Brian Bedford, an old fashioned goal machine — history
Monday, 2nd Dec 2013 23:05 by Clive Whittingham

With Bournemouth in town on Tuesday night, LFW looks back at the career of Brian Bedford, a prolific goalscorer who played for both clubs.

Recent Meetings

Bournemouth 1 QPR 0, Saturday January 24, 2004, Second Division

After an excellent Christmas and New Year period that saw QPR secure consecutive wins against Colchester, Rushden, Blackpool and Brighton, the R’s came unstuck rather in January 2004 as they chased promotion from the Second Division. Ian Holloway’s side had been chasing honour on two fronts, riding high in the league and making their way through several rounds of the Football League Trophy, but a 4-0 hammering at Southend in the latter stages of that competition paved the way for quickfire league defeats at Bournemouth and Colchester. The first, settled in the second half by Warren Feeney, was best remembered for Danny Shittu’s cruciate knee ligament rupture — which ended his season, but miraculously not his game given that he played on to the end of the match at Dean Court.

Bournemouth: N Moss, L Buxton, K Broadhurst, C Fletcher, W Cummings, S Cooke (W Elliott, 75), J Hayter, M Browning, G O'Connor (C Jorgensen, 75), W Feeney (D Holmes, 89), S Fletcher

Subs not used: D Thomas, B Stock

Goals: Feeney 58

Bookings: Hayter

QPR: C Day, T Forbes, S Palmer, D Shittu, G Padula, M Rose, M Bircham, M Rowlands, D Marney (T Thorpe, 62), K Gallen, P Furlong

Subs not used: D Oli, N Culkin, W Daly, E Sabin

Bookings: Palmer

Attendance — 8,909

QPR 1 Bournemouth 0, Saturday August 24, 2003, Second Division

Apt that the 2003/04 promotion winning team should be coming to Loftus Road for a reunion this Wednesday, given that the campaign was the last time Bournemouth and Rangers met in a competitive fixture. The first meeting that season, played at Loftus Road in August, went the way of the R’s thanks to Paul Furlong’s flying header at the Loft End from Kevin McLeod’s well flighted cross just after the hour. Rangers had started the season with a 5-0 home win against Blackpool before falling to a 2-1 televised defeat at Brighton but the Bournemouth win set up a 13 match unbeaten run that laid the platform for a promotion campaign.

QPR: C Day, S Palmer, C Carlisle, D Shittu, G Padula, G Ainsworth, M Rowlands, M Bircham (M Bean, 83), K McLeod, T Thorpe (K Gallen, 66), P Furlong

Subs not used: T Williams, N Culkin, R Edghill

Goals: Furlong 63

Bookings: Furlong

Bournemouth: N Moss, S Purches, C Fletcher, K Broadhurst, W Cummings (W Elliott, 67), J Hayter, M Browning, J Tindall, G O'Connor (A Connell, 84), S Fletcher, D Holmes (W Feeney, 84)

Subs not used: D Thomas, G Stewart

Bookings: Holmes

Attendance: 13,065

Previous Results

Head to Head >>> QPR wins 32 >>> Draws 14 >>> Bournemouth wins 26

2003/04 Bournemouth 1 QPR 0

2003/04 QPR 1 Bournemouth 0 (Furlong)

2001/02 QPR 1 Bournemouth 1 (Palmer)

2001/02 Bournemouth 1 QPR 2 (Thomson 2)

1977/78 QPR 2 Bournemouth 0* (Givens, Eastoe)

1966/67 QPR 4 Bournemouth 0 (Marsh 2, Allen, Keen)

1667/67 QPR 2 Bournemouth 0** (Langley, Lazarus)

1966/67 Bournemouth 1 QPR 3 (R Morgan 2, Marsh)

1965/66 QPR 5 Bournemouth 0 (Lazarus 3, L Allen 2)

1965/66 Bournemouth 1 QPR 1 (R Morgan)

1964/65 Bournemouth 2 QPR 0

1964/65 QPR 1 Bournemouth 1 (Bedford)

1963/64 Bournemouth 4 QPR 2 (Collins, Vafiadis)

1963/64 QPR 1 Bournemouth 0 (Angell)

1962/63 QPR 1 Bournemouth 0 (Bedford)

1962/63 Bournemouth 2 QPR 1 (Bedford)

1961/61 Bournemouth 3 QPR 1 (Towers)

1961/62 QPR 1 Bournemouth 1 (Lazarus)

1960/61 QPR 3 Bournemouth 1 (Bedford 2, Evans)

1960/61 Bournemouth 1 QPR 0

1959/60 Bournemouth 1 QPR 1 (Bedford)

1959/60 QPR 3 Bournemouth 0 (Bedford, Golding, Nelson og)

1958/59 QPR 0 Bournemouth 4

1958/59 Bournemouth 2 QPR 0

1957/58 Bournemouth 4 QPR 1 (Dawson)

1957/58 QPR 3 Bournemouth 0 (Angell, Woods, Woollard og)

1956/57 Bournemouth 1 QPR 0

1956/57 QPR 2 Bournemouth 1 (Petchey, Locke)

1955/56 QPR 0 Bournemouth 1

1955/56 Bournemouth 1 QPR 0

1954/55 QPR 1 Bournemouth 1 (Angell)

1954/55 Bournemouth 2 QPR 2 (Smith 2)

1953/54 QPR 2 Bournemouth 1 (Shepherd, Smith)

1953/54 Bournemouth 0 QPR 1 (Clark)

1952/53 Bournemouth 1 QPR 0

1952/53 QPR 2 Bournemouth 1 (Nicholas, Cameron)

1947/48 Bournemouth 0 QPR 1 (Durrant)

1947/48 QPR 1 Bournemouth 0 (Durrant)

1946/47 QPR 3 Bournemouth 0 (Pattison 2, Mallett)

1946/47 Bournemouth 1 QPR 1 (Neary)

1938/39 Bournemouth 4 QPR 2 (Cape, Lowe)

1938/39 QPR 2 Bournemouth 0 (Cheetham, James)

1937/38 QPR 1 Bournemouth 2 (Bott)

1937/38 Bournemouth 1 QPR 1 (Cape)

1936/37 QPR 1 Bournemouth 2 (Cameron)

1936/37 Bournemouth 3 QPR 1 (Fitzgerald)

1935/36 Bournemouth 0 QPR 1 (Cheetham)

1935/36 QPR 2 Bournemouth 0 (Cheetham, Overstone)

1934/35 Bournemouth 0 QPR 2 (Farmer, Dutton)

1934/35 QPR 2 Bournemouth 1 (Crawford, Blackman)

1933/34 QPR 1 Bournemouth 0 (Brown)

1933/34 Bournemouth 3 QPR 2 (Allen, Clarke)

1932/33 QPR 3 Bournemouth 1 (Hill, Blackman, Jones)

1932/33 Bournemouth 3 QPR 0

1931/32 Bournemouth 2 QPR 2 (Armstrong, Coward)

1931/32 QPR 0 Bournemouth 3

1930/31 QPR 3 Bournemouth 0 (Hoten, Lewis, Rounce)

1930/31 Bournemouth 2 QPR 0

1929/30 QPR 3 Bournemouth 1 (Goddard 2, Coward)

1929/30 Bournemouth 0 QPR 0

1928/29 Bournemouth 2 QPR 3 (Haywood og, Rounce, Goddard)

1928/29 QPR 0 Bournemouth 0

1927/28 QPR 2 Bournemouth 0 (Goddard, Mustard)

1927/28 Bournemouth 1 QPR 2 (Lofthouse, Goddard)

1926/27 QPR 1 Bournemouth 1 (Lofthouse)

1926/27 Bournemouth 6 QPR 2 (Young, Goddard)

1925/26 Bournemouth 4 QPR 1 (Rowe)

1925/26 QPR 2 Bournemouth 2 (Whitehead, Patterson)

1924/25 Bournemouth 0 QPR 2 (Hurst, John)

1924/25 QPR 0 Bournemouth 2

1923/24 Bournemouth 3 QPR 1 (Johnson)

1923/24 QPR 0 Bournemouth 1

* - League Cup

** - FA Cup

Connections

Brian Bedford >>> Bournemouth 1956-1959 >>> QPR 1959-1965

Welsh born centre forward with an astonishing goal scoring record during his six years with QPR — second only to George Goddard in Rangers’ all-time scoring charts.
Bedford initially attracted the attention of Charlton while in the RAF but went on to make only a handful of appearances for Reading and Southampton as a youngster before catching QPR’s eye with 32 league goals in 75 appearances along the south coast at Bournemouth.

Alec Stock paid a whopping £750 to bring him to Loftus Road from Dean Court and he proceeded to terrorise the Third Division over the coming years. He scored 180 goals for Rangers in 283 appearances, including seven against Bournemouth in meetings with his former employers.

In 1960/61 he scored 37 goals in 48 appearances but QPR narrowly missed out on promotion into the Second Division. Two seasons after he left for Scunthorpe Stock’s QPR side cruised to the title and League Cup success while Bedford scored a respectable 23 goals in 37 appearances for the Iron in 1965/66. He spent our double year down the road at Brentford before winding down his football career with the Atlanta Chiefs. He retired from the game aged 36 and then went on to be a professional tennis player for the next 17 years.

Bedford said: “I didn't pick up a tennis racket until I was 33, when I was playing football in the American league for Atlanta and living in Williamsburg. Some friends over there got me hooked on tennis and I carried on playing when I got back from England. After I retried in 1968 I got all the necessary tennis coaching qualifications and turned pro in 1970. I carried on in tennis until my knees have out but I spent a very happy 17 years coaching at the Barn Elms Sports Centre in Barnes.

"When I signed for QPR, Alec Stock had just been named as the new manager. I travelled up to West London to be interviewed by the Club and Alec said: 'You'll score 30 goals a year for me son.’ Just like that! So I said 'You're joking?' as my record down at Bournemouth was something like 32 goals over three years. But Alec said 'Yes you will!' And he wasn't far wrong, was he? Alec played a big part in my goal scoring. We used to play with those old fashioned players called wingers. We always seemed to get good wide men at the club like Mark Lazarus who could provide excellent crosses. So I was the benefactor of that.

"I recall that the top wage in the Third Division - which Rangers were in at the time - was about £35 to £40 a week. Ridiculous really, but it was still much better than the average working man's salary. Not only that, as far as I was concerned I was getting paid for something I loved doing. That was a big thing for me.

"Jim Gregory was appointed as chairman of QPR and he started pouring some money in with new players being signed. Unfortunately, I was just starting to go a little bit over the hill as far as age was concerned. I was nearly 32 years old then. The club had to offload some of the playing staff and I was one of them, I'm afraid. I had six very happy seasons at Rangers. Then they transferred me to that Godforsaken place called Scunthorpe. I don't think Alec Stock wanted me to sign for any other London team or any nearby club in case I embarrassed him. It was very sad. I didn't like leaving Loftus Road. But you have to move on don't you? That's life."

He worked later as a tennis coach, and the stadium manager at Loftus Road, before returning to Wales for his retirement.

A more fulsome interview with Brian is available on the always excellent QPRNet.com website.

Others >>> Lee Camp, Bournemouth (loan) 2013, QPR 2007-2009, (loan) 2004 >>> Harry Redknapp, QPR (manager) 2012-2013, Bournemouth (manager) 1983-1992, 1972-1976 >>> Kevin Bond, QPR (coach) 2012-2013, Bournemouth (manager) 2006-2008, 1988-1992 >>> Matthew Connolly, QPR 2008-2012, Bournemouth (loan) 2006-2007 >>> Gavin Peacock, QPR 1996-2002, 1984-1987, Bournemouth 1989-1990 >>> Christer Warren, QPR 2000-2002, Bournemouth 1997-2000 >>> Keith Rowland, 1998-2001, Bournemouth 1988-1993 >>> Mark Stein, Bournemouth 1998-2000, QPR 1988-1989

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TacticalR added 23:33 - Dec 2 Well before my time, but a club legend by all accounts. Interestingly in a 2005 interview on QPRnet he compared his style as a centre-forward to that of Andy Johnson (then at Palace).
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ShotKneesHoop added 12:51 - Dec 3

What isn''t mentioned that Brian Bedford had wingers such as Clive Clarke, Mark Lazarus, John MacNamee and other who stayed on the touchline for lightning bursts of speed to the corner flag with a cross to the penalty spot. He was a goal hanger, he got a stack of goals but boy, did they give him something to go for.

Bedford got goals off every part of his body, arse, knee, shin, chin, he got two at Wtaford off the back of his head. Bedford's style was more like Charlie Austin, the difference is the occasional chances he is given to work on, whereas Bedford was gets around a dozen shots at least on target every game. A different game then, more's the shame.