As QPR prepare to welcome Leeds United to Loftus Road on Saturday, LFW looks back at a night in March 1992 when the R's put Howard Wilkinson's title chasers to the sword in Shepherd's Bush.
Leeds 0 QPR 1, Saturday August 31, 2013, Championship
The first meeting between these sides this season was hardly a treat for the Saturday lunchtime television audience, but it provided a vital three points for QPR at Elland Road. The R’s had the ball in the net before half time through Joey Barton but the midfielder was incorrectly flagged offside and the goal ruled out. Clint Hill scored one that did count 15 minutes from time and despite Rudolph Austin striking the Rangers crossbar from improbable range with the final kick of the game the London side were reasonably good value for a hard fought, scrappy victory.
Leeds: Kenny 6; Peltier 6, Wootton 6, Pearce 6, Warnock 5; Murphy 6, Green 6 (Diouf 80, -), Austin 7, McCormack 5; Varney 5 (Smith 57, 6), Hunt 5 (Poleon 57, 6)
Subs not used: Ashdown, Drury, Lees, Tonge
QPR: Green 6; Simpson 7, Dunne 7, Onuoha 7, Hill 7; O’Neil 5 (Hoilett 64, 7), Henry 6 (Faurlin 72, 6), Barton 7, Wright-Phillips 6; Johnson 6 (Jenas 88, -), Austin 6
Subs not used: Murphy, Suk-Young, Zamora, Shariff
Goals: Hill 75 (assisted Barton)
Bookings: Hill 86 (foul)
QPR 1 Leeds United 2, Saturday May 9, 2011, Championship
Technically QPR had sealed their status as champions of the second tier, and promotion to the Premier League, with a 2-0 win at Watford the week before the final game of the 2010/11 season at home to Leeds. However a hearing over the legitimacy of the Ale Faurlin transfer, which only started four days before the final game of the season and subsequently dragged on until 45 minutes before kick off, meant the whole thing was in doubt right down to the wire. In the end the FA decided that although QPR had gained a sporting advantage by conducting the transfer in the illegal manner they did, a points deduction was not necessary and Rangers were free to lift the trophy. It was a generous decision, owing more to the timing than the evidence, but the whole process had taken a lot out of Neil Warnock’s team. Despite Heidar Helguson scoring from close range in the first 30 seconds Leeds fought back and scored two of their own through Max Gradel and Ross McCormack to win 2-1 — thereby inflicting QPR’s only double defeat of the promotion season. Not many around Shepherds Bush cared though, and the party continued long into the night.
QPR: Cerny 5, Orr 6, Connolly 6, Gorkss 6, Hill 6 (Ramage 65, 6), Derry 7, Faurlin 6, Routledge 6, Buzsaky 7 (Taarabt 55, 5), Smith 6, Helguson 6 (Shittu 72 6)
Subs Not Used: Putnins, Agyemang, Moen, Ephraim
Booked: Taarabt (dissent)
Goals: Helguson 1 (assisted Smith)
Leeds: Schmeichel 6, Connolly 6, Naylor 6 (Kisnorbo 79, 7), O'Brien 6, Lichaj 6, Gradel 7 (Watt 85, -), Kilkenny 6, Howson 6, Johnson 6, McCormack 7, Paynter 5 (Somma 65, 6)
Subs Not Used: Higgs, Bruce, Livermore, Bromby
Goals: Gradel 38 (assisted Naylor), McCormack 68 (unassisted)
Leeds United 2 QPR 0, Saturday December 18, 2010, Championship
QPR suffered their first away defeat of their 2010/11 promotion season at Elland Road in December. Having gone 19 games unbeaten at the start of the season, culminating in a 2-1 home win against nearest promotion rivals Cardiff, the R’s then collapsed to two defeats in a week with near neighbours Watford winning 3-1 at Loftus Road and then Leeds out muscling them in West Yorkshire. QPR missed great chances at the start of each half — Tommy Smith lobbing Kaspar Schmeichel but missing the goal as well in the first five minutes, and Adel Taarabt having a goal bound volley blocked away right after half time. But in between those two incidents Max Gradel had slammed in a loose ball in the penalty area and then in the second period with QPR overcommitted and Fitz Hall backing away at a terrifying rate Gradel ran through to add a second. Ultimately only some fine late saves from Paddy Kenny kept the score down.
Leeds: Schmeichel 6, Connolly 6, Bruce - (Bromby 11, 7), Collins 7, McCartney 6, Kilkenny 7, Howson 7, Johnson 7, Gradel 7 (Sam 76, 7),Becchio 8 (Paynter 90, -), Snodgrass 7
Subs Not Used: Higgs, Faye, Somma, McCormack
Booked: Connolly (fighting)
Goals: Gradel 25 (assisted Becchio), 70 (unassisted)
QPR Kenny 7, Orr 6, Gorkss 6, Connolly 5, Hill 4 (Hall 46, 5), Derry 5, Walker 5, Mackie 6, Smith 6 (Ephraim 75, 5), Taarabt 6, Hulse 6 (Helguson 75, 5)
Subs Not Used: Cerny, Clarke, Rowlands, Tofas
Booked: Orr (foul), Hill (foul)
QPR 2 Leeds United 2, Tuesday August 8, 2006, Championship
Right at the very beginning of the 2006/07 season, Rangers and Leeds shared the spoils in an opening night Loftus Road thriller. After a meek 2-0 defeat on day one at Burnley QPR looked set to par the course again when Eddie Lewis gave the visitors the lead midway through the second half. Step forward young Ray Jones, who combined with Shabazz Baidoo in the final half an hour of the game as a substitute to win QPR a famous point. Rangers drew level with a Martin Rowlands penalty after a generous decision from referee Kevin Friend who adjudged Gareth Ainsworth to have been fouled in the box. From the kick off Geoff Horsfield restored Leeds lead with just eight minutes to go but Baidoo scrambled an equaliser and Jones went within a whisker of winning the game outright in stoppage time.
QPR: P Jones 9, Bignot 4 (Baidoo 76, 8), Rose 4, Stewart 4, Milanese 5, Ainsworth 7, Lomas 7, Rowlands 7 (Bircham 89, -), Cook 7, Ward 7, Czerkas 5 (Jones 54, 7).
Subs not used: Cole, Kanyuka.
Goals: Rowlands 80 (pen), Baidoo 90
Bookings: Stewart 39
Leeds United: Warner 7, Kelly 7, Crainey 5, Butler 7, Healy 7 (Carole 76, 6), Horsfield 8 (Moore 84, -), Lewis 7, Stone 8, Bakke 7 (Westlake 50, 6), Derry 6, Kilgallon 6.
Subs not used: Gregan, Blake.
Goals: Lewis 65, Horsfield 82
Bookings: Crainey 6, Derry 45, Warner 79, Kilgallon 90
Head to Head >>> QPR wins 16 >>> Draws 13 >>> Leeds wins 20
2013/14 http://www.fansnetwork.co.uk/football/queensparkrangers/news/32745/winning-ugly- 0 QPR 1 (Hill)
2010/11 QPR 1 Leeds 2 (Helguson)
2010/11 Leeds 2 QPR 0
2006/07 Leeds 0 QPR 0
2006/07 QPR 2 Leeds 2 (Rowlands pen, Baidoo)
2005/06 Leeds 2 QPR 0
2005/06 QPR 0 Leeds 1
2004/05 QPR 1 Leeds 1 (Gallen)
2004/05 Leeds 6 QPR 1 (Ainsworth)
1995/96 QPR 1 Leeds 2 (Gallen)
1995/96 Leeds 1 QPR 3 (Dichio 2, Sinclair)
1994/95 Leeds 4 QPR 0
1994/95 QPR 3 Leeds 2 (Ferdinand 2, Gallen)
1993/94 QPR 0 Leeds 4
1993/94 Leeds 1 QPR 1 (Meaker)
1992/93 Leeds 1 QPR 1 (Ferdinand)
1992/93 QPR 2 Leeds 1 (Bardsley, Ferdinand)
1991/92 QPR 4 Leeds 1 (Ferdinand, Allen, Sinton, Wilson pen)
1991/92 Leeds 2 QPR 0
1990/91 QPR 2 Leeds 0 (Wegerle, Barker)
1990/91 QPR 0 Leeds 3*
1990/91 Leeds 2 QPR 3 (Wegerle 2, Wilkins)
1986/87 Leeds 2 QPR 0**
1982/83 QPR 1 Leeds 0 (Hart og)
1982/83 Leeds 0 QPR 1 (Allen)
1978/79 Leeds 4 QPR 3 (Walsh, Roeder, Busby)
1978/79 QPR 0 Leeds 2*
1978/79 QPR 1 Leeds 4 (Eastoe)
1977/78 QPR 0 Leeds 0
1977/78 Leeds 3 QPR 0
1976/77 Leeds 0 QPR 1 (Eastoe)
1976/77 QPR 0 Leeds 0
1975/76 QPR 2 Leeds 0 (Thomas, Bowles)
1975/76 Leeds 2 QPR 1 (Bowles (pen))
1974/75 QPR 1 Leeds 1 (Givens)
1974/75 Leeds 0 QPR 1 (Francis)
1973/74 QPR 0 Leeds 1
1973/74 Leeds 2 QPR 2 (Thomas, Bowles)
1968/69 QPR 0 Leeds 1
1968/69 Leeds 4 QPR 1 (Wilks)
1951/52 QPR 0 Leeds 0
1951/52 Leeds 3 QPR 0
1950/51 Leeds 2 QPR 2 (Shepherd, Smith)
1950/51 QPR 3 Leeds 0 (Shepherd, Hatton (pen), Mills)
1949/50 QPR 1 Leeds 1 (Best)
1949/50 Leeds 1 QPR 1 (Pointon)
1948/49 QPR 2 Leeds 0 (Addinall 2)
1948/49 Leeds 1 QPR 2 (Gibbons, Pattison)
1931/32 QPR 3 Leeds 1** (Cribb, Rounce)
* - League Cup
** - FA Cup
Queens Park Rangers 4 Leeds United 1, Wednesday March 11, 1992, First Division
The last English manager to win the title in the top division of English football remains Howard Wilkinson — at Leeds United in the 1991/92 season. The Premier League started a year later and has been dominated by Scots (Alex Ferguson, Kenny Dalglish) and Europeans (Arsene Wenger, Jose Mourinho, Roberto Mancini).
The achievement at Elland Road was all the more remarkable because the Whites had only been promoted from Division Two at the end of the 1989/90 season. They’d shown their intent with a fourth placed finish in their first season back and were ready to slug it out with Manchester Unite at the top of the last ever Old First Division table.
QPR were under the charge of returning hero Gerry Francis for the first time in 1991/92. He’d controversially replace the experienced Don Howe at the start of the season — Howe told to make way for a younger man in a way you’d never get away with in modern employment law — having enjoyed some success as boss of Bristol Rovers. Francis picked u several of his former charges from the lower divisions to help him at Loftus Road — Ian Holloway, Dennis Bailey, Tony Witter, Devon White and Steve Yates would all move from the South West to Loftus Road at points during Francis’ reign — but he’d made a slow start to life as a top flight manager.
After a creditable opening day draw at champions Arsenal, where Paul Merson equalised with virtually the last kick of the game, Rangers had failed to win any of their first eight and only three of their first 16 in the league leaving them in the relegation zone. But the board kept faith with their new man and the going was spectacularly good in the second half of the season. Rangers famously won 4-1 at Old Trafford against Manchester United on New Year’s Day, doing Leeds a big favour in the title race, and have beaten fellow high flyers Manchester City 4-0 at Loftus Road on the Saturday before this Wednesday night visit from the champions elect.
Leeds based their title success on a run of ten wins and a draw from 11 matches through October and November. They’d been in more inconsistent form prior to their midweek trip to Loftus Road with five wins, three draws and three defeats but nothing at their end suggested a mauling was on the cards — they’d won 3-1 at Tottenham just four days beforehand. But this was to be one of those nights, under the lights, at Loftus Road.
The R’s may have been buoyed by the weekend thrashing of City but they fell behind after 11 minutes when patient midfield build up between Gordon Strachan and David Batty fed the ball wide to Jon Newsome who crossed into the Loft End penalty area for the late Gary Speed to arrive in trademark style and thump a header beyond Jan Stejskal and into the net.
But Rangers stuck to their task well and could have equalised when Andy Sinton found a young Andy Impey at the far post with a deep cross and he drew a smart save from keeper John Lukic. Ray Wilkins took the resulting corner and although an attempt by both Les Ferdinand and Darren Peacock to flick the ball on into the danger area initially failed, it dropped plum for Ferdinand in the six yard box and he rarely missed from there.
All square at half time then, but it was QPR who were all set to step on the gas in the second half. Sinton served notice with an early volley that deflected wide off centre half Chris Whyte and then Alan McDonald, still forward from an earlier cleared corner, showed a previously unseen delicate touch with a cute curled finish from 15 yards that beat Lukic but flashed wide of the far post.
The second goal, when it did finally come, was beautifully crafted. At the start of the move the ball was deep in QPR territory, picked up by David Bardsley down by the right hand corner flag after Ro Wallace had failed to volley home another Newsome cross. Bardsley freed Impey who in turn found Ray Wilkins at the heart of the midfield. The veteran midfielder, defying his ridiculous reputation as a crab-like sideways pass merchant, cut two Leeds players out of the game with a forward pass to Sinton and then moved to receive the return pass. Few QPR players through history have had the vision and skill to execute what Wilkins attempted next — he chipped a 15 yard pass into the penalty area, behind the Leeds defence, perfectly placing the ball in front of Bradley Allen who was running laterally across the penalty box to stay onside, and getting the ball to stop almost dead on its first bounce so that having tempted Lukic from his line it then remained agonisingly out of his reach. Pure perfection. It still needed finishing though and although Allen was only making his second start of the season he widened the angle to avoid Lukic and then finished perfectly from close to the byline despite two defenders rushing back to defend the goal line. One of my all time favourite QPR goals.
Imbued by the confidence of taking the lead, QPR went for the jugular right from the kick off. Whyte looked cumbersome in conceding possession immediately but did get back to execute a block on Ferdinand as he shot from the edge of the area. Then Allen tried to turn Chris Fairclough but lost control of the ball before finally Wilkins, picking up the loose possession and cutting the visiting defence apart again with a through ball, set up Sinton to ram in a third in front of the jubilant Loft End.
It could easily have been three in five minutes as Francis’ team flowed forward fluently once more — Holloway freed Wilkins who released Bardsley to spread the play to Sinton but this time the winger, through one on one with the keeper, was denied by Lukic. Splendid stuff all the same.
Leeds were shot to shitrags at this stage and a fourth always looked likely. When it came, it was rather more rudimentary than what had gone before. Darren Peacock thumped a long ball down the centre of the field and with United holding an unusually high line Sinton had half the Loftus Road pitch to run into and pick his spot. Whyte, sick of being tormented by the livewire hosts, decided he fancied a taste of the early bath water and cynically, deliberately tripped Sinton as he rounded Lukic to finish. A penalty and red card the least Whyte deserved, referee Keith Cooper obliged with both, and Clive Wilson stepped up to slam in the fourth of the night from the spot, sending Lukic the wrong way.
Rangers won at Villa a week later to make it three on the spin and ultimately only lost five of their final 25 games that year as they climbed into a comfortable eleventh placed finish after that traumatic start. Leeds recovered well, losing only one of their remaining nine and winning the final three to beat Manchester United to the trophy by four points.
QPR: Stejskal, Bardsley, McDonald, Peacock, Wilson, Impey, Holloway, Wilkins, Sinton (Barker), Ferdinand, Allen
Highlights >>> QPR 2 Leeds 1, 92/93 >>> QPR 4 Leeds 1 91/92 >>> Leeds 2 QPR 3 1990 >>> Leeds 2 QPR 1 FA Cup 86/87 >>> QPR 2 Leeds 0 75/76 >>> Leeds 2 QPR 2, 73/74
Tony Ingham >>> Leeds 1947-1950 >>> QPR 1950-1963
Tony Ingham remains QPR’s record appearance holder to this day, despite leaving the club way back in 1963, and in the modern era it’s unlikely anybody is going to beat his 548 league and cup outings for the Super Hoops any time soon — particularly with the turnover of players at Loftus Road these days.
Ingham was born in Harrogate in 1925 and spotted playing local football there as a 22 year old just after the Second World War. He served in the Royal Navy during the conflict, and completed an electrical apprenticeship while playing part-time for Harrogate Town which is where the local league side Leeds United picked him up from. He’d intended to be a full time electrician until that point. He stayed at Elland Road for four years, but only made three appearances for the senior team after finding himself stuck behind first John Charles and then Jimmy Milburn.
He wasn’t exactly a regular at QPR either having moved down to London to join the R’s in 1950 for a fee of £5,000. He made his debut for the R’s in a 2-1 home defeat by Doncaster Rovers in the Second Division in November 1950 (Cyril Hatton with the QPR goal) and only missed two matches for the rest of the season. Nevertheless, he started the 1951/52 campaign out of the side and bar two outings at the end of November and beginning of December in 2-0 and 4-0 defeats to Birmingham and Leicester respectively, he didn’t start playing regularly again until the Christmas and New Year period when he was recalled for a 3-2 home win against Swansea Town.
Rangers were relegated from the Second Division into Third Division South that year. Ingham is quoted on the Leeds United history site saying: "One more point would have kept us up and we should have got that in one of our last games against Cardiff City. Alf Sherwood punched the ball off the line but the ref never saw it so we didn't even get a penalty let alone a goal. We were drawing at the time and that goal would have given us the extra point to stay up.”
But in his third season with the club he made the transition into first team regular, missing just three matches in the entire Division Three South campaign. He was rarely out of the starting 11 for the following decade after that — remarkably completing the 1956/57, 1957/58, 1958/59, 1959/60 and 1960/61 seasons without missing a single league or cup game 0 272 consecutive appearances. That meant, amazingly, that having returned to the side after a four match absence for a 1-0 win against Exeter on February 25 1956 he didn’t miss another competitive match until a 1-1 draw at home to Bournemouth on September 16, 1961, some five and a half years later. Have that Armand Traore.
Left back isn’t a position conducive to prolific goal scoring of course, and for all his loyal service he only managed six in his entire time with the club before retiring in 1963. But he was around for the start of the Alec Stock and Jim Gregory revolution at Loftus Road which would see Loftus Road entirely redeveloped and the club eventually become a top flight regular. Gregory persuaded Ingham to stay when he almost left W12 in the early 1960s with an offer to stay on at the club after his retirement.
Despite being a born and bred northerner, he came to call London and QPR home, staying on at Loftus Rod in various capacities for many years afterwards back in the days when a job at QPR was a job for life and people like the late Daphne Biggs would be around the club for decades. Ingham was commercial manager, club secretary and on the board of directors at various points. He had a suite in the South Africa Road stand named after him in recognition of his commitment and long service.
Ingham died in April 2010 aged 85 following an illness.
Others >>> Paddy Kenny, Leeds 2012-present, QPR 2010-2012 >>> Neil Warnock, Leeds (manager) 2012-2013, QPR (manager) 2010-2012 >>> Hogan Ephraim, QPR 2007-present, Leeds (loan) 2009-2010 >>> Shaun Derry, QPR 2010-present, Leeds 2005-2008 >>> Rob Hulse, QPR 2010-2013, Leeds 2005-2006 >>> Liam Milller, QPR 2009, Leeds (loan) 2005-2006 >>> Simon Walton, QPR 2007-2008, Leeds 2004-2006 >>> Serge Branco, QPR 2004-2005, Leeds 2004 >>> Jerome Thomas, Leeds (loan) 2012-2013, QPR (loan) 2002 >>> Clarke Carlisle, Leeds 2004-2005, QPR 2000-2004 >>> Vinnie Jones, QPR 1998-1999, Leeds 1989-1990 >>> Mark Hateley, QPR 1995-1997, Leeds (loan) 1996 >>> Steve Hodge, QPR 1994-1995, Leeds 1991-1994 >>> Dougie Freedman, Leeds (loan) 2008, QPR 1992-1994 >>> David Seaman, QPR 1986-1990, Leeds 1981-1982 >>> Paul Hart, QPR (sort of manager) 2009-2010, Leeds 1978-1983 >>> Tony Currie, QPR 1979-1982, Leeds 1976-1979 >>> Clive Clark, QPR 1968-1970, 1958-1960, Leeds 1957-1958 >>>Terry Venables, Leeds (manager) 2002-2003, QPR (manager) 1980-1984, 1969-1974 >>> Joe Jordan, QPR (coach) 2012-present, Leeds 1970-1978
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