As QPR look to turn around their poor recent form against high flying Sheffield United on saturday Ash takes his usual look back at a memorable match and players that have played for both clubs.

I think Clive pretty much summed it up in his match report headline, the season is all but over after the result against Norwich Tuesday night. Yes we are still only six points off that elusive play-off place and yes we do have a game in hand, but do you seriously see this QPR side beating a free-flowing Swansea? Because I don’t. And even if we did mange to somehow shake off the horribly inconsistent form we are in and scrape into the play-offs, I still feel we would benefit more from another season in the Championship, with a full campaign for Paulo Sousa and with our injured trio back. But you can bet that if Rangers did mange to halt the slide against a Sheffield United team making a much better case then ourselves for a play-off place themselves, we’ll still go back to seeing who Burnley and Bristol City are playing in the next couple of weeks.

The Blades come into the game off the back of wins over a Coventry team who’s manager who has just been named manager of the month and fellow promotion chasers Birmingham and currently sit fourth in the Championship table. They may not have be the ideal opposition for Paulo Sousa to get a morale boasting win for his Rangers team and his own chances of staying in charge.

United first travelled to W12 for an FA Cup game in March 1923, which the Blades won 1-0. While last season’s affair ended all square after Angelo Balanta’s opener was cancelled out by resident thug Chris Morgan. So lets take a walk down the blue and white hooped path of memory lane and without any mention of board room mafia battles and Stefan Moore goals recall a victory from the brand new era and two players to have the two clubs in common.

Memorable Match
QPR 3-2 Sheffield United
22nd August 1992
Premier League
The start of the 1992-93 season was the start of a brave new world for English football - the first season of the Premier League. Sky TV had bought the rights to show games live and came into the season with an all singing and dancing ad campaign that included a representative from each of the 22 teams who kicked off the Premier League, for the record ours was Andy Sinton. QPR under Gerry Francis got their season underway on another first, a first Monday Night Football game that saw Sinton score a screamer of a goal against Man City at Maine Road. They followed that up with 3-1 win over Southampton before their first Saturday Loftus Road game of the Premier League era, the R’s welcomed Sheffield United. The Blades had already gained their place in Premier League folklore by scoring the league’s first ever goal, Brain Deane’s header in a surprising 2-1 opening day win over Man Utd. So both went into the match in confident mood.

In what would turn out to be a lively encounter it was Rangers who struck first, just three minutes in through Les Ferdinand. The R’s number nine picked up the ball on the half-way line, muscled his way through two defenders before slotting the ball home in the far corner to make it 1-0 to Rangers. It was a goal that Sir Les would later call his goal of the season on the end of season video.

The lead however didn’t last long and just a minute later The Blades were back on level terms. Jim Gannon’s free-kick found Alan Cork free at the back-post and his shot rocketed into the top corner past Jan Stejskal. It was looking like it would be an open game and was no surprise when QPR re-took he lead before the break. Andy Sinton’s left-hand cross was met by the head of Simon Barker and his looping header put Rangers 2-1 up at half-time. On the hour mark, United were back it in for the second time, with an almost carbon copy of Barker’s goal. This time it was Brian Deane’s head that met a Sheffield United cross to equalise for Dave Bassett’s team.

But it would be Rangers who would have the last laugh with just six minutes left on the clock. Barker swung in a free-kick from the left wing that caused panic in Sheff Utd’s defence and Dennis Bailey was on hand to stab the ball home to leave Rangers with all three points and continue their unbeaten start to the season.

QPR: Stejskal, Bardsley, Wilson, Wilkins, Peacock, McDonald, Barker, Holloway (Thompson), Ferdinand, Bailey, Sinton

Postscript: Rangers recorded their best top-flight finish since 1976, by finishing in fifth place and as the Premier League’s top London Club. Dave Bassett’s Blades ended the season in a respectable 14th.

Connections
Steve Yates
QPR 1993-1999
Sheffield United 2002-03
When you look at the squad that Gerry Francis built in the early days of the Premier League, the way he went about it is almost unheard of in modern day top-flight football. Francis, who had come from Second Division Bristol Rovers, brought with him players from the lower leagues he trusted and threw them straight into the big time. Names like Ian Holloway, Gary Penrice and Darren Peacock became integral parts of the Rangers squad under Gerry, only the likes of Keith Andrews and Jon Stead have made that kind of jump in recent years. Another solid defender he bought with him to Loftus Road from the lower leagues was Steve Yates.

Yates was Bristol born and bred and signed with the blue and white half of the city on YTS in 1986. His career at the Memorial Stadium almost ended before starting when the club went through financially difficulty and Yates set to be released by the club to save money. But the supporters seeing a young local lad with potential saved his Rovers career by agreeing to pay his wages until the club could get back on its feet. He rewarded those fans with some impressive performances in his first two season’s and was named the clubs Young Player of the Year in 1989. Equally adaptable at right-back and in the centre, Yates helped the Pirates to the Third Division Championship a year later and when the Rovers boss left to manage Premier League QPR he swooped to take Yates with him for a £650,000 fee a year into his reign.

Yates’ debut for the R’s couldn’t have come against much sterner opposition, coming face to face with Liverpool in a 3-1 defeat at Loftus Road. It didn’t phase Yates though and he went on to make 29 appearances for Rangers that season and he adapted to life in the Premier League reasonably well. He became a regular member of the Rangers squad and was unfortunately a firm first-teamer of the side that was relegated from the Premier League in 1996. He stayed at Loftus Road after Rangers relegation filling in a number of positions in the back four and although never spectacularly blessed with talent he performed his duties solidly and was a useful player for the Superhoops. He left QPR in 1999 and joined Tranmere Rovers where he would taste League Cup final defeat to Leicester and achieve cult status with his two goals helped Tranmere knock Merseyside rivals Everton out of the FA Cup. After Tranmere Yates enjoyed a season at Sheffield United before spells with Huddersfield, Scarborough, Halifax and Morecombe before retiring.
Magic R’s moment: A vital goal in a 3-2 win over Oxford in March 1997

Mikele Leigertwood
Sheffield Utd 2006-07
QPR 2007-Present
In the future when people look into the story of how our beloved club was bought by three billionaires, Mikele Leigertwood will be remembered as a big foot note in that tale as the first player bought under Rangers’ bold new era.

His career started though at another footballing story - that of Wimbledon who of course are no more. Mikele made his professional debut on loan at Leyton Orient in November 2001 but would late made his first appearance for Wimbledon later that season in a 1-0 defeat to Barnsley. He became a first-team regular for the Dons over the next two campaigns before Iain Dowie paid £155,000 to make him his first signing for Crystal Palace. It proved a shrewd move by Dowie as Leigertwood helped the Eagles rise from relegation candidates to play-off final winners in just a few short months, winning promotion to the Premier League. Mikele played 29 games for Palace in the top-flight including netting his first goal for the club against Spurs but couldn’t prevent Palace from going straight back down, after a last day draw with Charlton.

The following campaign saw Mikele help Palace to the play-offs but this time lost out to Watford in the semi-finals and that summer he got another crack at the Premier League with newly promoted Sheffield United. But it was déjà vu for Leigertwood as despite putting in some impressive performances for United they went straight back down after one season. Feeling unsettled in the North, Mikele seaked a move back down to London and when QPR were bought by Flavio Briatore and Bernie Ecclestone their first act was to sanction the signing of Mikele and bring the midfielder to Loftus Road. It was an eventful start to life in W12 for him too, with a goal against Leicester in his second game, a sending off a week later and the sacking of John Gregory. But under new boss Gigi De Canio and through Iain Dowie and Paulo Sousa since Leigertwood has become a focal point of the Rangers team and if he could just find some constant consistency to his game he will become vital to Rangers future for the rest of this season and beyond.
Magic R’s moment: Those two stunning strikes he smacked past Stoke live on TV last March.

Others:
Jim Smith Sheff Utd 1959-61, QPR (manager) 1985-88. Now board member at Oxford
Tony Currie Sheff Utd 1968-1974, QPR 1979-82. Now Community Co-ordinator at Sheff Utd
Don Givens QPR 1972-78, Sheff Utd 1981-8#. Now Ireland U21 manager
Stewart Houston Sheff Utd 1980-83, QPR (manager) 1996-97. Now an Arsenal scout
John Burridge QPR 1980-82, Sheff Utd 1984-87. Now Oman goalkeeper coach
Paul Parker QPR 1987-1992, Sheff Utd 1996. Now a pundit for Sentanta
Nigel Spackman QPR 1989, Sheff Utd 1996-98. Now a TV pundit
Vinnie Jones Sheff Utd 1990-91, QPR 1999. Now a Hollywood movie star
Bret Angell Sheff Utd (loan) 1996, QPR 2002-03. Now a local coach
Gareth Taylor Sheff Utd 1996-98, QPR (loan) 2000. Now at Carlisle
Georges Santos Sheff Utd 2000-2002 QPR 2004-2006 Now with Fleetwood Town
Paul Peschisolido QPR 2000 loan, Sheff Utd 2001 loan. Now assistant manager of St Patrick’s Athletic
Paul Furlong Sheff Utd (loan) 2002, QPR 2002-07. Now at Barnet Richard Edgehill Sheff Utd 2002-03, QPR 2003-05. Now at Macclesfield
John Curtis Sheff Utd (loan) 2003, QPR 2007. Now with Wrexham
Dean Sturridge Sheff Utd (loan) 2003, QPR 2005-06. Now coaching
Danny Cullip Sheff Utd 2004-05, QPR 2007-08. Now at Lewes.
Phil Barnes Sheff Utd 2004-05, QPR 2006 loan. Now at Grimsby

Fans’ Memories
Rufus flattening V.Jones and Jones going off on a stretcher. Jones tried desperately to walk off but couldn't, sweeeeeeeeet. RUFUS! Number one son "treating" me to a seat in the paddocks, within touching distance of a bunged away end. 1-1 draw, the first season out of the prem as I recall. Their fans singin: “What you gonna sing all season long, Houston...we got a problem!” Had to laugh and applaud it really. How right they were! -BazWot

Johnny Spencer scoring at the Loft end in a 1-0 victory over them. More recently Morgan/Warnock nearly coming to blows at the end of a game -gigi is our god

The Blades in a steward style illumious yellow "Laver" shirt with red shorts and a forward line of Bob Booker & Brian Deane. Bradley Allen hooking in from an impossible angle (although this could have been the Everton match I went to about a week later). Blazing sunshine, sitting on the 'edge of the paddocks and being in awe of the Bard, hooked on Rangers since that my first game and a 2-1 defeat. -Dixie

I cant believe this hasn’t been mentioned AND should be number one - Stefan Moore scoring against them?! -Middlesex Hoop

Besides a certain Boardroom "takeover"? Beating an Alan Woodward's Sheffield United 2-1 I think it was back under Less Allen in 1969/70 season.-QPRReport

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