new boss has 

been fairly fluid so far. Is it fair to say, 

though, that you feel more comfortable 

in a back four? 

Originally I am a right-back, but I feel I can 

play in a wing-back system as well. As a 

full-back in the modern game, first of all 

you have to be a solid defender but you 

also have to add assists and crosses to 

your game and I have to be contributing 

those too. I think in the Championship 

there are teams with many different 

formations and styles, so you have to be 

able to adapt. 

With Moses Odubajo moving on in the 

summer, do you see an opportunity to 

establish yourself as first choice on the 

right-hand side of defence? 

Most definitely, that’s been my goal ever 

since I signed for QPR as a seven-yearold, 

to be the number one right-back at 

the club. That’s obviously the aim for this 

year and I need to work hard every day 

in training, on and off the pitch to make 

sure I put myself in a position to achieve 

that. 

Although some of Crystal Palace’s 

squad are away in Australia, we can 

expect to see the likes of Zaha in action 

and they’ve got a promising lad called 

Ebere Eze… not sure if you know much 

about him! How are you looking forward 

to taking them on? 

I think it’ll be an exciting game and playing 

against those kind of opponents will be 


hoops 

good for us. Hopefully we can do well for 

the fans and get a good start going into 

the new season. 

Joking aside, you witnessed Eze’s 

impressive rise when you were teammates 

here at QPR. Was there ever 

any doubt he would make it at Premier 

League level? 

He’s an unbelievable talent – a great 

person and a great player. Before he 

even joined QPR he scored a hat-trick 

against us in the Under-23s with Millwall 

and I knew from that day he was going to 

make it. Hopefully he doesn’t remind us 

of what he can do today. 

Everyone who saw it will fondly remember 

your clinical finish across the Stoke 

goalkeeper the season before last… 

would one of your targets for the new 

season be to score a goal at Loftus Road? 

Most definitely! I’m due a home 

goal, that’d be one of my all-time 

accomplishments – and hopefully I can 

make sure it happens this season. 


11

GCL 

hoops 

GROUND CONSTRUCTION LIMITED 

Proud to be 

official construction 

sponsors of 

QPR FC 

Groundworks 

Concrete Frames 

Remediation 

Tower Cranes 

Demolition 

Keep your projects 

moving with GCL 

Our storage network enables us to simplify logistics 

and support sites within our area of operation, ensuring 

progress on site is always maintained. 

020 8238 7000 

info@groundconstruction.com 

www.groundconstruction.com 

GROUND FOR CONFIDENCE. 

12 INTEGRATED WWW.QPR.CO.UK CONSTRUCTION // @QPR EXCELLENCE // @OFFICIALQPR SINCE // 1997. OFFICIALQPRFC 

GCL IS AN EMPLOYEE OWNERSHIP TRUST

hoops 

Visiting W12: 

CRYSTAL PALACE 

Stadium: Selhurst Park - Opened: 1924 - Current Capacity: 25,456 - Club Colours: Red & Blue 

IN THE CABINET: 

CHAMPIONSHIP: 

Champions: 1978/79, 93-94 - Runners Up: 1968/69 

Play-off winners: 1988/89, 96/97, 03/04, 12,13 

LEAGUE ONE: 

Champions: 1920/21 - 

Runners Up: 1928/29 (South), 30/31 (South), 63/64 

LEAGUE TWO: 

Runners Up: 1960/61 

FULL MEMBERS CUP: 

Winners: 1990/91 

CLUB RECORDS: 

RECORD GOALSCORER: 

Peter Simpson - 165 

RECORD APPEARANCES: 

Jim Cannon - 660 (1973-74) 

RECORD TRANSFER FEE: 

Christian Benteke - £32,000,000 

RECORD TRANSFER 

FEE RECEIVED: 

Aaron Wan-Bissaka - £50,000,000 

BIGGEST WIN: 

9-0 v Barrow 1959 

BIGGEST DEFEAT: 

9-0 v Liverpool 1989 

OFFICIALQPRFC // @OFFICIALQPR // @QPR // WWW.QPR.CO.UK 13

hoops 

Crystal Palace 

OPPOSITION 

OVERVIEW 

Having embodied an 

unwelcome yo-yo tag 

during the early years 

of the Premier League, 

Crystal Palace now appear 

to be an established item of 

top-flight furniture. 

Palace are about to begin 

their 10th consecutive 

season at the highest 

level, well in excess of any 

of their previous stints – 

and have spent the bulk 

of that decade wedged 

comfortably in mid-table. 

The Eagles made a slow 

start last season under the 

guidance of former Arsenal 

midfield maestro Patrick 

Vieira, the Frenchman 

returning to London to 

take over the reins after 

Roy Hodgson stood down. 

They won just once in 

their first nine games, 

but a shock 2-0 victory 

at eventual champions 

Manchester City sparked 

Palace into life and they 

did enough to maintain 

a position well clear of 

danger, without ever 

threatening a tilt at the 

European places. 

Other highlights of the 

campaign included a 3-0 

thumping of Vieira’s old 

team at Selhurst Park in 

April, along with a run to the 

semi-finals of the FA Cup, 

where they succumbed 2-0 

to Chelsea. 

Palace were unable to 

field one of the leading 

lights of their season in 

that Wembley clash – 

influential midfielder Conor 

Gallagher, who was on 

loan from their opponents 

and has now returned to 

Stamford Bridge. 

However, the Eagles have 

so far retained their other 

star names, most notably 

talismanic forward and top 

scorer Wilfried Zaha, while 

Eberechi Eze – formerly of 

this parish – showed signs 

of recapturing his best form 

after returning from injury. 

Their main additions to 

the squad so far during 

the summer have been 

England goalkeeper Sam 

Johnstone, who joined 

on a free transfer after 

his contract at West 

Brom expired, and Cheick 

Doucoure, with Palace 

forking out an initial 

£18m to the sign the Mali 

international midfielder 

from Lens. 


hoops 

YEAR ON YEAR 

1921: 

Palace become the first 

team to win Division Three 

after its formation the 

previous summer – which 

was also their debut 

season as a Football 

League club. 

1962: 

The all-conquering 

Real Madrid side of the 

era, including Alfredo di 

Stefano, play in London for 

the first time when they 

defeat an Eagles side 4-3 

at Selhurst Park. 

1979: 

Terry Venables leads 

Palace to the Division 

Two championship, their 

second promotion in three 

years, edging out rivals 

Brighton for the title. 

1990: 

Palace reach their first 

FA Cup final by stunning 

holders Liverpool in a 4-3 

semi-final thriller. They 

draw 3-3 with Manchester 

United in an entertaining 

Wembley clash before 

losing the replay 1-0. 

1993: 

Despite accumulating 

49 points in the Premier 

League’s inaugural season, 

the Eagles are relegated on 

the last day after Oldham 

win their last three games 

to secure survival. 

2010: 

Palace, in administration 

for the second time in just 

over a decade, escape 

relegation to the third tier 

as a 2-2 draw at Sheffield 

Wednesday sends their 

opponents down instead. 

COMINGS 

AND GOINGS 

COMING IN 

Sam Johnstone (GK) 

From: West Brom 

Killian Phillips (M) 

From: Drogheda Utd 

Cheick Doucoure (M) 

From: Lens 

Malcolm Ebiowei (F) 

From: Derby 

GOING OUT 

Martin Kelly (D) 

released 

Jaroslaw Jach (M) 

To: Zaglebie Lubin 

DID YOU KNOW? 

Palace have won 

promotion to the top 

flight via the play-offs 

four times – each of 

them at a different 

stadium: Selhurst 

Park (1989), the old 

Wembley Stadium 

(1997), Millennium 

Stadium (2004) and 

the new Wembley 

Stadium (2013). 

KIT’S A KNOCKOUT 

Alan Pardew (1990) 

OFFICIALQPRFC // @OFFICIALQPR // @QPR // WWW.QPR.CO.UK 15

hoops 

QUEENS PARK RANGERS 6 

CRYSTAL PALACE 0 

SUNDAY 9TH MAY 1999 

NATIONWIDE LEAGUE DIVISION ONE 

A MEMORABLE hat-trick by Chris Kiwomya 

helped QPR avoid relegation on the final day of 

the 1998/99 season. Our other scorers were 

George Kulcsar, Tony Scully and Tim Breacker. 

There was intense pressure on Rangers, but we 

mastered the nerve-jangling occasion in some 

style by romping to a 6-0 victory. 

Kiwomya recalled: “(Manager) Gerry Francis tried 

to keep everyone calm in the dressing room 

beforehand. His team talk got us fired up and gave 

us a lot of confidence. 

“Gerry said to make sure we didn’t concede a 

goal early on as that would make the supporters 

edgy. He stressed that the most important thing 

was to keep a clean sheet and then our strikers 

could do the rest. 

“When we ran out on to the pitch, the atmosphere 

was absolutely electric, like an FA Cup final. The 

R’s fans were really brilliant – they had turned out 

in their thousands and were like a 12th man for us 

with a capacity crowd present. 

“Fortunately we got an early goal by George 

Kulcsar. He had never scored before so we knew it 

had to be our day. We went on to hit Palace for six 

and I was really pleased with my hat-trick. 

“It was great to see all those happy faces of our 

supporters when the final whistle sounded and we 

had stayed up!” 

RANGERS: Miklosko, Breacker, Baraclough, 

Kulcsar, Linighan, Maddix, Scully, Peacock, 

Rowland (Gallen 86), Slade, Kiwomya (Murray 86). 

Sub not used: Plummer. 

Attendance: 18,498 


hoops 


17

hoops 

PUTTING THE SPARK 

INTO MATCHDAY 

PROGRAMMES... 

PROUD PROGRAMME 

PARTNERS OF 

QUEENS PARK 

RANGERS 

www.ignitionsportsmedia.com 


hoops 

to 

THE NEW BOYS… 

Jake 

CLARKE-SALTER 

First through the door at 

QPR this summer was former 

England Under-21 central 

defender Jake Clarke-Salter, 

who made the short move 

from Chelsea. 

Three times an FA Youth Cup 

winner, Jake has amassed 

plenty of Championship 

experience during loan spells 

with Sunderland, Birmingham 

and Coventry. 

The 24-year-old also spent 

the 2018/19 campaign in the 

Dutch Eredivisie, on loan to 

Vitesse Arnhem. 

Kenneth 

PAAL 

Another new arrival with 

Eredivisie experience is leftback 

Kenneth Paal, who signed 

a three-year contract with 

Rangers after leaving 

PEC Zwolle. 

The 25-year-old began his 

career in the second tier of Dutch 

football with PSV Eindhoven’s 

reserve side, eventually making 

six appearances for the first team 

before joining Zwolle, initially on 

loan in 2018. 

Paal, who previously 

represented the Netherlands 

at Under-17 level, went on to 

feature in more than 100 games 

for Zwolle, scoring three goals. 

Tyler 

ROBERTS 

Wales international forward 

Tyler Roberts signed for QPR on 

a season-long loan deal from 

Leeds United, where he won the 

Championship title in 2020. 

Roberts started out with West 

Brom and was loaned to Oxford, 

Shrewsbury and Walsall before 

joining the Yorkshire club in a 

£2.5m switch in January 2018. 

The 23-year-old has made 

50 Premier League 

appearances since Leeds’ 

promotion to the top flight, as 

well as accumulating 19 caps for 

his country. 

HEADING FOR 

PASTURES NEW 

Several members of last season’s squad 

have donned new colours since their 

departures from Loftus Road in the summer. 

Striker Charlie Austin is now lining up 

for A-League side Brisbane Roar, while 

midfielder Dom Ball has signed for Ipswich 

and goalkeeper David Marshall returned to 

Scotland with Hibernian. 

Defender Jordy de Wijs converted his loan 

deal with Fortuna Dusseldorf into a permanent 

move, while wide man Moses Odubajo has 

joined Aris Thessaloniki – linking up at the Greek 

club with former QPR loanee Andre Gray. 


19

hoops 


hoops 

A Blast From the Past 

TONY 

SCULLY 

SPEEDY WINGER TONY SCULLY SCORED IN THE 6-0 WIN OVER 

CRYSTAL PALACE THAT ENSURED QPR AVOIDED RELEGATION 

TO THE THIRD TIER OF ENGLISH FOOTBALL ON THE FINAL DAY 

OF THE 1998/99 SEASON. HE SHARES HIS MEMORIES OF THAT 

REMARKABLE GAME WITH TONY INCENZO… 

Tony, you had a three-year spell at 

Rangers between 1998 and 2001 

but the biggest game you played 

in for us was the 6-0 home victory over 

Crystal Palace. What do you remember 

of the build-up to that fixture? 

It was quite intense as it was such a 

vital game for Queens Park Rangers. 

The pressure was on to get the win 

that would keep us in the division. 

Gerry Francis, the R’s manager, tried 

to take that stress off the players and 

build confidence in us. He let us know 

throughout the week how important it 

was to win the match for the whole club 

– all the players, the staff and the fans. 

Obviously none of us wanted to be in 

that kind of scenario, but it was there and 

we had to deal with it. 

There was a real nervous feel around 

the stadium when the game kicked off… 

I remember hundreds of balloons being 

on the pitch at the start as they had been 

released by Crystal Palace fans. Then the 

match itself, on an extremely hot Sunday, 

was a really keenly-contested battle to 

begin with. There was very little between 

the sides in those opening exchanges 

with no quarter given. It was so tight but, 

once George Kulcsar scored the opening 

goal for us, the whole crowd were able 

to settle a bit more. George hardly ever 

scored so we felt it could be a good 

omen! His game was all about breaking 

things up as a holding midfielder but he 

found himself on the edge of the box 

against Palace and hit a good volley. 


21

hoops 

Scully’s 

strike 

against 

Crystal 

Palace was 

one of the 

two goals 

he netted 

during his 

QPR career 

Chris Kiwomya went on to notch a hattrick. 

He was on fire that day… 

Yes, Chris had an outstanding game and 

the second goal came just before halftime. 

There was a long clearance by our 

keeper Ludek Miklosko all the way down 

the centre of the pitch and Chris raced 

through to score. Then he grabbed two 

more from close range and Tim Breacker 

got one by following in on a penalty save. 

The boys stood up to be counted and we 

got the result that was needed. 

Our best goal arrived in the second half 

when you sent a stunning half-volley 

into the top corner at the Loft End to 

make it 4-0. Do you recall that one? 

I think George knocked the ball over to 

me. Things seemed to happen in slow 

motion and it was taking forever to 

bounce, but eventually it sat up nicely in 

front of me and I just remember thinking 

it was there to be hit. So I did hit it and 

the roar of the crowd was unbelievable! 

I took my shirt off and waved it in the air, 

although I didn’t know what I was doing 

by that stage! I don’t think I even got 

booked for it. But I would have taken a 

yellow card if I had to because the goal 

more or less sealed the result for us. 

Gerry Francis used to play a video of 

each fixture back to the players at the 

training ground on a Monday during his 

post-match debrief. When your goal 

was shown and your naked torso 

appeared on the big screen, all 

the other players in the room 

started cheering! 

Yeah I know. Good times! 

The atmosphere against Palace 

was totally electric, wasn’t it? 

Oh, incredible – it meant so much 

to everyone and the fans really 

drove us over the line. It was the 

best atmosphere I experienced 


hoops 

Scully 

started his 

career with 

today’s 

opponents 

Crystal 

Palace 

before 

moving 

on to 

Manchester 

City and 

signing 

for QPR in 

1998 

at Rangers and like a carnival occasion 

in many ways. Loftus Road was always a 

great place to play at when it was full and 

rocking. There were lovely scenes on the 

final whistle with everyone celebrating 

together. Then I remember Gerry saying 

that, if he had known we were going to 

comfortably win 6-0, he would have had 

a much better sleep on the night before 

the game! 

You had three years in a blue and 

white hooped shirt. Was that victory 

over Palace the highlight of your time 

at QPR? 

Yes, I suppose so because it was a 

massively crucial fixture and the way it 

panned out. I scored and set up three or 

four of the goals. I also won our penalty, 

from which Tim fired in the rebound. So it 

was a memorable day all round and I had 

a good game, but the most important 

thing was the result. We gave the fans 

plenty to cheer about as they went away 

for the summer with something positive 

ahead of the next season. 

Did you enjoy your time at QPR overall? 

Yes, definitely. We had some really good 

players and I still speak to some of the 

lads now. Obviously I would have liked to 

play more games, but it is a great club 

with great fans. 

What are you up to nowadays? 

I work as a postman and I enjoy being out 

and about delivering the mail. Then I spend 

the weekends watching my son Anthony 

playing for Lincoln City in League One. I 

am very proud because he has been doing 

really well and long may that continue. 

Have you shown your son that video of 

you taking your shirt off against Palace 

back in 1999? 

He’s seen it, yeah. But he said he would 

never take his shirt off like that after 

scoring a goal! 


23

hoops 

JUNIOR 

HOOPS 

FUN, GAMES, TRIVIA & MORE! 

Hello everyone! 

Hey guys, it’s your 

favourite feline friend 

here! Over the next 

couple of pages you’ll 

get the chance to 

test your footballing 

knowledge! Challenge 

your family and friends 

to see who comes out 

on top! 

Jude 

SPOT THE BALL 

Can you spot the real ball location below? 

Follow me on Twitter 

@QPRJudeTheCat 


BIRTHDAYS! 

Big birthday wishes to 

all Junior Hoops 

celebrating in July… 

Jake Beason – 1st 

Jayden Cooper – 1st 

Joseph Hollis – 1st 

Isla Holloway – 1st 

Megan McGuire – 1st 

Charlie Ashwood – 2nd 

George Brunt – 2nd 

Lachlan Carroll – 2nd 

Liam Cole – 2nd 

Freddie Spencer – 2nd 

Frankie Bircham – 3rd 

Connor Elderfield – 3rd 

Freddie Mooney – 3rd 

Harry Probert – 3rd 

Alice Smith – 3rd 

Joseph Daniel Strutton- 

Conlan – 3rd 

Grace Wijeratna – 3rd 

Charles Cane – 4th 

Luke Fallon – 4th 

Charlie Gargan – 4th 

Alfie Giles – 4th 

Benjamin Halsey – 4th 

John Paul Knell – 4th 

Maison Taylor – 4th 

Aaron Condon – 5th 

Romeo Cox – 5th 

Lucie Kirby – 5th 

Seb Lawson – 5th 

Dylan Burnside – 6th 

Joshua Cavanagh-Kentish – 6th 

Ciaran McDonagh – 6th 

Siobhan-Lily Morgan – 6th 

Rory Ollard – 6th 

Xavier Shaw – 6th 

May Burford – 7th 

Ellis Foster – 7th 

Harrison Shepherd – 7th 

Isis Unger-Hamilton – 7th 

Bobby Bell – 8th 

Kyle Booth – 8th 

Charlie Jagger – 8th 

Celeste Madden – 8th 

Louis Marth – 8th 

Alex Maycock – 8th 

Frankie O’Meara – 8th 

Blake Toulson – 8th 

Ralph Woodford – 8th 

Theodore Ethan Golledge – 9th 

Zoe Manning – 9th 

Daniel McDonald – 9th 

Joe Murphy – 9th 

Hannah O’Sullivan – 9th 

Dillon Beattie – 10th 

Jamie King – 10th 

Charlie Lovell – 10th 

Harry Frolich – 11th 

Joe Henson – 11th 

Alfie Jacob-Green – 11th 

Nicholas Kerswell – 11th 

Brian Vaughan – 11th 

Alex Clark Luther – 12th 

Rhys Curnick – 12th 

Harrison Harwood-Pike – 12th 

Lewis Butcher – 13th 

Jack Calver – 13th 

George Chapman – 13th 

Harry Dowding – 13th 

Shey Fowler – 13th 

Ethan Knight – 13th 

Tyler Maccraith – 13th 

Henry Mayhew – 13th 

Rico Bebeagua – 14th 

Georgie Digby Burford – 14th 

Roman Galli – 14th 

Harry Lamerton – 14th 

Mani Martini – 14th 

Alastair McInnes – 14th 

Mckenna Sheehy – 14th 

Daisy Stephens – 14th 

Charlie Warren – 14th 

Alexander Abrahart – 15th 

Mitchell Bath – 15th 

Mackenzie Blue – 15th 

Michael Gabriel – 15th 

Emily-Rose Godfrey-Oliver – 15th 

Imogen Jackson – 15th 

Jacob Paull-Pelletier – 15th 

Eden Elias Yates – 15th 

Luke Coleman – 16th 

James Coleman – 16th 

Joshua Goy – 16th 

Harry Kerr – 16th 

Freddie Whisker – 16th 

Sophia Bates – 17th 

Samuel Chu – 17th 

Reece Collins – 17th 

Benjamin King – 17th 

Ryan O’Shea – 17th 

Madeline Platt – 17th 

Joshua Bankole – 18th 

Eddie Clarke-Irons – 18th 

Micheal Coen – 18th 

Hayden Conway – 18th 

Charlie Coyle – 18th 

Millie Drewitt – 18th 

Caden Philpott – 18th 

Matilda Stevens – 18th 

Saul Turgel – 18th 

Monty Wheals – 18th 

Harrison Arter – 19th 

Samuel Dell – 19th 

Sam Hall – 19th 

Aaron-James Lockwood – 19th 

Teddy O’Driscoll – 19th 

Ciara O’Neil – 19th 

Harry Zacs – 19th 

Nicholas Carter – 20th 

Ruby Ford – 20th 

Louis Freidman – 20th 

Mason Greasby – 20th 

Ellie Iasonos – 20th 

Luke Odd – 20th 

Marnie Toulson – 20th 

James Travers – 20th 

Ebony Akins – 21st 

Max Clark Luther – 21st 

Oliver Colbourne – 21st 

Theo Jones – 21st 

Sienna Taylor – 21st 

Catewyn Tellem – 21st 

Emily Cupples – 22nd 

Gabriel Davis – 22nd 

Max Horscroft – 22nd 

Teddy Robson – 22nd 

Katie Webb – 22nd 

Ted Bennett – 23rd 

Callum Benson – 23rd 

Harry Deakin – 23rd 

Elspeth Euden – 23rd 

Junior Fowler – 23rd 

Riley Hayes – 23rd 

Mac Henry – 23rd 

Tom Rudall – 23rd 

Enrique Smyth – 23rd 

Connor Williams – 23rd 

Stuart Gashi – 24th 

Corey Gordon – 24th 

Harrison Graham – 24th 

Ralph Guainiere – 24th 

Joe McElligott – 24th 

Miles Clifford – 25th 

Ilyas Damani – 25th 

Alex Keen – 25th 

Archie Mackintosh – 26th 

Leo Maddix – 26th 

Lewis Ruff – 26th 

Kian Campbell – 27th 

Tommy De Pear – 27th 

Vincent Eden – 27th 

Jake Felstead – 27th 

Will Felstead – 27th 

Maggie Jones – 27th 

Dylan Kelly – 27th 

Dylan Porter – 27th 

Quinn Ryan – 27th 

George Wigglesworth – 27th 

Matthew Wood – 27th 

Ed Allen – 28th 

Josh Minchin – 28th 

Aidan Morrissey – 28th 

Massimo Naylor – 28th 

Ted Parker – 28th 

Freddy Pithers – 28th 

Mason Putman – 28th 

Mason Barber – 29th 

Max Cheers – 29th 

Maddison Ramsey – 29th 

Milen Richards – 29th 

Imogen Stedman – 29th 

Charlie Gostelow – 30th 

Renee Hutton – 30th 

Henry Shanahan – 30th 

Elijah Ali – 31st 

Oliver Humphreys – 31st 

Daniel Irvine – 31st 

Sullivan Supple – 31st 

Ishaan Topan – 31st 


BACK IN 

THE DAY 

hoops 

Which current Premier League manager 

is pictured during his playing days? 

TEST YOUR 

KNOWLEDGE 

Q: Seven men have managed both 

QPR and Crystal Palace. How many 

can you name? 

NAME THE 

PLAYER 

• I was born in 1998 in 

Stourbridge, West Midlands 

• I made my Premier League 

debut at the age of 18 

against Liverpool 

• I made eight appearances 

for England Under-19s, 

scoring one goal 

• I scored on my QPR debut 

against Brentford in 2021 

25 

Answers: Spot the Ball: A, Back in the day: Antonio Conte (Tottenham), Test your Knowledge: Terry Venables, 

Alan Mullery, Trevor Francis, Ian Holloway, Iain Dowie, Paul Hart, Neil Warnock, Name the Player: Sam Field

hoops 

ANDY 

SINTON 

OUR CLUB AMBASSADOR’S 

VIEWS ON ALL THINGS QPR… 

Good afternoon everyone and 

welcome back to Loftus Road for this 

afternoon’s pre-season friendly against 

Crystal Palace, who will no doubt provide 

quality opposition. 

First of all I would like to welcome Mick Beale, 

our new head coach, and everyone at the club 

wishes him well as he takes charge of the team 

for the campaign ahead. Following a lengthy 

process in appointing a new head coach at the 

end of last season, the club decided Mick was 

the best man to take us forward. I am sure he is 

really looking forward to the challenge and for 

the league season to get started next week, 

when we travel to Blackburn Rovers – who 

themselves have a new head coach in charge. 

Mick has a fantastic reputation as a coach 

and has worked with some high-class players 

in recent years at his previous clubs, helping 

those players to improve and progress within 

the team set-up they were part of. I am a great 

believer that you never stop developing and 

improving as a player, whether you are an up 

and coming youngster trying to make your way 

in the game or an experienced professional 

who has hundreds of games under his belt. 

That ability and desire to learn, develop and 

improve should always be there in you as a 

player and I am sure Mick and his staff will bring 

this type of approach on the training ground 

every day as we look to push on. 

Personally I find it quite refreshing to see 

a coach such as Mick given an opportunity in 

charge of a team for the first time and I am 

sure he will get all the support he needs when 

he wants it from those close to him at the 

club. I know I speak for everyone at the club in 

wishing Mick, his staff and all the squad the very 

best of luck as we head into a new campaign. I 

also welcome our new signings to the club and 

wish them every success in their careers as 

QPR players. 

Today is our last pre-season game before the 

real business starts next week and it will be a 

good test against Palace who, under Patrick 

Vieira, enjoyed a good campaign. They have a 

squad full of Premier League quality and it will 

be a big challenge for us this afternoon. It will 

be great to see Ebere Eze back here, if he is 

involved for Palace. Ebere is a wonderful talent 

and has an exciting future ahead of him. 

The pre-season schedule is all about getting 

ready for the opening league fixture – such an 

important time for any player and any team. 


hoops 

I know our lads have been working really hard 

over the past few weeks since they returned 

and will be pushing hard to impress and get 

themselves in the team for the start of the 

season. With a new head coach and coaching 

team come new ways of doing things and new 

ideas to take on board. I am told the week or so 

away in Germany was great, with lots of work 

done on the training ground as well as the work 

off it, which is also very important. Being away 

together gives the group a real chance to bond 

and get to know each other, not only as players 

but also as people. 

As a player I used to enjoy pre-season! I 

enjoyed the hard work, knowing I was getting 

ready to start the campaign with new aims 

and goals to work towards individually and as a 


squad. Pre-season is about minutes in the legs 

through games and on the training pitch, as 

well as really nailing down the way you want to 

play, in and out of possession and making sure 

everyone involved understands their own role 

within the framework of the team set-up. 

It was always an exciting time, especially as the 

games started to come and the new season 

approached and I am sure all the squad will be 

keen to start the season well. 

I hope everyone has enjoyed their summer and 

is looking forward to the season ahead. 

Thanks as always for your incredible support 

and enjoy today’s game. 

Come on you R’s! 

27

hoops 

2022/23 

FIXTURES & RESULTS 

DATE KO OPPOSITION SCORE POS. STARTING XI 

JULY 

Sat 30 15:00 Blackburn Rovers 

AUGUST 

Sat 6 15:00 Middlesbrough 

Tue 9 19:45 Charlton Athletic CC 

Sat 13 15:00 Sunderland 

Tue 16 20:00 Blackpool 

Sat 20 15:00 Rotherham United 

Sat 27 15:00 Watford 

Tue 30 19:45 Hull City 

SEPTEMBER 

Sat 3 15:00 Swansea City 

Sat 10 19:45 Huddersfield Town 

Wed 14 15:00 Millwall 

Sat 17 15:00 Stoke City 

OCTOBER 

Sat 1 15:00 Bristol City 

Tue 4 19:45 Sheffield United 

Sat 8 15:00 Reading 

Sat 15 12:30 Luton Town 

Wed 19 19:45 Cardiff City 

Sat 22 15:00 Wigan Athletic 

Sat 29 15:00 Birmingham City 

NOVEMBER 

Wed 2 19:45 Norwich City 

Sat 5 15:00 West Bromwich Albion 

Sat 12 15:00 Coventry City 

DECEMBER 

Sat 10 15:00 Burnley 

Sat 17 15:00 Preston North End 

Mon 26 15:00 Cardiff City 

Thurs 29 19:45 Luton Town 

JANUARY 

Mon 2 15:00 Sheffield United 

Sat 14 15:00 Reading 

Sat 21 15:00 Swansea City 

Sat 28 15:00 Hull City 

FEBRUARY 

Sat 4 15:00 Huddersfield Town 

Sat 11 15:00 Millwall 

Tue 14 19:45 Sunderland 

Sat 18 15:00 Middlesbrough 

Sat 25 19:45 Blackburn Rovers 

MARCH 

Sat 4 15:00 Rotherham United 

Sat 11 15:00 Watford 

Tue 14 19:45 Blackpool 

Sat 18 15:00 Birmingham City 

APRIL 

Sat 1 15:00 Wigan Athletic 

Fri 7 15:00 Preston North End 

Mon 10 15:00 West Bromwich Albion 

Sat 15 15:00 Coventry City 

Wed 19 19:45 Norwich City 

Sat 22 15:00 Burnley 

Sat 29 15:00 Stoke City 

MAY 

Sat 6 15:00 Bristol City 

All fixtures subject to change. *Won 5-3 on penalties 


hoops 

KEY: GOALSCORER 1 - FIRST SUB - SECOND SUB - THIRD SUB - FOURTH SUB - FIFTH SUB - † OWN GOAL - YELLOW CARD - RED CARD 

SUBSTITUTES 

REFEREEE 


29

hoops 

Columnist 

BEN SUMMER 

‘R’ GENERATION WRITER BEN SUMMER 

SHARES HIS LATEST COLUMN 

The new season’s getting closer, and as 

we welcome Crystal Palace to Loftus 

Road, I thought it would be interesting 

to look back on where we were a year ago – 

almost to the day – when Manchester United 

rolled into town. 

A couple of goals from Lyndon Dykes, 

including a lovely low finish past Tom Heaton, 

an outrageous strike from Moses Odubajo 

and a goal by Charlie Austin that took full 

advantage of a lovely, wide-open space where 

a United full-back ought to have been… 

Yes, it’s “small club mentality” to be so 

chuffed with the result in a friendly. No, it 

wasn’t a full-strength United team, but that 

was one of the initial sparks of that odd 

feeling: ‘Maybe, this could be our year.’ 

The momentum kept going. A strong 

performance against Leicester (in which the 

crowd had their fun chanting at Jamie Vardy), 

a satisfactory result viewed through the 

opera binoculars in the Abbey Stadium away 

end and we were good to go. 

The opening moments of our first league 

game against Millwall felt like a crash back 

down to earth – the memory of watching Jed 

Wallace opening the scoring and sprinting 

towards the mass of fans in the away end still 

makes me feel a bit queasy – and despite the 

incredible, soaring oh-my-god-we’re-finallyhome 

feeling when Rob Dickie scored an 

equaliser, the game served as a reminder that 

not every team would be as easy to beat as 

Man United. 

But then, it kept going. Not winning every week, 

but winning enough to be sniffing around the 

top end of the division. Dominance up at Hull, 

spirit against Barnsley and Reading with two late 

equalisers, *that* Preston game… 

Listen, we all know how it ended up. It didn’t 

go the way anyone – fans, club, players – 

would have wanted. I kind of struggled to 

write this column towards the end of the 

season because trying to find a positive spin 

on what was, ultimately, a fall from grace 

was hard to write without being patronising. 

I still love following the club on a bad day, 

but nobody needs to be told to be happy on 

those bad days. 

But the reason I’m casting my mind back to 

a year ago is because of that pre-season 

feeling. It’s like taking the plastic film off a 

new toy. It’s all the familiar faces but with 

a summer holiday and a week in Germany 

under their belt. Johansen, Chair, and co 

maybe 10 per cent more nippy, 10 per cent 

sharper in the tackle, 10 per cent shorter hair 

than when we last saw them. 

The sting of the end of last season still 

in the memory, but the crushing weight 

of expectation lifted. Chuck in some new 

faces, a few weeks of coaching in the art 

of BealeBall, and who knows? I for one am 

looking forward to seeing how it goes. 


Ashville is rooted in construction and our history has morphed 

from boots on the ground to in house development and government 

infrastructure projects. Ashville encompasses every element in 

construction and is a fundamental part of all supply chains. 

We're proud to have over 15 years' experience within the industry, which in 

turn allows us to provide a responsive and reliable service for each of our 

customers. Our team and process are completely in-house which allows us 

to have control from initial concept to completion. 

ashvilleaggregates.com

THE SQUADS 

QUEENS PARK 

RANGERS 

HEAD COACH: MICHAEL BEALE 

CRYSTAL 

PALACE 

MANAGER: PATRICK VIEIRA 

ALBERT ADOMAH 

● 

● 

OMOTAYO ADARAMOLA 

LUKE AMOS 

● 

● 

JOACHIM ANDERSEN 

JORDAN ARCHER GK 

● 

● 

JORDAN AYEW 

FAYSAL BETTACHE 

● 

● 

SCOTT BANKS 

MACAULEY BONNE 

● 

● 

CHRISTIAN BENTEKE 

ILIAS CHAIR 

● 

● 

JACK BUTLAND GK 

JAKE CLARKE-SALTER 

● 

● 

NATHANIEL CLYNE 

ROB DICKIE 

● 

● 

CHEICK DOUCOURE 

SENY DIENG GK 

● 

● 

ODSONNE EDOUARD 

ANDRE DOZZELL 

● 

● 

EBERECHI EZE 

JIMMY DUNNE 

● 

● 

NATHAN FERGUSON 

LYNDON DYKES 

● 

● 

VICENTE GUAITA GK 

SAM FIELD 

● 

● 

MARC GUEHI 

STEFAN JOHANSEN 

● 

● 

REECE HANNAM 

NIKO HAMALAINEN 

● 

● 

WILL HUGHES 

OSMAN KAKAY 

● 

● 

SAM JOHNSTONE GK 

CHARLIE KELMAN 

● 

● 

CHEIKHOU KOUYATE 

CONOR MASTERSON 

● 

● 

JAMES MCARTHUR 

CHARLIE OWENS 

● 

● 

JEAN-PHILIPPE MATETA 

KENNETH PAAL 

● 

● 

REMI MATTHEWS GK 

TYLER ROBERTS 

● 

● 

LUKA MILIVOJEVIC 

OLAMIDE SHODIPO 

● 

● 

TYRICK MITCHELL 

GEORGE THOMAS 

● 

● 

JACOB MONTES 

JOE WALSH GK 

● 

● 

MICHAEL OLISE 

CHRIS WILLOCK 

● 

● 

LUKE PLANGE 

● 

JESURUN RAK-SAKYI 

● 

JAIRO RIEDEWALD 

● 

JEFFREY SCHLUPP 

● 

ROBERT STREET 

● 

JAMES TOMKINS 

● 

JOEL WARD 

● 

JACK WELLS-MORRISON 

● 

WILFRIED ZAHA 

Referee: 

James Linington 

Assistant Referee: 

Ian Cooper 

Assistant Referee: 

Leigh Crowhurst 

Fourth official: 

Sean Phillips

Queens Park Rangers vs Crystal Palace

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?