Queens Park Rangers v Sheffield United

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

ISSUE 13 £3.50 

vs SHEFFIELD UNITED 

02.01.23 | 8PM 

SKY BET CHAMPIONSHIP

#QPRSHU 

@QPR on Twitter 

Contents 

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CLUB DIRECTORY 

Queens Park Rangers FC 

QPR Holdings Ltd, Loftus Road, 

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, Richard Reilly 

CEO: Lee Hoos 

Financial Director: Ruban Ghandi 

Director of Football: Les Ferdinand 

Head Coach: Neil Critchley 

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. 

04 13 

25 48 

04 HEAD COACH 

Words from Neil Critchley 

34 MAGIC MOMENT 

Bailey’s late strike blunts Blades 

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09 NEWS + MESSAGES 

All the latest from W12 

13 THE YEAR JUST GONE 

The highs and lows of 2022 

22 ANDY SINTON 

Our ex-winger pens his column 

25 VISITING W12 

A look at our opposition 

36 THIRTY YEARS ON 

Gary Penrice recalls 1992/93 

48 ONE OF ‘R’ OWN 

Focusing on our U18s 

50 JUNIOR HOOPS 

Test your knowledge 

62 FIXTURES & RESULTS 

Stay updated this season 

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

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OUR HEAD COACH SETS THE 

SCENE FOR TODAY’S GAME... 

A 

VERY happy new year to everyone and 

welcome back to Loftus Road for our first 

game of 2023. 

The new year begins with what’s undoubtedly going 

to be a big test for us against Sheffield United. 

They’re a team that are going very well and they’ve 

got a fantastic squad of players – arguably, I would 

say, the strongest in the division when you look at 

it in terms of quality and depth in every position. 

So this is a great marker for us and the fact we’re 

playing at home means it’s an opportunity to try 

and impose our game on Sheffield United. That’s 

what I want to see us do here at Loftus Road – I 

want our supporters to see a team that’s playing 

on the front foot and taking the game to the 

opposition. 

Along with Sheffield United, Burnley are also leading 

the way in the Championship at the moment. 

We experienced a disappointing afternoon when 

they came to Loftus Road a few weeks ago and I 

understand the reasons for that – there was a bit 

of uncertainty around the group at the time, but 

hopefully we now have more clarity. So I expect 

to see a different approach this evening from the 

Burnley game. I’m learning all the time about what 

this group are capable of and at the same time 

they’re learning about me, in terms of what I accept 

or don’t accept. 

As I write, we’re finalising preparations for the Luton 

game so unfortunately I’m not able to reflect on 

that here. However, I hope we’ve been able to build 

on the back-to-back clean sheets we achieved in 

the previous two games. To go away from home in 

the Championship and not concede in 180 minutes 

of football is something we can certainly be pleased 

about. We gave the opposition very few chances 

in either of those games and that’s down to the 

collective organisation shown by all the players. But 

we also want to provide a more potent threat with 

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

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our play – at Cardiff we had good control at times 

but didn’t really do enough with the ball – and that’s 

something we’ll keep working on. 

Now we’re into January, the transfer window is open 

and that means plenty of speculation around clubs 

and players. It’s been a part of the game for a long 

time now and something you can prepare for and 

I think we have good communication throughout 

the club in terms of knowing where we’re at and 

what we need to do. You also need to be aware of 

players possibly being targets for other teams and 

you have to be ready for a potential curveball or two 

as well. 

Supporters often get excited about new players 

and I understand that, but I’m also a big believer 

in improving the players you’ve already got within 

your own building. I don’t think enough emphasis is 

placed on developing and improving the players you 

have and at the moment I’m assessing our squad 

and the players we’ve got. But I’m also confident 

that, if we feel it’s necessary to go and strengthen 

within the means of the club, we’ll be given the 

support we need to do that. 

Once again, a happy new year to all QPR fans and I 

very much hope we can look forward to enjoying a 

successful 2023 together. 

Thank you for all your support. 


7

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NANCY 

Happy 18th birthday to Nancy 

Charles! Nancy has been a 

season ticket holder in the 

Lower Loft since the age of five 

and her favourite players during 

that time include Adel Taarabt, 

Charlie Austin and Chris Willock. 

Lots of love from Dad, Mum 

and Lois xx 

CAROLINE 

Happy birthday to 

Caroline from John, 

Emma, Ben and Mary. We 

all sit in X Block and are 

hoping the Hoops have a 

great finish to the season. 

Also thinking of lifelong 

supporter Robert, who we 

always miss. 

TONY HAMBLIN 

Lifelong QPR fan Tony Hamblin 

passed away on Monday 19th 

December, aged 83. Tony was a 

regular at Loftus Road 

throughout the majority of his 

life and almost always seen in 

QPR clothing! 

He leaves behind Helen, his wife 

of 59 years, children Neil, Jamie 

and Karen, grandchildren Ali, 

Alex, Jessica, Robin, Bethany, 

Charlie, George and Megan and a 

great-grandchild, Frankie. 

FIN 

Happy 15th birthday to 

Fin Reeves, hope you 

have a special day. Come 

on you R’s! Love from 

Dad, Mum and Lucie x 

JOSH 

Happy birthday to Josh, a totally 

dedicated and lifelong R’s fan. 

Have a wonderful day – of course 

helped with a win! Love from 

Mum, Dad, Nick, Oli and Bobby. 

CALLEN 

Despite living a long way 

from Loftus Road, we’re 

delighted to see Callen 

Leslie’s pride in showing 

off his QPR colours! 

Six-year-old Callen, 

whose favourite player is 

Lyndon Dykes, is 

apparently the only 

youngster in his school to 

wear an R’s kit. 

Perhaps that’s no 

surprise as he lives in 

Inverbervie, on the 

north-east coast of 

Scotland – but we’re sure 

Callen will do his best to 

convert some of his 

friends as well! 

ANDREW 

Happy birthday to Andrew 

Sharman, we hope you 

have the best day. All our 

love Shelley, Freddie and 

Jude xxxx 


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1890/91 FIXTURE WALLET BY QPR HISTORIAN CHRIS GUY 

The latest contribution to this 

feature can lay claim to being 

the oldest and most unique 

piece of Queens Park Rangers 

memorabilia in existence. 

It’s a fixture wallet from the 

1890/91 season, the property 

of Clive Taylor who is one of 

our keenest collectors of club 

memorabilia. Clive has been a 

season ticket holder at Loftus 

Road since 1972. 

This is a truly fascinating piece 

of club history. It features a list 

of individuals that date back to 

the club’s origins in 1882. 

These include Jack McDonald 

(vice-captain) and committee 

men Fred Weller, Joe Spurr and 

Harry Creber. 

The four of them were all 

friends at Droop Street Board 

School in Queen’s Park when 

Jack McDonald had the idea of 

starting a school football team. 

When the quartet left school, 

they all joined St Jude’s Institute 

FC, who went on to merge with 

Christchurch Rangers FC to 

become Queen’s Park Rangers 

Football Club in 1886. 

Also listed on this fixture wallet 

are the patrons of the club, 

who include Lord Randolph 

Churchill (father of Winston 

Churchill) and William Whiteley, 

who founded the famous 

Whiteley’s department store in 

Queensway. 

The fixture wallet was accepted to 

gain admission to home matches 

(in effect what we now know as 

a season ticket). The admission 

price for those not in possession 

of a fixture wallet was 3d. 

Most of our fixtures during 

this season were friendlies 

and these were played at the 

London Scottish Ground in 

Brondesbury. However, some 

fixtures were moved as the 

ground was prone to flooding. 

Competitions entered in 

1890/91 were the West London 

Senior Cup, West London 

Observer Cup and the West 

London Challenge Cup. 

The West London Challenge 

Cup was a small tournament 

with only eight teams in it, 

but the competition didn’t 


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lack controversy. Our first 

round opponents, St John’s 

Hammersmith, were unable to 

field a full team and the game 

was therefore rearranged as a 

friendly, which Rangers won 8-0. 

In the next round (a semi-final 

against Hanwell) the match was 

cancelled when the visitors failed 

to show up for the match. The 

organisers declined to award us a 

walkover and instead ordered the 

match to be played three weeks 

later. Rangers won this game 4-2 

with goals from Teagle, Stroud 

and McDonald (2) to reach the 

final – but mysteriously the game 

was never played. 

Our West London Observer Cup 

campaign ran along similarly 

controversial lines, with QPR 

given a bye to the second round 

of the competition. 

Here they were drawn against 

Kensington Rangers, but the tie 

took a month to decide as we 

were not told the venue for the 

original fixture! 

We then objected to the state 

of the Kensington club’s ground 

and the contest was finally 

settled with a 5-1 win for QPR 

after the tie was switched to our 

temporary Barn Elms ground. 

For the semi-final, Rangers 

travelled to the Half Moon’s 

ground in Putney for a tie against 

Stanley FC. Sadly, this was where 

our run in the competition ended 

as Stanley won 4-1 with Teagle 

scoring for Rangers. 

The West London Observer 

report of the time stated 

amusingly: “the duties of referee 

were performed by Mr Westie 

with great acceptance and his 

decisions gave great satisfaction!” 

One fascinating observation 

about the wallet is that the shade 

of blue matches our current 

colours. At that time our shirts 

were light and dark blue halves. 

A year later in 1892 we would 

wear hoops for the first time 

(green and white). This period 

was certainly one of change 

for the club. 

It wasn’t until 1926 that we 

switched to our famous blue 

and white hoops. During the 

previous three seasons Rangers 

had finished bottom of Division 

Three (South) on two occasions, 

which meant we had to apply 

for re-election to stay in the 

Football League. 

At a Football League Management 

Committee meeting in June of 

that year, it was agreed that we 

could switch colours. 

Many thanks to Clive for sharing 

this historic and unique piece of 

club memorabilia. 

Our thanks are also due to 

the Macey family, whose 

research was used in compiling 

this feature. 

Do you own a piece of interesting or unusual QPR 

memorabilia? If so, we’d love to see some photos and hear 

more about it – please email your contributions to us at 

programme@qpr.co.uk. 


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2022 

A YEAR IN 

REVIEW 

IT WAS ANOTHER EVENTFUL YEAR IN W12, WITH 

PLENTY OF COMINGS AND GOINGS, PEAKS 

AND TROUGHS AND A FAIR SPRINKLING OF 

HEROES AND VILLAINS ALONG THE WAY. WE 

RECALL SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS – AND 

LOWLIGHTS – OF 2022 FROM A QUEENS PARK 

RANGERS PERSPECTIVE… 

> 


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JANUARY 

Jordan Archer’s FA Cup penalty heroics 

come at a cost, with the goalkeeper 

hospitalised after injuring his shoulder as 

he seals QPR’s place in the fourth round. 

Archer’s save from Rotherham’s 

Chiedozie Ogbene secures an 8-7 victory 

in the third round shoot-out – but also 

rules him out for the rest of the season 

and, with first choice Seny Dieng away 

at the Africa Cup of Nations, former 

Scotland international David Marshall is 

hastily signed as a replacement. 

In the league, Lyndon Dykes scores twice 

as fourth-placed Rangers thrash Reading 

4-0 to rack up a fifth straight victory. 

FEBRUARY 

While Dieng is collecting an AFCON 

winners’ medal with Senegal, Rangers’ 

cup hopes come to an end as they go 

down to a 2-0 defeat in their fourth 

round tie at Peterborough. 

That result also appears to spark a 

downturn in Championship form, with 

Mark Warburton’s side registering just a 

single win during the month. 

It turns out to be an unlikely one, with 

the R’s reduced to 10 men for more 

than half of the game against Blackpool 

following the dismissal of on-loan 

defender Dion Sanderson, only for Luke 

Amos to snatch a late winner. 


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MARCH 

Goalkeeping resources in W12 are 

looking ever more threadbare, with 

Dieng now back at the club but joining 

Archer on the injury list – and Marshall 

tearing his hamstring in a 3-1 defeat at 

Nottingham Forest. 

Veteran keeper Keiren Westwood, a free 

agent since leaving Sheffield Wednesday 

at the end of the previous season, is 

drafted in to make his QPR debut four 

days later at home to Peterborough. 

Unfortunately, Rangers slump to a 3-1 

loss, their third reverse against the 

Championship’s bottom side, and slide 

further away from the play-off places. 

APRIL 

Rangers field their fifth goalkeeper 

of the campaign, with 20-year-old 

Murphy Mahoney making his debut at 

extremely short notice after Westwood 

is taken ill during the pre-match warmup 

against Preston. 

Mahoney’s efforts at Deepdale are not 

enough to avert a fifth successive defeat 

and, just as in February, the R’s only 

success of the month comes courtesy of 

a late winner from Amos. 

The midfielder’s 88th-minute strike 

on Easter Monday consigns Derby to a 

1-0 defeat and relegation, while QPR’s 

faint chances of making the top six are 

finally extinguished after losing 3-1 to 

Sheffield United. 


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MAY 

Andre Gray nets the only goal in QPR’s 

final game of the season at Swansea, 

ensuring that both he and manager 

Warburton finish their careers with the 

club on a positive note. 

Warburton’s three-year tenure ends 

as Rangers opt against renewing his 

contract, with the team finishing in 11th 

place – two positions and two points shy 

of their 2020/21 record. 

Along with the on-loan Gray, several other 

members of the squad depart – defensive 

trio Yoann Barbet, Lee Wallace and Jordy 

de Wijs, midfielder Dom Ball, striker 

Charlie Austin and goalkeepers Marshall 

and Westwood. 

JUNE 

QPR announce the appointment of 

Mick Beale, previously Steven Gerrard’s 

assistant at Glasgow Rangers and Aston 

Villa, as the club’s head coach. 

An experienced coach, the 41-year-old 

is handed his first opportunity 

to take charge of a club following what 

chief executive Lee Hoos describes 

as a ‘meticulous process’ to find the 

best candidate. 

Beale’s first signing is central defender 

Jake Clarke-Salter on a free transfer from 

Chelsea, closely followed by left-back 

Kenneth Paal, who moves to Loftus Road 

from Dutch club PEC Zwolle. 


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JULY 

The squad for the upcoming season 

continues to take shape, with two more 

players arriving at Loftus Road on yearlong 

loans. 

Wales international forward Tyler Roberts 

joins on loan from Leeds and features 

in Rangers’ first pre-season friendly at 

Crawley, while Brighton midfielder Taylor 

Richards signs the week before the 

Championship season gets under way. 

Richards makes his QPR debut as a 

substitute in the opening game of the 

campaign, a 1-0 defeat at Blackburn – 

along with 19-year-old Academy graduate, 

centre-forward Sinclair Armstrong. 

AUGUST 

Seny Dieng becomes the first QPR 

keeper to score a goal, heading in Ilias 

Chair’s stoppage-time cross to secure a 

dramatic 2-2 draw at Sunderland. 

With Chair reducing the two-goal deficit 

from a free-kick just minutes earlier, Dieng 

steams forward for a corner, grabbing that 

unexpected equaliser to silence the home 

crowd at the Stadium of Light. 

Chris Willock, who misses the 

Sunderland game, nevertheless finds the 

net in each of his first four appearances 

of the season to ensure Rangers are 

soon flying with back-to-back wins 

against Watford and Hull. 


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SEPTEMBER 

QPR players, staff and supporters 

pay their respects to the late Queen 

Elizabeth II with a minute’s silence, the 

laying of wreaths and a rendition of the 

national anthem before kick-off 

against Stoke. 

The game, which is the first fixture to 

be played at Loftus Road since the 

Queen’s passing nine days earlier, finishes 

in a 0-0 draw. 

Second-half goals from Chris Willock and 

skipper Stefan Johansen earn Rangers all 

three points in their London derby against 

Millwall at the Den to maintain the team’s 

bright start to the campaign. 

OCTOBER 

Rangers hit the Championship 

summit following a 3-0 home victory 

over Cardiff – the first time they have 

occupied top spot in the table since the 

2013/14 campaign. 

The R’s win five of their first six games 

during the month, beginning with 

successive away wins at Bristol City and 

Sheffield United and coming from behind 

to beat Reading 2-1, with Lyndon Dykes 

netting both goals. 

The centre-forward records another 

double in the Cardiff game before Paal 

notches his first goal for the club with a 

far-post header from Sam Field’s cross. 


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NOVEMBER 

Beale’s departure to return to Ibrox 

as manager leaves the R’s searching 

for a new head coach again while the 

Championship season pauses for the 

World Cup in Qatar. 

The team had gone into the World Cup 

break on a lean run, having suffered backto-back 

defeats at home to West Brom 

and Huddersfield – the latter despite 

enjoying a staggering 71 per cent of 

possession and racking up 36 shots. 

Those two losses are quickly followed by 

a third as Coventry triumph 2-0 in what 

turns out to be Beale’s final match in the 

QPR dugout. 

DECEMBER 

Former Blackpool boss Neil Critchley 

takes over as Rangers’ new head 

coach after agreeing a three and a half 

year contract. 

Critchley, who led the Seasiders to 

promotion in 2021 and kept them in the 

Championship the following season, 

immediately snaps Rangers’ losing streak 

by overseeing a 1-0 victory at Preston in 

his first game in charge. 

That win is achieved without the 

services of Ilias Chair, still in Qatar 

where he features for Morocco in their 

World Cup third-place play-off match 

against Croatia. 


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Columnist 

ALEX BULLAMORE 

‘R’ GENERATION WRITER ALEX BULLAMORE 

DISCUSSES THE LATEST GOINGS-ON IN W12 

Just a fortnight ago, in our new manager’s 

first game in charge, QPR played out a 

fantastic 1-0 victory against Preston 

North End. 

I must admit I wasn’t entirely focused on what 

was happening at Deepdale – actually I nearly 

missed the only goal of the game. Because 

instead I was glued to the TV watching the 

World Cup third place play-off. 

Prior to this edition of the World Cup, I would 

have told you that the third place play-off is 

a game that no-one wants. Not the fans, not 

the managers and definitely not the players. 

When England were playing Belgium in the 

2018 edition, I was instead watching QPR play 

AFC Wimbledon in a very drab pre-season 

friendly. But this time I was glued to the 

screen –partly because the game was quite 

enjoyable and clearly both sides wanted to 

finish in third place, which was nice to see – 

but mainly because at half-time QPR’s Ilias 

Chair was introduced as a sub. 

You see, I had spent the majority of 

Morocco’s World Cup games wishing and 

praying with blind faith and loyalty to QPR 

that our player might get some minutes on 

the pitch, regardless of the outcome for 

Morocco. Perhaps a selfish attitude to take, 

but I did sit through all of Australia’s games at 

the 2018 World Cup, praying again that the 

one QPR player in the squad would feature in 

one of the games. Even as they lost to Peru, 

of all teams, the Aussie coach held firm and 

refused to send on Massimo Luongo, who 

that season had found a knack of scoring 

goals. So you can perhaps understand why I 

was so desperate for Chair to get on, having 

experienced disappointment in 2018. 

As a younger QPR fan, I’ve not exactly been 

blessed with experiencing too much of QPR 

at the top table and I’ve seen even less of our 

players featuring at World Cups and other 

international tournaments. So, for example, 

when Seny Dieng played at the start of last 

year’s AFCON I watched every moment. 

When Lyndon Dykes plays for my beloved 

Scotland, I’m of course watching every 

second hoping that he scores. 

But let’s get back to Chair. It was the first 

time I had ever celebrated a substitution with 

the same excitement I might celebrate a 

QPR goal. It meant everything to me to see 

this person who I’ve never met experiencing 

World Cup football and, considering how 

long Chair has been with QPR, it made 

the moment that bit sweeter. There isn’t 

much more for me to say apart from 

congratulations to Ilias Chair – the sight of 

him against Luka Modric in a one v one will 

live long in my memory. I just hope that at the 

next World Cup Scotland and Lyndon Dykes 

can join the party. 


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SINTON 

OUR CLUB AMBASSADOR’S 

VIEWS ON ALL THINGS QPR… 

I 

would like to start by wishing everyone a 

very happy new year and welcome back to 

Loftus Road for the game tonight against 

Sheffield United. 

The Blades have got themselves into a 

tremendous position in the table and currently 

sit in the automatic promotion places, with a big 

gap from the chasing pack beneath them. They 

are a big club in the Championship, with a terrific 

following and I am sure everyone connected with 

Sheffield United will be hopeful and confident 

they can achieve promotion back to the Premier 

League at the end of the season. They have a 

very talented squad and, although we gained a 

superb 1-0 victory in the reverse fixture up at 

Bramall Lane in October, I was impressed with 

them as a team. 

We know we will have to be at our best tonight 

to gain the three points on offer. It is certainly a 

great game to look forward to and a great game 

with which to kick off 2023. 

I am writing these notes prior our game against 

Luton Town, but I hope we have gained another 

positive result going into tonight’s fixture. On 

Boxing Day we returned from Cardiff City with a 

hard-fought 0-0 draw. It is fair to say the game 

was not a classic but, as always, there were 

positives to take from the game. 

Any point away from home in the Championship 

should never be underestimated and it was 

pleasing to keep another clean sheet following 

on from the one we gained at Preston. To be fair, 

neither goalkeeper had saves to make, but I felt 

Cardiff had the better chances in the second 

half and failed to take them. I believe it is hugely 

important that, when you are not at your best as 

a team, you get something out of games – which 

we did. Who knows just how important that point 

could be at the end of the season? Neil said 

afterwards that we needed to be better with our 

attacking play and to be more of a threat to the 

opposition, which everyone who saw the game 

would agree with. 

You only have to look closely at the league table 

to see how tight it is, with a number of teams 

jostling for position in and around the play-off 

positions. As I write these notes, only three 

points separate 12 teams from fifth position 

down to 16th – which is quite incredible and goes 

to show how important and valuable every point 

gained can be. 

As I have said before, consistency in performance 

is key as that usually gets you the results you 

want and need. We are in the mix and in a good 

position as the new year starts and we are looking 

to kick on from now until the end of the season. 


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It promises to be an exciting second half of the 

season, where every game and result really 

matters. We can only control what we do and just 

have to focus on being the best we can be on the 

day, against whoever we play – starting tonight. 

I would like to congratulate our Under-18 

youth team, who had a memorable win against 

Tottenham Hotspur in the third round of the FA 

Youth Cup just before Christmas. Trailing 1-0 

with only a couple of minutes left, an equaliser 

from Teddy Lawrence forced the game into extra 

time where goals by Kieran Petrie and another by 

Teddy sealed a 3-1 win to take the lads through 

to the next round and an away tie at Luton 

Town. Everyone connected with the youth team 

should be extremely proud of the win and no 

doubt looking forward to going to Luton in the 

next round. It is great for young players who are 

just starting out in their footballing journey to 

experience nights and games like this, to savour 

the extra bit of exposure they can get from 

playing in those and being successful. Well done 


to coach Micah Hyde, his staff and all the players 

and we wish them the very best of luck in the 

next round. 

As another new year starts, we will all have our 

own personal hopes and aspirations for what 

lies ahead. I wish everyone a very happy – and, 

above anything else, a healthy – new year. I hope 

whatever you are hoping for can be achieved. 

Once again I would like to thank all our supporters 

for the incredible support you have given the 

team throughout the season both at home and 

away matches – it has been magnificent. Do not 

underestimate how important your support is 

for the club and the team, as we strive to keep 

moving forward together. 

Get behind Neil, his staff and the team tonight as 

we look to get the three points. Be loud and be 

proud of who we are – We are QPR. 

COME ON YOU R’s 

Andy 

23

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Visiting W12: 

SHEFFIELD UNITED 

Stadium: Bramall Lane - Opened: 1855 - Current Capacity: 32,050 - Club Colours: Red & White 

IN THE CABINET: 

PREMIER LEAGUE (LEVEL 1) 

Champions: 1897/98 - 

Runners-up: 1896/97, 1899/00 

FOOTBALL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP 

(LEVEL 2) 

Champions: 1952/53 - 

Runners-up: 1892/93, 1938/39, 1960/61, 

1970/71, 1989/90, 2005/06, 2018/19 

FOOTBALL LEAGUE ONE (LEVEL 3) 

Winners: 2016/17 - Runners-up: 1988/89 

FOOTBALL LEAGUE TWO (LEVEL 4) 

Winners: 1981/82 

FA CUP 

Winners: 1899, 1902, 1915, 1925 - 

Runners-up: 1901, 1925 

CLUB RECORDS: 

RECORD ATTENDANCE: 

68,287 (Sheff Utd v Leeds Utd 1936) 

RECORD GOALSCORER: 

Harry Johnson (201) 

MOST APPEARANCES: 

631– Joe Shaw (1948-66) 

BIGGEST WIN: 

10-0 v Port Vale, 1892 

BIGGEST DEFEAT: 

13-0 v Bolton, 1890 

RECORD TRANSFER 

FEE PAID: 

£23.5 million (Brewster, Liverpool) 

RECORD TRANSFER 

FEE RECEIVED: 

£28million (Ramsdale, Arsenal) 

OFFICIALQPRFC // @OFFICIALQPR // @QPR // WWW.QPR.CO.UK 25

hoops 

Sheffield United 

OPPOSITION 

OVERVIEW 

Eliminated from the 

play-offs in cruel 

fashion last season, 

Sheffield United look a 

good bet to avoid any 

possibility of enduring 

the same fate again as 

they set their sights on 

automatic promotion. 

The Blades overturned a 

semi-final first-leg deficit 

on the road, defeating 

Nottingham Forest 2-1 at 

the City Ground only to lose 

out on penalties and end 

their hopes of returning to 

the Premier League at the 

first attempt. 

Far from licking their 

wounds, however, the club 

have quietly regrouped, 

adding depth to their 

squad with prudent use of 

the loan market and they 

go into 2023 in possession 

of a top-two berth. 

United’s renewed 

challenge for promotion 

has been strong enough 

to withstand a shocking 

run of form during 

October, when they 

collected just three points 

from six games and lost 

at home for the first time 

courtesy of Chris Willock’s 

winner for QPR. 

Prior to that, the Blades 

had posted some 

impressive results, 

hammering Blackburn 3-0 

and Reading 4-0 as well as 

winning three consecutive 

away games at Hull, 

Swansea and Preston 

without conceding a goal. 

Their form in the run-up 

to Christmas was virtually 

flawless, with the sole 

blip a home defeat to 

Rotherham and the 

stand-out moment a 5-2 

victory over promotion 

rivals Burnley, when Oli 

McBurnie netted twice. 

If they can maintain those 

standards, Sheffield 

will surely be hosting 

top-flight football again 

sooner rather than later. 


hoops 

The Gaffer 

Once a player at Sheffield 

Wednesday, Paul 

Heckingbottom is 

now the man charged with 

returning their Steel City rivals 

to the top flight since he took 

over from Slavisa Jokanovic in 

November 2021. 

Heckingbottom, who won 

promotion to the second 

tier with Wednesday and 

also turned out for Norwich, 

Bradford and Barnsley at 

Championship level, returned 

to Oakwell to take his first step 

on the coaching ladder. 

Starting out with the Tykes’ 

development squad, he had a 

brief spell as caretaker manager 

in 2015 and returned to the 

role with considerable success 

in the wake of Lee Johnson’s 

departure a year later. 

Having overseen a victory in 

the League One play-off final 

that season, Heckingbottom 

then steered Barnsley to a 

ninth-place finish the following 

year but quit in 2018 to take 

over as Leeds boss. 

He was sacked after just four 

months at Elland Road and 

then managed Hibernian 

before joining the Blades 

in 2020, with two spells in 

charge of their Under-23 

side sandwiching a period as 

caretaker manager. 


The Squad 

hoops 

Wes 

FODERINGHAM 

GOALKEEPER 

Age: 31 

Signed from: 

Rangers 

Adam 

DAVIES 

GOALKEEPER 

Age: 30 

Signed from: 

Stoke 

Anel 

AHMEDHODŽIĆ 

DEFENDER 

Age: 23 

Signed from: 

Malmö 

John 

EGAN 

DEFENDER 

Age: 30 

Signed from: 

Brentford 

Sander 

BERGE 

MIDFIELDER 

Age: 24 

Signed from: 

Genk 

Max 

LOWE 

MIDFIELDER 

Age: 25 

Signed from: 

Derby 

James 

MCATEE 

MIDFIELDER 

Age: 20 

Signed from: 

Manchester City 

Tommy 

DOYLE 

MIDFIELDER 

Age: 21 

Signed from: 

Manchester City 


The Squad 

hoops 

Ciaran 

CLARK 

DEFENDER 

Age: 33 

Signed from: 

Newcastle (Loan) 

Chris 

BASHAM 

DEFENDER 

Age: 34 

Signed from: 

Blackpool 

Enda 

STEVENS 

DEFENDER 

Age: 32 

Signed from: 

Portsmouth 

George 

BALDOCK 

DEFENDER 

Age: 29 

Signed from: 

MK Dons 

Reda 

KHADRA 

MIDFIELDER 

Age: 21 

Signed from: 

Brighton (Loan) 

Billy 

SHARP 

FORWARD 

Age: 36 

Signed from: 

Leeds 

Iliman 

NDIAYE 

FORWARD 

Age: 22 

Signed from: 

Boreham Wood 

Oli 

MCBURNIE 

FORWARD 

Age: 26 

Signed from: 

Swansea 


hoops 

Danger Man 

A 

promotion 

winner in 

three consecutive 

Championship seasons, 

Blades midfielder Oliver 

Norwood has yet to achieve 

the feat twice with the same 

team – for now. 

The former Northern Ireland 

international helped Brighton 

to reach the Premier League 

in 2017 before featuring in the 

Fulham and Sheffield United 

sides that followed them and his 

consistency this season is one 

the main reasons for renewed 

optimism at Bramall Lane. 

Norwood, who started out in 

Manchester United’s reserves, 

is renowned as one of the best 

passers in the division, but also 

gets through his fair share of hard 

graft and poses a genuine threat 

when it comes to set-pieces. 

After loan spells at Carlisle and 

Scunthorpe, the midfielder 

gained his first taste of 

second-tier football during a 

temporary move to Coventry 

and went on to establish 

himself as a first-team regular 

at Huddersfield, then Reading. 

He signed for Brighton in 

2016 and was loaned to 

Fulham following the Seagulls’ 

promotion to the top flight, 

switching to Bramall Lane at the 

start of the 2018/19 season. 

MIDFIELDER 

Age: 31 

Nationality: Northern Irish 

Signed from: Brighton 


hoops 

Year on Year 

1898: 

Having been runners-up 

to Aston Villa the previous 

year, United went one 

better by finishing five 

points clear of Sunderland 

to claim their only Football 

League title to date. 

1932: 

Long-serving club 

secretary John Nicholson, 

who oversaw four FA Cup 

triumphs in what was 

effectively a managerial 

role, died in a traffic 

accident en route to an 

away game at Aston Villa. 

1973: 

Work began to convert 

Bramall Lane – the Blades’ 

home ground since their 

formation in 1889 – into 

a dedicated football 

venue after also staging 

Yorkshire county cricket 

for many years. 

1982: 

After three relegations in 

five years, United launched 

their revival by coasting 

to the Division Four title 

under Ian Porterfield, with 

Keith Edwards rattling in 

35 goals. 

1992: 

Blades striker Brian Deane 

became the first player to 

score a goal in the newlyformed 

Premier League, 

netting after five minutes 

in a 2-1 victory over 

Manchester United. 

2016: 

Manager Chris Wilder 

guided the Blades to 

the League One title, 

amassing 100 points 

as they became only 

the fourth club to be 

champions in each 

of England’s top four 

divisions. 

COMINGS 

AND GOINGS 

COMING IN 

Anel Ahmedhodzic 

(D) – Malmo 

Ciaran Clark 

(D) – Newcastle (Loan) 

Tommy Doyle 

(M) – Man City (Loan) 

James McAtee 

(M) – Man City (Loan) 

Reda Khadra 

(M) – Brighton (Loan) 

GOING OUT 

Michael Verrips 

(GK) – Fortuna Sittard 

Jake Eastwood 

(GK) – Ross County 

(Loan) 

Joe Starbuck 

(D) – Kidderminster (Loan) 

Luke Freeman 

(M) – Luton 

Oliver Burke 

(F) – Werder Bremen 

Lys Mousset 

(F) – VFL Bochum 

David McGoldrick 

(F) – Derby 

DID YOU 

KNOW? 

Sheffield United’s 

Bramall Lane 

ground was 

originally home to 

city rivals Sheffield 

Wednesday until 

the Owls moved to 

the newly-opened 

Olive Grove in 1887. 


HERE’S 

A ST AT 

I BET 

YOU 

DIDN’T 

KN 

W

OVER HALF A MILLION 

SKY BET CUSTOMERS USE DEPOSIT LIMITS 

TO MANAGE THEIR BETTING BUDGET. 

THAT’S ENOUGH TO FILL: 

6 WEMBLEYS. 

201 ALLY PALLYS. 

OR 8 CHELTENHAM GOLD CUP DAYS. 

(THAT’S A LOT OF TWEED) 

ALL GOOD BOOKMAKERS 

HAVE DEPOSIT LIMITS. 

SO WHOEVER YOU BET WITH, 

SET AN APPROPRIATE ONE FOR YOU 

AND THEN ENJOY THE SPORT. 

DEPOSIT LIMITS 

THAT’S BETTING BETTER.

hoops 

QUEENS PARK RANGERS 3 

SHEFFIELD UNITED 2 

SATURDAY 22ND AUGUST 1992 

FA PREMIER LEAGUE 

A LATE goal by Dennis Bailey earned QPR victory 

in thrilling fashion at Loftus Road. 

The R’s went into this early season fixture having 

picked up four points from their opening two 

fixtures in the newly formed FA Premier League, 

while Sheffield United had collected three. 

In a whirlwind start, Les Ferdinand put Rangers ahead 

after just three minutes with a stunning solo strike. 

Having picked up possession in the centre circle, ‘Sir 

Les’ muscled his way past three challenges before 

shooting home from the edge of the box. 

The Blades were level within 60 seconds, however, 

when Alan Cork chested the ball past QPR defender 

Darren Peacock and fired into the roof of the net. 

Back came the R’s on 13 minutes, with Simon 

Barker ramming in a powerful header from Andy 

Sinton’s left flank cross to make it 2-1. 

United restored parity again in the 59th minute as 

Glyn Hodges clipped over a corner from the left and 

Brian Deane’s head did the rest. 

But Rangers sealed their triumph with four minutes 

to go. Bailey applied the finishing touch from 

six yards after substitute Garry Thompson had 

chested down Barker’s free-kick. 

Hoops manager Gerry Francis said afterwards: “I’m 

very pleased with the result and the start we have 

made to the season. But what is important is not to 

get carried away. 

“We’ve had three games so far and we’ve done 

well, but there’s a hell of a long way to go. The 

good thing is we’ve got what we deserved, but it is 

just three matches. 

“If we can keep on producing consistent 

performances, then we are going to win more 

games than we are going to lose.” 

RANGERS: Stejskal, Bardsley, Wilson, Wilkins, Peacock, 

McDonald, Barker, Holloway (Thompson 30), Ferdinand, 

Bailey, Sinton. Subs not used: Maddix, Roberts. 

Attendance: 10,932 


hoops 


35

hoops 


hoops 

INTERVIEW: TONY INCENZO 

IT’S NOW 30 YEARS SINCE ONE OF 

THE BIGGEST SHAKE-UPS IN ENGLISH 

FOOTBALL – THE LAUNCH OF THE 

PREMIER LEAGUE. 

As founder members of the new breakaway division, 

Queens Park Rangers made their mark on that inaugural 

1992/93 campaign, finishing in fifth place as London’s 

highest-ranked team. 

We take a wander through memories of that season with 

the players and staff who made it happen… next it’s 

energetic striker GARY PENRICE. 


37

hoops 

Left: Gary 

Penrice chases 

a through 

ball against 

Leeds. Below 

left: Penrice 

celebrates a 

QPR goal with 

friend and 

team-mate Ian 

Holloway 

GARY, the first season of the 

Premier League was 30 years 

ago now – does it only seem like 

yesterday? 

It does but, now you say it, we have all 

become extremely old! That’s one thing 

that comes across. 

There was plenty of publicity at the 

time, but did anyone realise how big 

the Premier League was going to 

become? 

No, it is unbelievable what has happened 

since then. But it was the start of 

something massive in 1992/93, with 

Monday night football on Sky TV and 

everything that went with it. As the 

money came in, stadiums became better 

and better. So nowadays all the Premier 

League clubs are in a fantastic situation 

because matters have been taken to 

another level. Although prior to 1992/93, 

crowds had been dwindling and football 

was not having the greatest of times. 

Looking back to 30 years ago, QPR 

could compete with the very best 

teams in the country… 

It was a good season for us particularly 

and I recall we finished as top London 

club, which was a big milestone in that 

era. I think we would have qualified for 

Europe if English teams hadn’t been 

banned at the time. We had a good 


hoops 

Right: Penrice 

struck up 

a fruitful 

partnership 

with Les 

Ferdinand at 

Loftus Road 

manager in Gerry Francis plus Les 

Ferdinand up front, who gave us the 

edge. Les was our talisman and he was 

the player who made us all believe that 

we could compete at the top end of the 

table. Les had pace, power and he could 

finish, but he was a great lad too. The 

thing about Les was that he was quite 

humble. So in every game, he worked for 

the team and gave it his all for Queens 

Park Rangers, having grown up in the 

local area. I can’t speak highly enough of 

Les all round. He came into professional 

football relatively late, having played in 

non-league and had a meteoric rise but 

never really lost the sense of being like a 

normal bloke. Then we had other quality 

footballers such as Ray Wilkins, Andy 

Sinton, Andy Impey, Clive Wilson, Dave 

Bardsley and Darren Peacock. Overall, 

it seemed like all our individual careers 

were on the up. So the mood was brilliant 

in training and around the club as a 

whole. Looking back, I am proud to have 

played with players like that. 

One of the best performances in 

1992/93 was when we trounced 

Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 at Loftus Road 

and you scored a couple of goals. What 

do you recall from that occasion? 

I remember it was raining, so it wasn’t the 

best day in the world. It was a London 

derby and a very tough game. Spurs had 

a really good side full of young talent 

including Darren Anderton and Nicky 

Barmby. But we felt we could compete 

with and beat any of the big clubs in 

London. That was a marvellous feeling 

to have when you wore a QPR shirt – so 

for me to get two goals was the icing on 

the cake. I believe ‘Ollie’ (Ian Holloway) 

scored for us as well, which was rare. The 


39

hoops 

Penrice spent 

four years at 

QPR before 

rejoining 

Watford in 

1995 

whole match was set to classical music 

as part of a TV programme too. 

Another impressive win was 4-2 at 

home to Everton on the Christmas Bank 

Holiday, when Andy Sinton grabbed a 

hat-trick and you scored as well… 

The thing for me was that I was always a 

team player. I didn’t really think of myself 

individually that much, to be honest. 

I felt it was all about what the team 

were doing as that was what I enjoyed. 

Unfortunately, I went on to break my leg 

shortly after we beat Everton, so I missed 

the rest of the season. 

Yes, your injury happened in our 

next Premier League fixture away to 

Middlesbrough, didn’t it? 

That was devastating, for sure. A lot of 

the time, you play well because you are 

carried along with the momentum of 

the team. There is confidence within the 

squad, you go into training feeling good 

about everything and then you can’t 

wait for each match. When I played up 

front alongside Les, I always felt I was 

going to get chances and score goals. 

Then all of a sudden, it was taken away 

in a heartbeat when I broke my leg. I 

had to go into full length plaster, which 


hoops 

Gerry Francis 

had been 

Penrice’s 

manager at 

Bristol Rovers 

before bringing 

him to QPR 

caused muscle wastage and, when I 

eventually returned, on my first day of 

training I broke my leg again. It was a real 

double whammy. But in fairness, we had 

such a lovely team spirit at Queens Park 

Rangers that it was great for me to watch 

the lads doing well. 

What was R’s manager Gerry Francis 

like to work under? 

Magnificent from my point of view and for 

all the other R’s players, I would imagine. I 

originally appeared alongside Gerry when 

he played for Bristol Rovers and then he 

became the manager there. He knew every 

facet of the game and he was a football 

student, therefore from that perspective 

you could learn so much from Gerry. 

When Loftus Road was full back then, 

the atmosphere was electric… 

Yeah, a fabulous stadium. It has no 

corners open, so it is totally enclosed. 

If you had 20,000 in there it felt like 

40,000 with everyone so close to the 

pitch and right on top of the players. 

The atmosphere was terrific, especially 

when QPR were competing at the 

highest level. 

Lastly, do you still keep an eye on 

events at Queens Park Rangers? 

I’d like to think they will do well this 

season. The owners are brilliant people 

who support the club and they would 

dearly hope to get Rangers back to 

where the team was in the past. 


41

hoops 

HALF A CENTURY HAS PASSED SINCE QPR WON PROMOTION 

TO THE TOP FLIGHT FOR ONLY THE SECOND TIME IN THE CLUB’S 

HISTORY. IN EACH EDITION, WE SHOWCASE SOME OF THE MATCH 

PROGRAMMES FROM THAT CLASSIC 1972/73 CAMPAIGN: 

DATE: Sat 13th Jan 1973 

RESULT: QPR 0, Barnet 0 

COMPETITION: 

FA Cup third round 

ATTENDANCE: 13,626 

THE PROGRAMME: 

Sixteen pages, price 7p 

EDITORIAL SNIPPETS: 

In his ‘BUSH TELEGRAPH’ 

editorial notes, QPR club 

secretary Ron Phillips wrote: 

‘OUR MAN IN HANWELL… 

Year in and year out, Rangers 

managers have received weekly 

advice from an anonymous 

correspondent about whom we 

know nothing except that he 

lives in Hanwell and possesses 

a large supply of blue, lined 

notepaper. His weekly messages, 

addressed as the years go by, 

to “Manager Stock”, “Manager 

Allen”, and now “Manager 

Jago”, normally take the form 

of doleful criticism after a loss 

or dire forebodings of trouble 

ahead after a win. Every time 

we purchase a player we can 

confidently look forward to being 

informed that it was a “waste 

of money” and every time we 

sell a player we are notified that 

“Rangers fans don’t like it.” 


hoops 

DATE: Sat 6th Jan 1973 

RESULT: QPR 3 Preston North 

End 0 

COMPETITION: Football 

League Division Two 

QPR SCORERS: Givens 2, 

Francis 

ATTENDANCE: 10,519 

THE PROGRAMME: Sixteen 

pages, price 7p 

EDITORIAL SNIPPETS: In his 

‘BUSH TELEGRAPH’ editorial 

notes, QPR club secretary Ron 

Phillips wrote about a special 

chartered train for the previous 

away game: ‘THE “RANGERS 

ROCKET”…Apart from the 

result (we lost 3-1), our visit 

to Sheffield Wednesday last 

Saturday was a complete 

success and it was obvious 

that all the 400 supporters 

who went along on the train 

enjoyed the trip immensely. For 

our part, we would like to take 

this opportunity of thanking 

everyone who accompanied 

the team for showing the club 

support in such tangible form. 

Their behaviour throughout 

the day was immaculate (just 

one person let the rest of 

you down when he pulled the 

communication cord on the 

way back) and the Sheffield 

police were heard to remark “If 

only all visiting supporters were 

like Queens Park Rangers”…. 

‘WILL ALAN SPRATLEY 

PLEASE REPORT…We were 

just as puzzled as you were 

when, after (goalkeeper) 

Phil Parkes was carried off 

injured in the Orient match, a 

message came over our public 

address system asking Alan 

Spratley, our reserve goalie, to 

report to the dressing room 

immediately….It seems that Phil 

Parkes’ huge goalkeeper gloves 

were too large for (midfielder) 

Mick Leach to wear when 

he was chosen to take Phil’s 

place in goal and he hoped to 

borrow Alan Spratley’s gloves 

which were more Mick’s size. 

Satisfied, everyone?’ 


43

hoops 

HEROES 

DON GIVENS VS 

SLOVAN BRATISLAVA 

WEDNESDAY 3RD NOVEMBER 1976 

UEFA CUP SECOND ROUND SECOND LEG 

DON GIVENS hit a glorious hat-trick as the 

R’s destroyed Slovan Bratislava 5-2 at 

Loftus Road. 

Czech football was on the crest of a wave at 

the time as their national team had won the 

European Championships earlier that year. The 

Slovan Bratislava line-up contained nine of those 

full international players. 


hoops 

This tie was nicely poised after an exciting 3-3 

draw in Czechoslovakia in the first leg. Having 

witnessed that game, Bernard Joy wrote in the 

London Evening Standard newspaper: “QPR’s 

performance ranks among the finest I have seen 

from an English club in away ties since European 

competitions started in 1955.” 

The second leg proved to be even better and 

is fondly recalled as one of the greatest games 

ever seen here at the Bush. 

Rangers forged ahead on 18 minutes following 

Don Masson’s precise 40-yard pass from his 

own half. Givens wriggled free and outpaced 

unfortunately-named defender Marian Elefant to 

glide a crisp shot into the School End goal. 

Givens had a thunderous header saved by 

goalkeeper Alexander Vencel before adding 

his second 14 minutes later. The Irish striker 

capitalised on a badly sliced clearance by Koloman 

Gogh, then dummied and shimmied past five 

defenders in the box before lashing home. 

Stan Bowles grabbed QPR’s third before Givens 

completed his hat-trick with a penalty in the 52nd 

minute after Bowles had been tripped in the box. 

Slovan pulled two goals back through Anton 

Ondrus and Jan Capkovic, but their fightback 

ended when Dave Clement completed the 

scoring for Rangers. 

R’s boss Dave Sexton said afterwards: “The 

highlight of the night was the hat-trick by Don 

Givens. I was a bit worried when Slovan scored 

their two goals as they are such an attacking 

side, but we came good in the end and it is 

always a pleasure to beat a team like that.” 

A shell-shocked Slovan Bratislava coach Michal 

Vican said: “Rangers play football like the 

Continentals and not like other British teams. 

They are a very good side.” 

The newspaper reports the following morning 

were a delight to read… 

“Rangers at their spectacular best…magnificent 

flowing moves…arrogant artistry…brilliant 

destruction of a talented Czech side…” 


45

hoops 

THE PLAYERS’ LOUNGE 

THE players’ lounge is located 

in the corner of the South Africa 

Road and School End stands – 

two floors above the Queens 

Park Rangers Superstore. 

The lounge was run for many 

years by the likeable Cronin 

brothers – John, Benny and Phil. 

It provided a welcoming space 

for the players’ partners and 

children to relax and socialise 

before matches, along with other 

friends. The players themselves 

would then join everyone in there 

after the game, which all added 

to the great family club spirit at 

Loftus Road. 

But when QPR won promotion 

back to the Premier League in 

2011, the players’ lounge was 

converted into a media suite to 

cope with modern demands for 

local and national press. 

However, this season journalists 

have now been switched back 

to their old press room and, 

after a period of refurbishment, 

the players’ lounge has been 

reopened once more. 


hoops 

QPR FC 

KATIE AKERMAN 

SPONSORED BY: 

AVAILABLE 

GABBY BISHOP 

SPONSORED BY: 

MICK MCCARTHY 

JO BLODGETT 

SPONSORED BY: 

CHRIS HEWITT 

AILISH CAROLAN 

SPONSORED BY: 

AVAILABLE 

TENI CHARLES 

SPONSORED BY: 

MELTWATER NEWS 

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ST ANDREW’S, WOKING 

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ERIN POPE 

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Please email Sarah Holt at SarahH@qpr.co.uk for more information on how to get involved 


47

hoops 

IMAGES COURTESY OF: IAN RANDALL 

INTERVIEW: LENNIE HARVEY 

Jake Leahy 

Position: Left-back 

From: Farnham, Surrey 

Joined QPR: Age 11 

Pre-Match Meal: Two pieces of toast, one with a 

poached egg and one with beans, an oat bar and 

a banana, plus plenty of fluid 

Nickname: Jakey 

Pre-Match Song: Listen to whatever is being 

played by whoever’s in charge of music 

How did you get scouted? 

I got scouted when playing for a local 

development side. One of the coaches was a 

scout for QPR and sent me on trial. 

What are your strengths as a player and what 

do you need to work on? 

Strengths include: my game understanding, 

being consistent and my positioning. Areas of 

improvement: 1v1 defending, playing out of 

pressure in the right areas and end product when 

in the final third. 

Who’s your favourite player or inspiration? 

I’ve got a few. Luke Shaw because he plays for 

the national team and I love his ability to bomb 

forward and overlap. Marcus Rashford because 

he’s inspirational and Cristiano Ronaldo because 

he’s the best footballer of all time, in my opinion. 

Which of your team-mates do you see as a 

future coach or manager? 

I would have to say Uncle Chaz (Charlie 

McDonald) as he’s a wise head on young 

shoulders, understands the game well and is well 

spoken. 

Which stadium in the world would you most like 

to play in and why? 

I want to play at Wembley as it’s the national 

stadium, also Old Trafford and the Nou Camp. All 

three are iconic. 

Where do you see yourself in five years’ time? 

Playing in a first team environment somewhere, 

hopefully in the Prem with QPR. 

If there was one thing you could change about 

football, what would it be? 

One thing would be the perception of a good or 

bad game depending on one big moment like 

a goal or one mistake – for people to be more 

appreciative of smaller details. Also VAR, it takes 

away the initial joy and celebrations of a goal 

when there’s potential for a check to take place. 


hoops 

Sat Aug 20 Birmingham City W 2-1 

Sat Aug 27 Peterborough Utd W 3-1 

Sat Sep 3 PL Cup R1 

Sat Sep 10 Coventry City PP 

Sat Sep 17 Barnsley L 5-2 

Sat Sep 24 Charlton Athletic L 7-1 

Sat Oct 1 Reading L 2-1 

Sat Oct 8 PL Cup R2 

Sat Oct 15 Cardiff City W 2-1 

Sat Oct 22 Watford L 5-2 

Sat Oct 29 Bristol City W 3-1 

Sat Nov 5 PL Cup R3 

Sat Nov 12 Sheffield Wednesday L 2-1 

Sat Nov 19 Colchester Utd W 6-1 

Sat Nov 26 Millwall W 3-2 

Tue Dec 20 Tottenham (FAYC R3) W 3-1 AET 

Sat Jan 7 Cardiff City 12:00 

Sat Jan 14 Charlton Athletic 11:00 

Sat Jan 21 Colchester Utd/FA Youth Cup R4 11:00 

Sat Jan 28 Swansea City 13:00 

Sat Feb 4 PL Cup QF 

Sat Feb 11 Bristol City/ FA Youth Cup R5 11:00 

Sat Feb 18 Reading 11:00 

Sat Feb 25 Millwall 11:00 

Sat Mar 4 Watford/ FA Youth Cup QF 10:30 

Sat Mar 11 Ipswich Town 11:30 

Sat Mar 18 Wigan Athletic 11:00 

Sat Apr 1 Burnley 11:00 

Sat Apr 15 Hull City 11:00 

Sat Apr 22 Crewe Alexandra 11:00 

Sat Apr 29 Sheffield Utd/FAYC final 11:00 


49

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 January… 

Teddy Disson – 1st 

Alexander Frandsen – 1st 

Ella Grant-Willett – 1st 

Bertie Mills – 1st 

Mason Savage – 1st 

Taylor Arnett – 2nd 

Sam Glenister – 2nd 

William Hanman-Killick – 2nd 

Martha Haran – 2nd 

Finlay Reeves – 2nd 

Harrison Cobb – 3rd 

Joel McLellan – 3rd 

Lawrence Woolacott – 3rd 

Harry Brown – 4th 

Daniel Emerson – 4th 

Colby Farren – 4th 

Abbie Foreman – 4th 

Darcy Meade – 4th 

Serenity Morrison – 4th 

Jasmine Digweed – 5th 

Ben McNiff – 5th 

George Potter – 5th 

Leo Hardy – 6th 

Andrew Kassir – 6th 

Zachory Lester – 6th 

Archie Marsden – 6th 

Danny O’Sullivan – 6th 

Freddie Pleasant – 6th 

Lillian May Tate – 6th 

Aiden Thorpe-Owen – 6th 

Max Wheeler – 6th 

Joseph Dezzani – 7th 

Nancy Charles – 8th 

Grace Connor – 8th 

Harvey Elliott – 8th 

Niall Hanks – 8th 

Harry Jagger – 8th 

Thomas Jagger – 8th 

Lennon MacDonald – 8th 

James Rogers – 8th 

Tommaso Sartore – 8th 

Joshua Schwartz – 8th 

Charlotte Segal – 8th 

Leah Head – 9th 

Theodore Macson – 9th 

Naiya Marsh – 9th 

Elias Milne – 9th 

Ethan Milne – 9th 

Jamie Townsend – 9th 

Oscar Bass – 10th 

Callum Jones – 10th 

Rebecca Mannion – 10th 

Cassius De Pear – 11th 

Darcy Kennard-Wood – 11th 

Luke Maberly – 11th 

Bailey McGachan-Hannon – 11th 

Charlotte Taylor – 11th 

Sam Brinklow – 12th 

Archie Kay – 12th 

Rhiannon Midwinter – 12th 

Miro Sarian – 12th 

Bobby Turner – 12th 

Mikey Wackett – 12th 

Toby Woodthorpe – 12th 

Isla Hardwick – 13th 

Cameron Hibbs – 13th 

Albert McCarthy – 13th 

Blake Pike – 13th 

Seren Wade – 13th 

Archie Appleby – 14th 

Amelia-Rose Cleveland – 14th 

Cory Faust – 14th 

Benjamin Gurney – 14th 

Aimee Lovell – 14th 

Katie O’Callaghan – 14th 

Brooke Povey – 14th 

Harriet Raven – 14th 

Valur Gudmundsson 

Goldstein – 15th 

Frankie Reilly – 15th 

Iris Tellem – 15th 

Thom Williams – 15th 

Ollie Edwards – 16th 

Thomas Higney – 16th 

Matthew Mackmurdie – 16th 

Matthew Austin – 17th 

Dominic Easton – 17th 

Holly Hunt – 17th 

Nedgebee Ali – 18th 

Hanif Dryden – 18th 

Ben Hart – 18th 

Jack Kelly-Smith – 18th 

George Sharp – 18th 

Matthew Whate – 18th 

Oscar Barnes – 19th 

Gabriel O’Leary – 19th 

Evie Sweetman – 19th 

Archie Tester-Smith – 19th 

Rishi Topan – 19th 

Kyran Ashby-Ryall – 20th 

Oakley Baverstock – 20th 

Jude Kemp – 20th 

Kiera Vickers – 20th 

Oisin Egan – 21st 

Thomas Jennings – 21st 

Toby Murrison-Waller – 21st 

Oliver Saragoussi – 21st 

Brandon Tagg – 21st 

Ethan Alexander – 22nd 

Edward Atkinson – 22nd 

Jack Beckenham – 22nd 

George Guainiere – 22nd 

Annie Lawrence – 22nd 

Jack McDonnell – 22nd 

Olivia Radley – 22nd 

Honey Billing – 23rd 

Lacey Harvey – 23rd 

Ella Jenkins – 23rd 

Jonathan Nolan-Caffrey – 23rd 

Harrison Speirs – 23rd 

Alexander Adaway – 24th 

Oliver Baverstock – 24th 

Samuel Benosiglio – 24th 

Aiden Berryman – 24th 

Laila Buckingham – 24th 

Ayden Damani – 24th 

Daniel Greene – 24th 

Charlie Hackworth – 24th 

Daniel Hope – 24th 

Morgan Baldry – 25th 

Freddie Clayson – 25th 

Jude Cooper – 25th 

Freddie Curd – 25th 

Finlay Dickinson – 25th 

Dan Hackney – 25th 

Dan Hurdle – 25th 

Lilly Nugent-Isitt – 25th 

Jamie Power – 25th 

Ted Hall – 26th 

Oscar Ludewig – 26th 

Callum O’Neill – 26th 

Hardayne Puar – 26th 

Freddy Carroll – 27th 

Carter Ryan – 27th 

Alec Gardner – 28th 

Cillian Patrick Roohan – 28th 

Ciciley Rowe – 28th 

Louise Smith – 28th 

Grace-Lily Wills – 28th 

Henry Batchelor – 29th 

Miles Connell – 29th 

Ryan Deery – 29th 

Jaimie Hayes – 29th 

Daniel Masson-Smith – 29th 

Fred Roberts – 29th 

Phoebe Astaire – 30th 

Landon Harvey – 30th 

Lily Hey – 30th 

Arthur Kay – 30th 

Cameron Mulligan – 30th 

Owen O’Sullivan – 30th 

Isaac Tatam – 30th 

Jake Caplan – 31st 

Alfie Tucker – 31st 

BACK IN 

THE DAY 

hoops 

Which current Championship manager is 

pictured during his playing days? 

TEST YOUR 

KNOWLEDGE 

Q: Which manager won promotion to 

the Premier League with both QPR and 

Sheffield United? 

NAME THE 

PLAYER 

• I was born in Dundalk, 

Ireland, in 1997 

• At the age of 19, I made my 

professional debut on loan 

to Barrow 

• I played at Wembley in 

2019 and won a trophy 

with Sunderland 

• So far, I have scored five 

goals for QPR and finished 

on the winning side each 

time 

Answers: Spot the Ball: A, Back in the day: Kolo Toure (Wigan Athletic), 

Test your Knowledge: Neil Warnock, Name the Player: Jimmy Dunne 


51

8 

Luke 

AMOS

hoops 

Memory Lane 

AS THE EALING GAZETTE SPORTS EDITOR, MIKE DONOVAN WAS A 

MAINSTAY OF THE LOFTUS ROAD PRESS BOX IN THE 1970S AND 1980S AND 

WROTE ‘QPR’S GREATEST GAMES’. IN A REGULAR SERIES, HE LOOKS BACK 

ON UNFORGETTABLE TIMES FOR RANGERS. 

IT seems folk love gossip, 

idle or otherwise, these 

days. What with social media 

presenting endless space to 

fill, the pressure is on to fill it. 

There are great stories based 

on proper sources, but a lot 

of misinformation emanating 

from those without any 

reputable knowledge. 

So, for instance, if a famous 

footballer is linked to another 

club, the media – official and 

unofficial – goes into overdrive 

and spews out a torrent of 

words. 

They can prove hurtful, nay 

cruel, especially those written 

by the ignorant. And not only 

for the player. It seems there 

can be scant regard for the 

feelings of those close to him 

or her too. You just wonder 

how Linda Currie would have 

reacted if she had been 

subjected to such insensitivity 

when her then husband Tony 

was leaving Leeds United for 

QPR in the late 1970s, having 

established legendary status 

at Sheffield United following a 

switch from Watford. 

Of course, the influence of 

the chattering classes wasn’t 

so widespread in pre-electric 

media times. Even so, printed 

representatives of the Fourth 

Estate were – and still are - 

always capable of getting under 

the skin in pursuit of the ‘inside’ 

story. And it would seem 

Mrs Currie might have been 

susceptible to those employed 

to dig it out, given what her 

husband told me in August 

1979 when I was sports editor 

at the Ealing Gazette. 

An experienced, skilled 

midfielder, England 

international Currie would 

have been, as a professional, 

in a better position to deal 

with such media intrusion. 

But his wife, he volunteered 

then, was suffering from ‘acute 

depression’ brought on by 

homesickness. Currie’s career 

at Bramall Lane and Elland 

Road meant the couple had 

spent 11 years away from her 

London family. 

He revealed how Linda cried 

when he phoned to say he had 

decided to drop a division and 

join second-tier Rangers, then 

managed by Tommy Docherty, 

in a £375,000 deal. 

Currie said when it was 

all happening: “It was like 

everything that had wound 

her up being released at once. 


hoops 

She had been suffering from 

acute depression for about the 

last year since our third child, 

Natalie, was born.” 

We spoke pitchside at Loftus 

Road in the shade of the South 

Africa Road stand on a sunny 

west London day shortly after 

his arrival in west London. 

Currie said: “When I first left 

London for the North to join 

Sheffield United, Linda was 

upset at having to live away 

from our family. 

“It was also a wrench for me – 

I’d spent the first 18 years of 

my life in one place, Hendon. 

But now everything has worked 

out perfectly. 

“The overriding factor was that 

if I was to move from the North, 

it had to be London where 

Linda could be near her family 

and I could be near mine. 

“We’ve still to put our home in 

Wetherby up for sale, so we’ll 

be house-hunting for quite a 

while, I should think. But we’ll 

be moving out of our home 

in the North immediately and 

stay in London.” 

Currie also spoke of the time 

when Rangers missed out on 

the opportunity of signing him 

for nothing 15 years earlier. 

He said: “I was playing for 

Hendon Schoolboys and 

one of my schoolmasters 

recommended me and a mate 

for a trial with Rangers when 

Alec Stock was manager. I was 

keen to join them but there was 

some misunderstanding on 

the sort of forms they wanted 

me to sign and they kept me 

hanging about, so in the end 

they signed my mate on but 

didn’t bother about me. 

“I was keen to become a 

professional footballer, but 

gave up on the idea and took 

up the building game. Then 

the chance to join Watford 

turned up and my career went 

from there.” 

Currie, considered an 

entertainer and maverick in 

the mould of previous club No 

10s like Rodney Marsh and Stan 

Bowles, went on to play in Terry 

Venables-managed Rangers’ 

only ever FA Cup final in 1982. 

He helped them force a replay 

against the cup holders, 

Division One Tottenham 

Hotspur, as a Glenn Hoddle 

shot deflected in off him 

before Terry Fenwick equalised. 


55

hoops 

ANYONE WHO ENTERS THE PITCH WITHOUT 

PERMISSION AND THOSE CARRYING OR USING 

SMOKE BOMBS OR PYROS WILL NOW RECEIVE 

AN AUTOMATIC CLUB BAN. 

‘LOVE FOOTBALL. PROTECT THE GAME’ 

A message about anti-social and criminal behaviour 

To mark the new season, we want to 

make you aware of new measures 

being taken across all of football 

to ensure everyone can have a safe 

and enjoyable experience. We are 

supporting strong action from the 

FA, Premier League and EFL to tackle 

anti-social and criminal behaviours 

that put all of us at risk. 

This reflects the seriousness of 

the risks to fans and staff – pyros 

can burn at 2000 degrees Celsius 

and cause lifechanging injuries, 

while entering the pitch endangers 

players, managers and match 

officials. 

We know those who commit these 

illegal acts do not represent the 

majority of supporters. 

#LoveFootball #ProtectTheGame 


hoops 

Currie captained the R’s in that 

replay, with club skipper Glenn 

Roeder suspended. However, 

frustratingly, he was adjudged 

to have fouled Graham Roberts 

and Hoddle converted the 

resultant penalty which sealed 

victory for Spurs. 

And Currie, inducted into the 

Forever R’s Club in 2017, was 

hit by a knee injury as Venables 

led Rangers into Division One 

the following term, after which 

he left the club. 

He revealed personal problems, 

including divorce from 

Linda, struggles with booze 

and suicidal thoughts after 

injuries cut short his full-time 

professional career in his 2021 

autobiography Imperfect 10: 

The Man Behind The Magic. 

Currie, once touted as a 

successor to Bobby Charlton at 

Manchester United, eventually 

moved back north to rejoin 

Sheffield United behind the 

scenes after they gave him 

a testimonial. He became 

the Blades’ Football in the 

Community co-ordinator and 

was also a director, was offered 

a job as club ambassador, had 

a Bramall Lane stand named 

after him and was voted 

United’s greatest player in 2014 

during the club’s 125-year 

anniversary celebrations. 

Currie’s time at QPR, in 

comparison to that spent with 

today’s opponents, is but a 

career footnote. But at least 

he got to play back in his home 

town and create club history 

at Wembley – and, temporarily, 

settle his home life. The life of 

a footballer is not just about 

kicking a ball. 

Mike Donovan is an author 

and award-winning journalist. 

He produced Queens Park 

Rangers Greatest Games 

in 2013, with Stan Bowles 

helping to promote it and Les 

Ferdinand writing the foreword. 

He has a feel for the Bush and 

was taken to Cooke’s Pie and 

Mash shop in the area’s market 

by his mum (who worked in 

the area) and dad, attended 

concerts at the fabulous 

Empire and hung out socially in 

W12 growing up. 

Mike has written a series of 

football books – most recently 

the Jimmy Greaves We Knew 

which is currently available in 

bookstores. 


57

“HAPPY 

hoops 

NEW YEAR!” 

FROM EVERYONE AT GCL. 

Let’s make 2023 a year 

to remember! 

come on you 

super hoops 

Groundworks 

Concrete Frames 

Remediation 

Tower Cranes 

Demolition 

020 8238 7000 

info@groundconstruction.com 

www.groundconstruction.com 

GCL IS AN EMPLOYEE OWNERSHIP TRUST 

Proud to be official 

construction sponsors 

of QPR FC 

GROUND FOR CONFIDENCE. INTEGRATED CONSTRUCTION EXCELLENCE SINCE 1997. 


hoops 

Tel: 020 8740 2560 | E-mail: corporate@qpr.co.uk | @QPR_Corporate | www.qprcorporate.co.uk 

# 1 Seny DIENG 

SPONSORED BY: 

Sindy Grewall 

Apps: 25 Gls: 1 

YC: 2 RC: 0 

# 2 Osman KAKAY 

SPONSORED BY: 

Vivienne 

Maclennan 

Apps: 4+9 Gls: 0 

YC: 1 RC: 0 

# 3 Jimmy DUNNE 

SPONSORED BY: 

Trent Buhaj 

Apps: 17+1 Gls: 2 

YC: 3 RC: 0 

# 4 Rob DICKIE 

SPONSORED BY: 

Jakson Buhaj 

Apps: 13+5 Gls: 0 

YC: 2 RC: 0 

# 5 Jake SALTER-CLARKE 

SPONSORED BY: 

Deb & Marc 

Buhaj 

Apps: 11+1 Gls: 0 

YC: 0 RC: 0 

# 6 Stefan JOHANSEN 

SPONSORED BY: 

Nathan Hayes 

Apps: 15+2 Gls: 2 

YC: 3 RC: 0 

# 7 Chris WILLOCK 

SPONSORED BY: 

Richie Dixon 

Apps: 15+1 Gls: 6 

YC: 0 RC: 0 

# 8 Luke AMOS 

SPONSORED BY: 

Tyler Buhaj 


YC: 2 RC: 0 

# 9 Lyndon DYKES 

SPONSORED BY: 

Ron Hill 

Apps: 20+4 Gls: 6 

YC: 3 RC: 0 

# 10 Ilias CHAIR 

SPONSORED BY: 

Riley Hayes 

Apps: 22+1 Gls: 3 

YC: 1 RC: 0 

# 11 Tyler ROBERTS 

SPONSORED BY: 

David Hayes 


YC: 2 RC: 0 

# 13 Jordan ARCHER 

SPONSORED BY: 

Available 


YC: 0 RC: 0 

# 14 George THOMAS 

SPONSORED BY: 

Mark Mosselson 


YC: 0 RC: 0 

# 15 Sam FIELD 

SPONSORED BY: 

Amanda Dixon 


YC: 6 RC: 0 

# # 

Marco 16 RAMKILDE Niko HAMALAINEN 27 

SPONSORED BY: 

Available 


YC: 0 RC: 0 

# 17 Andre DOZZELL 

SPONSORED BY: 

KS Roofing and 

building Ltd 

Apps: 12+9 Gls: 0 

YC: 3 RC: 0 

# 18 Macauley BONNE 

SPONSORED BY: 

Available 


YC: 0 RC: 0 

# 20 Taylor RICHARDS 

SPONSORED BY: 

Trish Phillips 


YC: 1 RC: 0 

# 22 Kenneth PAAL 

SPONSORED BY: 


YC: 1 RC: 0 

# 23 Conor MASTERSON 

SPONSORED BY: 

Available 


YC: 0 RC: 0 

# 24 Charlie OWENS 

SPONSORED BY: 

Available 


YC: 0 RC: 0 

# 25 Olamide SHODIPO 

SPONSORED BY: 

www.llarn.com 


YC: 0 RC: 0 

# 26 Leon BALOGUN 

SPONSORED BY: 

Jo Byron-Thomas 

Maxine Leeper 

Denis Smith 

Apps: 10+1 Gls: 1 

YC: 3 RC: 0 

# 27 Ethan LAIRD 

SPONSORED BY: 

David, 

Charlie and Alfie 

Loveland 


YC: 2 RC: 0 

# 30 Sinclair ARMSTRONG 

SPONSORED BY: 

David, Diane and 

Nathan Smith 

Apps: 2+11 Gls: 0 

YC: 0 RC: 0 

# 32 Joe WALSH 

SPONSORED BY: 

Phil & Harry 

Newman 


YC: 0 RC: 0 

# 37 Albert ADOMAH 

SPONSORED BY: 

Martin & Keiran 

O’Brien - True 

Potential Wealth 

Management 

Apps: 5+14 Gls: 1 

YC: 0 RC: 0 

# 38 Murphy MAHONEY 

SPONSORED BY: 

Phil & Harry 

Newman 


YC: 0 RC: 0 

# 47 Tim IROEGBUNAM 

SPONSORED BY: 

www.spanish 

practiceclub. 

com 

Apps: 13+3 Gls: 0 

YC: 5 RC: 0 


59

hoops 

PUTTING THE SPARK 

INTO MATCHDAY 

PROGRAMMES... 

PROUD PROGRAMME 

PARTNERS OF 

QUEENS PARK 

RANGERS 

www.ignitionsportsmedia.com 


hoops 

2019-22 

qprcommunitytrust.co.uk e: community@qpr.co.uk t: 020 8740 2509 

@QPRtrust 

H&F YOUTH JUSTICE DEPARTMENT COMMENDED 

QPR in the Community Trust’s partners 

at Hammersmith & Fulham Youth Justice 

Service have become only the second 

such department in London to achieve 

an ‘outstanding’ rating in their recent 

Government inspection. 

The Trust have worked closely with the borough’s 

YJS on youth inclusion teamwork in recent years, 

helping to develop and support young people 

through the Prevent & Prosper project. 

A recent report by HMIP (His Majesty’s 

Inspectorate of Probation) assessed the 

YJS services as ‘outstanding’, with their 

partnership with the Trust one of those 

highlighted in the report. 

Head of the borough’s YJS Alison 

Sabaroche and her team were invited 

to a celebration event at Loftus Road to 

recognise their achievement. 

The Trust’s youth and communities’ manager 

Michael Nyarko said: “It has been a pleasure 

working closely with Alison and the rest of the 

Hammersmith and Fulham team. 

“Working with her staff and the youth and 

communities’ team, I feel the award reflects the 

amazing work which is being delivered together.” 


61

hoops 

2022/23 

FIXTURES & RESULTS 

DATE KO OPPOSITION RES. ATT POS. STARTING XI 

JULY 

Sat 30 15:00 Blackburn Rovers L 0-1 14,315 22 DIENG KAKAY DICKIE CLARKE-SALTER DOZZELL JOHANSEN 

AUGUST 

Sat 6 15:00 Middlesbrough W 3-2 15,796 8 DIENG KAKAY DICKIE DUNNE 1 PAAL FIELD 

Tue 9 19:45 Charlton Athletic CC L 1-1* 5,629 n/a DIENG KAKAY DICKIE DUNNE HAMALAINEN THOMAS 

Sat 13 15:00 Sunderland D 2-2 37,884 10 DIENG 1 KAKAY DICKIE DUNNE HAMALAINEN JOHANSEN 

Tue 16 20:00 Blackpool L 0-1 12,575 15 DIENG LAIRD DICKIE DUNNE PAAL DOZZELL 

Sat 20 15:00 Rotherham United D 1-1 12,230 17 DIENG LAIRD DICKIE DUNNE PAAL FIELD 

Sat 27 15:00 Watford W 3-2 19,977 11 DIENG LAIRD DICKIE DUNNE PAAL FIELD 

Tue 30 19:45 Hull City W 3-1 12,716 6 DIENG LAIRD 1 DICKIE DUNNE PAAL DOZZELL 

SEPTEMBER 

Sat 3 15:00 Swansea City L 0-1 15,935 9 DIENG LAIRD DICKIE DUNNE PAAL JOHANSEN 

Wed 14 19:45 Millwall W 2-0 13,384 8 DIENG LAIRD BALOGUN DUNNE PAAL JOHANSEN 1 

Sat 17 15:00 Stoke City D 0-0 14,174 6 DIENG LAIRD BALOGUN DUNNE PAAL DOZZELL 

OCTOBER 

Sat 1 15:00 Bristol City W 2-1 21,665 5 DIENG LAIRD BALOGUN CLARKE-SALTER PAAL IROEGBUNAM 

Tue 4 19:45 Sheffield United W 1-0 26,636 4 DIENG LAIRD BALOGUN DUNNE PAAL AMOS 

Fri 7 20:00 Reading W 2-1 16,656 3 DIENG LAIRD DUNNE CLARKE-SALTER PAAL IROEGBUNAM 

Sat 15 12:30 Luton Town L 1-3 10,011 4 DIENG BALOGUN DUNNE CLARKE-SALTER PAAL AMOS 

Wed 19 19:45 Cardiff City W 3-0 12,805 1 DIENG LAIRD BALOGUN CLARKE-SALTER PAAL 1 JOHANSEN 

Sat 22 15:00 Wigan Athletic W 2-1 16,353 1 DIENG LAIRD BALOGUN 1 CLARKE-SALTER PAAL JOHANSEN 

Fri 28 20:00 Birmingham City L 0-2 19,007 2 DIENG LAIRD BALOGUN CLARKE-SALTER PAAL JOHANSEN 

NOVEMBER 

Wed 2 19:45 Norwich City D 0-0 25,458 4 DIENG LAIRD DICKIE BALOGUN PAAL DOZZELL 

Sat 5 15:00 West Bromwich Albion L 0-1 17,139 5 DIENG LAIRD DICKIE BALOGUN PAAL AMOS 

Tue 8 19:45 Huddersfield Town L 1-2 12,769 6 DIENG LAIRD BALOGUN CLARKE-SALTER PAAL IROEGBUNAM 

Sat 12 15:00 Coventry City L 0-2 23,201 7 DIENG LAIRD DICKIE DUNNE CLARKE-SALTER RICHARDS 

DECEMBER 

Sun 11 13:00 Burnley L 0-3 14,299 9 DIENG LAIRD DUNNE CLARKE-SALTER PAAL DOZZELL 

Sat 17 15:00 Preston North End W 1-0 14,534 6 DIENG LAIRD DUNNE 1 CLARKE-SALTER PAAL DOZZELL 

Mon 26 17:15 Cardiff City D 0-0 18,549 7 DIENG LAIRD DICKIE DUNNE PAAL DOZZELL 

Thurs 29 18:00 Luton Town 

JANUARY 

Mon 2 20:00 Sheffield United 

Sat 7 15:00 Fleetwood Town FAC 

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 15:00 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. * Lost 3-5 on penalties 


hoops 

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

SUBSTITUTES 

REFEREEE 

FIELD PAAL SHODIPO CHAIR DYKES 

| 

THOMAS, ADOMAH, ARMSTRONG, RICHARDS, BONNE, DUNNE, WALSH BRAMALL 

JOHANSEN | WILLOCK 1 AMOS CHAIR DYKES 1 ADOMAH, DOZZELL, BONNE, HAMALAINEN, MASTERSON, SHODIPO, WALSH SMITH 

FIELD 

| 

CHAIR DOZZELL BONNE ADOMAH SHODIPO, ROBERTS 1, ARMSTRONG, JOHANSEN, DREWE, DYKES, MASTERSON, WALSH ATTWELL 

ADOMAH CHAIR 1 FIELD 

| 

SHODIPO DYKES ROBERTS, DOZZELL, ARMSTRONG, BONNE, MASTERSON, GUBBINS, WALSH SIMPSON 

JOHANSEN FIELD ROBERTS DYKES CHAIR ARMSTRONG, SHODIPO, ADOMAH, KAKAY, HAMALAINEN, MASTERSON, WALSH DAVIES 

JOHANSEN ROBERTS CHAIR WILLOCK 1 DYKES DOZZELL |, ADOMAH, ARMSTRONG, SHODIPO, KAKAY, ARCHER, HAMAHLAINEN WOOLMER 

| | JOHANSEN DOZZELL CHAIR 1 WILLOCK 1 DYKES ADOMAH 1, ARMSTRONG, MASTERSON, KAKAY, ARCHER, BONNE, SHODIPO STROUD 

FIELD JOHANSEN CHAIR 1 DYKES WILLOCK 1 ROBERTS |, KAKAY, ADOMAH, ARMSTRONG, ARCHER, MASTERSON, BALOGUN MARTIN 

FIELD DOZZELL WILLOCK DYKES CHAIR ROBERTS, IROEGBUNAM, ADOMAH, ARMSTRONG, BALOGUN, ARCHER, KAKAY LANGFORD 

FIELD IROEGBUNAM CHAIR ROBERTS WILLOCK 1 DYKES, DOZZELL, BONNE, ADOMAH, KAKAY, ARCHER, MASTERSON ROBINSON 

FIELD JOHANSEN WILLOCK ROBERTS CHAIR DYKES, IROEGBUNAM, ADOMAH, ARCHER, KAKAY, BONNE, MASTERSON DONOHUE 

FIELD JOHANSEN 1 ROBERTS 1 CHAIR WILLOCK DUNNE, AMOS |, DOZZELL, KAKAY, DYKES, ARCHER, ADOMAH SIMPSON 

FIELD DOZZELL ROBERTS CHAIR WILLOCK 1 DYKES, CLARKE-SALTER, IROEGBUNAM, ADOMAH, DICKIE, JOHANSEN, ARCHER LININGTON 

FIELD JOHANSEN ROBERTS DYKES 2 CHAIR KAKAY, DICKIE, DOZZELL, AMOS |, ARCHER, SHODIPO, ADOMAH BRAMALL 

IROEGBUNAM FIELD ROBERTS DYKES CHAIR KAKAY, JOHANSEN, DICKIE, DOZZELL, RICHARDS, ARCHER, RICHARDS, ADOMAH HARRINGTON 

FIELD IROEGBUNAM CHAIR ARMSTRONG DYKES 2 DOZZELL, AMOS, KAKAY, RICHARDS, BONNE, ARCHER, DICKIE J LININGTON 

FIELD 1 ARMSTRONG IROEGBUNAM CHAIR DYKES AMOS, DOZZELL, DICKIE, RICHARDS |, BONNE, ARCHER, KAKAY, D WHITESTONE 

FIELD ROBERTS CHAIR IROEGBUNAM 

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DYKES DICKIE |, ARMSTRONG, AMOS, RICHARDS, KAKAY, ARCHER, DOZZELL T ROBINSON 

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FIELD AMOS CHAIR IROEGBUNAM DYKES WILLOCK, SHODIPO, ADOMAH, BONNE, KAKAY, ARCHER, HAMALAINEN A DAVIES 

FIELD IROEGBUNAM WILLOCK DYKES CHAIR DOZZELL, ADOMAH, ARMSTRONG, DUNNE, ARCHER, THOMAS, SHODIPO T BRAMALL 

FIELD ADOMAH CHAIR WILLOCK DYKES 1 DUNNE, BONNE, RICHARDS, SHODIPO, DICKIE, ARCHER, DOZZELL G WARD 

FIELD DOZZELL CHAIR DYKES WILLOCK KAKAY, ARMSTRONG, SHODIPO, ADOMAH, THOMAS, ARCHER, HAMALAINEN K STROUD 

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FIELD IROEGBUNAM THOMAS DYKES WILLOCK SHODIPO, ADOMAH, ARMSTRONG, KAKAY, DICKIE, ARCHER, RICHARDS P BANKES 

FIELD IROEGBUNAM ADOMAH DYKES WILLOCK SHODIPO, DICKIE, KAKAY, ARCHER, THOMAS, RICHARDS, ARMSTRONG O LANGFORD 

FIELD IROEGBUNAM ADOMAH DYKES WILLOCK CHAIR, ROBERTS |, SHODIPO, AMOS, KAKAY, ARCHER, MASTERSON K STROUD 

TODAY’S MASCOTS 

Stanley 

Newton-White 

Age: 6 

Favourite player: 

Chris Willock 

Ralph Rose 

Age: 7 


Ilias Chair 

Eloisa Smet 

Age: 11 


Jimmy Dunne 


63

*Effective against enveloped viruses **vs representative Gram-negative bacterium. Always practise good hand hygiene. 

Use biocides safely. Always read the label and product information before use. 99.9% OF BACTERIA

hoops 

CHAMP 

LEAGUE TABLE 

PACK 

TONIGHT'S 

# CLUB P W D L F A +/- PTS 

1 BURNLEY 24 14 8 2 49 24 25 50 

2 SHEFFIELD UNITED 24 14 5 5 41 21 20 47 

3 BLACKBURN ROVERS 24 13 0 11 28 28 0 39 

4 WATFORD 24 10 7 7 30 24 6 37 

5 NORWICH CITY 24 10 5 9 31 27 4 35 

6 MILLWALL 23 10 5 8 29 26 3 35 

7 QUEENS PARK RANGERS 24 10 5 9 27 27 0 35 

8 READING 24 11 2 11 28 34 -6 35 

9 SUNDERLAND 24 9 7 8 33 27 6 34 

10 PRESTON NORTH END 24 9 7 8 23 24 -1 34 

11 MIDDLESBROUGH 24 9 6 9 36 31 5 33 

12 COVENTRY CITY 23 9 6 8 26 25 1 33 

13 LUTON TOWN 23 8 9 6 26 25 1 33 

14 WEST BROMWICH ALBION 24 8 8 8 31 26 5 32 

15 BIRMINGHAM CITY 24 8 8 8 26 25 1 32 

16 SWANSEA CITY 24 8 8 8 31 34 -3 32 

17 STOKE CITY 24 8 6 10 28 32 -4 30 

18 BRISTOL CITY 24 7 6 11 31 34 -3 27 

19 ROTHERHAM UNITED 24 6 9 9 28 34 -6 27 

20 CARDIFF CITY 24 7 6 11 20 28 -8 27 

21 HULL CITY 24 7 6 11 27 41 -14 27 

22 BLACKPOOL 24 6 7 11 26 35 -9 25 

23 WIGAN ATHLETIC 24 6 6 12 24 38 -14 24 

24 HUDDERSFIELD TOWN 23 6 4 13 21 30 -9 22 

LAST UPDATED: 28.12.2022 

GOALSCORERS 

CHUBA AKPOM 

MIDDLESBROUGH 

VIKTOR GYOKERES 

COVENTRY CITY 

ZIAN FLEMMING 

MILLWALL 

ILIMAN NDIAYE 


BEN BRERETON DIAZ 

BLACKBURN ROVERS 

KICK-OFF 3PM UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE 

VS 

VS 

VS 

VS 

ASSISTS 

RYAN GILES 

BEN WILSON 

12 

MIDDLESBROUGH 7 COVENTRY CITY 

JOSH BROWNHILL 

FREDDIE WOODMAN 

12 

BURNLEY 

6666 

PRESTON NORTH END 

1099 

JACK CLARKE 

DANIEL BACHMANN 

SUNDERLAND 

WATFORD 

ILIAS CHAIR 

QUEENS PARK RANGERS 

STEFAN JOHANSEN 

QUEENS PARK RANGERS 

VS 

VS 

CLEAN SHEETS 

WES FODERINGHAM 


THOMAS KAMINSKI 

BLACKBURN ROVERS 

11 

11 

10 

99 


65

hoops 

Media Voice 

JOURNALIST AND BROADCASTER AIDAN MAGEE 

PENS HIS LATEST COLUMN 

I must confess I fell asleep during the Cardiff 

game while at my brother’s on Boxing Day. 

That’s not necessarily a comment on the 

entertainment level, although when the 

commentator described it diplomatically as 

a ‘slow burner’ as the players left the field for 

half-time, he will have been hoping for a livelier 

second period. 

Needless to say, it didn’t materialise. We came 

away with a point on the road and we have to 

move on. 

In my defence, I’d been on a 3am start on 

Boxing Day – as I had been on Christmas Eve, 

Christmas Day and then the 27th. 

I’ve worked 19 Christmas Days in a row and had 

so much fun in the studio this time. I was home 

by 12.30, too. 

The Christmas Day show achieved a personal 

highlight as I donned my QPR Christmas jumper 

to front our coverage. I really doubt anyone else 

has done that and, even if they have, I’m not 

sure how we’d go about checking. 

The following day I set myself the challenge of 

piecing together a Lego-style model of Loftus 

Road, which was a lovely present from my brother. 

I appeared on screen at 6.20am and pledged 

to have it done by 8.20am. I thought two hours 

would be plenty. I mean, how hard could it be? 

What I hadn’t noticed was that the kit 

contained 1,103 pieces! I worked solidly 

during that time and just about managed to 

lay the pitch. I admitted defeat by 9am but 

have assured my colleagues and our viewers 

that it will be done soon. 


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: NEIL CRITCHLEY 

SENY DIENG GK ● 1 

OSMAN KAKAY ● 2 

JIMMY DUNNE ● 3 

ROB DICKIE ● 4 

JAKE CLARKE-SALTER ● 5 

STEFAN JOHANSEN ● 6 

CHRIS WILLOCK ● 7 

LUKE AMOS ● 8 

LYNDON DYKES ● 9 

ILIAS CHAIR ● 10 

TYLER ROBERTS ● 11 

JORDAN ARCHER GK ● 13 

GEORGE THOMAS ● 14 

SAM FIELD ● 15 

NIKO HAMALAINEN ● 16 

ANDRE DOZZELL ● 17 

MACAULEY BONNE ● 18 

TAYLOR RICHARDS ● 20 

KENNETH PAAL ● 22 

CONOR MASTERSON ● 23 

CHARLIE OWENS ● 24 

OLAMIDE SHODIPO ● 25 

LEON BALOGUN ● 26 

ETHAN LAIRD ● 27 

JOE GUBBINS ● 28 

AARON DREWE ● 29 

SINCLAIR ARMSTRONG ● 30 

RAY JONES ● 31 

JOE WALSH GK ● 32 

ALBERT ADOMAH ● 37 

MURPHY MAHONEY GK ● 38 

TIM IROEGBUNAM ● 47 

SHEFFIELD 

UNITED 

MANAGER: PAUL HECKINGBOTTOM 

1 ● ADAM DAVIES GK 

2 ● GEORGE BALDOCK 

3 ● ENDA STEVENS 

4 ● JOHN FLECK 

5 ● JACK O’CONNELL 

6 ● CHRIS BASHAM 

7 ● RHIAN BREWSTER 

8 ● SANDER BERGE 

9 ● OLI MCBURNIE 

10 ● BILLY SHARP 

11 ● REDA KHADRA 

12 ● JOHN EGAN 

13 ● MAX LOWE 

15 ● ANEL AHMEDHODZIC 

16 ● OLIVER NORWOOD 

17 ● ISMAILA COULIBALY 

18 ● WES FODERINGHAM GK 

19 ● JACK ROBINSON 

20 ● JAYDEN BOGLE 

22 ● TOMMY DOYLE 

23 ● BEN OSBORN 

26 ● CIARAN CLARK 

28 ● JAMES MCATEE 

29 ● ILIMAN NDIAYE 

30 ● OLIVER ARBLASTER 

33 ● RHYS NORRINGTON-DAVIES 

34 ● KYRON GORDON 

36 ● DANIEL JEBBISON 

37 ● JORDAN AMISSAH GK 

Referee: 

Josh Smith 

Assistant Referee: 

Nigel Lugg 

Assistant Referee: 

Graham Kane 

Fourth official: 

Andy Woolmer

Queens Park Rangers v Sheffield United

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