As QPR go to league leaders Huddersfield on Saturday, LFW looks back to an FA Cup replay between the sides in the late 1990s when Alan McDonald settled proceedings at the death.

Memorable Match

Huddersfield 1 QPR 2, FA Cup Third Round replay, Tuesday January 14, 1997

QPR had already won at Huddersfield in the First Division in late December when they visited for an FA Cup Third Round replay in January. A dreadful start to the club’s first season outside the top flight in more than a decade had seen Ray Wilkins leave as manager and Stewart Houston take an absolute age to get settled and start winning. The R’s had in fact dipped as low as fourteenth in the league at one stage during a run of just three wins from 15 matches and a second consecutive relegation was starting to look a distinct possibility.

Houston, belatedly, started to address the situation. He’d sat quietly assessing his team rather than adding to it during a prolonged run of poor results, much to new chairman Chris Wright’s chagrin in a strange role reversal. Board member Nick Blackburn told A Kick Up The R’s: “Stewart was that he was a remarkably honest and decent man, and I think he was a very good coach, But he was very slow to make decisions. We had Matt Jackson on loan at the time, who I thought was a decent player, and Stewart said, ‘I’m not going to sign him until I’ve watched him a few more times.’ So Matt said, ‘I’m not going to stay here on trial’ and went back to Everton. I always remember, Stewart started quite well and then the club slipped down the table, yet he had money available. But he just wouldn’t sign anyone. Chris was away and he rang me up one day and said, ‘Tell Stewart, if he doesn’t sign anybody, I’m going to sign some fucking players’, because we were still slipping down the table.”

Eventually new blood was injected with the big money acquisitions of Chelsea pair John Spencer and Gavin Peacock. They hit the ground running, both scoring freely in a run of six wins and a draw from eight matches that included a 2-1 success at what was then called the McAllpine Stadium in Huddersfield. A bad tempered match had been settled by a free kick on the stroke of half time from Danny Dichio and then a close range effort from a Spencer cross by Matthew Brazier immediately after the break.

Bad blood lingered from that fixture. Rufus Brevett had somehow escaped any punishment whatsoever for sprinting the length of the field to punch Kevin Gray in the face during a melee and both sides could probably have done without the subsequent FA Cup draw which paired them together at Loftus Road.

Rangers had played superbly in a 3-2 win at home to Norwich on Boxing Day to climb to seventh, but then collapsed to a 4-1New Year defeat at West Brom since the league meeting. The defensive frailties prevalent in both games were prevalent again when Aussie full back Andy McDermott gave the ball away deep in his own half and veteran midfielder Gary Crosby stole in on the subsequent cross to open the scoring. The equaliser came in the last minute, a 20 yard curler from the much maligned Mark Hateley — his first goal of the season.

A 3-1 home league win against Barnsley followed with Spencer grabbing a perfect hat trick. That set up the Tuesday night replay with the Terriers. Things didn’t start well for the visitors when Rob Edwards bundled his way through first a limp challenge from Karl Ready and then an amateurish piece of goalkeeping from Tony Roberts to open the scoring with just seven minutes played. But Houston’s team fought back to equalise before half time when Gavin Peacock slipped past his man and seized a John Spencer pass to fire in an equaliser.

That looked like being enough to take the game to extra time until the very final minute of time added on at the end of the game when Alan McDonald, one of only four men QPR had committed into the penalty area for a late corner, defied the efforts of a two man marking team to rise into the night sky and thump home a winning header with essentially the last kick of the game.

Rangers then beat Barnsley for the third time that season in the fourth round thanks to the famous Trevor Sinclair goal and took a 10,000+ travelling support to Premier League Wimbledon in round five only to be beaten 2-1. The home league game against Huddersfield that season incidentally was played in March and won 2-0 by the R’s with goals from McDermott and Spencer.

Huddersfield: S Francis, S Jenkins, P Reid, D Bullock, J Dyson , W Burnett, L Makel, G Crosby, M Stewart (I Lawson, 72), A Payton , R Edwards (S Collins, 77)

Subs: D O'Connor

Goals: Edwards 7

Bookings: Dyson, Payton

QPR: T Roberts, M Graham, A McDonald, K Ready, R Brevett, P Murray, G Peacock, M Brazier, T Sinclair, J Spencer (D Dichio, 75), M Hateley

Subs: D Maddix, J Sommer

Goals: Peacock 26, McDonald 90

Bookings: Ready, Sinclair

Attendance 11,814

Recent Meetings

QPR 1 Huddersfield 1, Monday December 28, 2015, Championship

These sides fought out a dire 1-1 draw at Loftus Road last Christmas, as Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink continued to struggle to make an impact after taking over at QPR. It looked like he might get his first win as Rangers manager when Seb Polter bundled in the opening goal amidst a scramble from a long throw ten minutes from time. Matt Phillips had earlier missed an absolute sitter when played clear through on Joe Murphy in the Huddersfield goal. But the visitors deserved a point and won it with four minutes to go as Nahki Wells was able to beat Robert Green with a free kick from somewhere over by White City tube station.

QPR: Green 6; Onuoha 6, Hall 6, Hill 6, Konchesky 6; Tozser 4, Sandro 4 (Polter 65, 7); Phillips 5 (Emmanuel Thomas 77, 5), Henry 5, Hoilett 6, Fer 4 (Chery 69, 6)

Subs not used: Faurlin, Luongo, Smithies, Angella

Goals: Polter 80 (assisted Emmanuel Thomas/Onuoha)

Huddersfield: Murphy 6; Smith 6, Hudson 6, Cranie 6, Davidson 6 (Chilwell 60, 6); Hogg 6, Huws 7, Bunn 6, Carayol 5 (Lolley 60, 7); Paterson 5 (Scannell 73, 6), Wells 7

Subs not used: Allinson, Lynch, Billing, Bojaj

Goals: Wells 86 (free kick won Lolley)

Yellow Cards: Hudson 79 (foul), Huws 89 (foul)

Huddersfield 0 QPR 1, Saturday August 29, 2015, Championship

QPR ground out a 1-0 win from a scrappy game when these sides met for the first time last season on August Bank Holiday weekend. Twice in the first half low crosses from Matt Phillips almost forced own goals from Huddersfield players, the in the second he drew a save from home keeper Brian Murphy, but the game looked to be drifting off to a 0-0 draw. That was until Tjaronn Chery slid onto a low cross at the back post and converted the only goal of the game from close range with eight minutes left.

Huddersfield: Murphy 6; Smith 5, Hudson 6 (Cranie 45, 6), Davison 6, Lynch 7; Whitehead 7, Butterfield 8, Hogg 6, Scannell 7(Lolley 72, 5); Miller 6, Wells 5 (Carayol 80, 6)

Bookings: Hogg 62 (foul)

QPR: Green 6, Perch 5, Onouha 8, Hall 7, Konschesky 7, Doughty 6, Faurlin 6, Phillips 7, Chery 6, Luongo 6, Austin 6

Subs not used: Emmanuel-Thomas, Hoilett, Smithies, Blackwood, Furlong, Comley, Kpekawa

Goals: Chery 84 (assist Luongo)

Bookings: Konchesky 63 (foul), Perch 90 (foul), Phillips 92 (ungentlemanly conduct)

QPR 2 Huddersfield 1, Saturday January 18, 2014, Championship

QPR overcame a sluggish start to record a narrow 2-1 victory against Huddersfield at Loftus Road in January of the 2013/14 promotion season. Ward twice went through on Rob Green and Oliver Norwood had a free kick well saved by the keeper inside the first 12 minutes but with the scoreline still deadlocked, Charlie Austin made the Terriers pay for their profligacy. The striker finished powerfully from just inside the area after half time and then, after Nahki Wells had headed Town level from Adam Hammill’s cross, headed home a late corner from close range to seal the win.

QPR: Green 7; Simpson 7, Dunne 6, Hill 6, Assou-Ekotto 7; Kranjcar 6, Carroll 5, Henry 6, O’Neil 5 (Phillips 45, 7); Johnson 6 (Traore 81, 7), Austin 7

Subs not used: Wright-Phillips, Onuoha, Diakite, Zamora, Murphy

Goals: Austin 55 (assisted Johnson), 79 (assisted Assou-Ekotto)

Bookings: Johnson 43 (foul), Hill 45+2 (foul), Carroll 86 (foul)

Huddersfield: Smithies 6; Wallace 6, Gerrard 6, Smith 6; Dixon 6, Hogg 7, Clayton 7, Norwood 6 (Scannell 67, 7), Hammill 7 (Gobern 78, 6); Ward 5 (Vaughan 51, 6) Wells 7

Subs not used: Woods, Bennett, Lolley, Holmes

Goals: Wells 68 (assisted Hammill)

Huddersfield 1 QPR 1, Saturday August 10, 2013, Championship

QPR flexed their Premier League quality, without ever really threatening to cut loose, in the first away game of that league season at Huddersfield in August. The home team took the lead ten minutes before half time when James Vaughan aggressively attacked a fine Oliver Norwood cross and powered home, but Junior Hoilett bundled in an equaliser almost immediately. In the second half Rangers had much the better of it but goalkeeper Alex Smithies was in fine form, denying Shaun Wright-Phillips with a decent save, and Charlie Austin hit the bar with a close range header. In the end both sides were happy with their shared points.

Huddersfield: Smithies 8, Clarke 6, Lynch 6, Gerrard 6, Norwood 6, Carroll 6 (Hunt 63, 6), Hammill 5 (Ward 72, 6), Gobern 6 (Scannell 82, -), Clayton 7, Vaughan 7, Paterson 6

Subs not used: Bennett, Wallace, Crooks Stead

Goals: Vaughan 35 (assisted Norwood)

Bookings: Lynch 73 (foul)

QPR: Green 6, Simpson 6, Hill 6, Onuoha 7, Suk-Young 6, Barton 7, Granero 5 (Wright-Phillips 70, 6), Henry 5 (Jenas 84, -), Hoilett 7, Johnson 6, Austin 7

Subs not used: Murphy, Dunne, Ehmer, O’Neil, Zamora

Goals: Hoilett 38 (assisted Suk-Young)

Bookings: Granero 15 (foul)

Huddersfield 0 QPR 3, Tuesday March 4, 2003, Second Division

The last time these sides met prior to that the 2002/03 season when QPR were destined for play-off final heartbreak against Cardiff, while the Terriers were fighting an ultimately fruitless battle against relegation to the fourth tier. That gulf in class showed in both meetings, particularly in the midweek game in West Yorkshire in March. Rangers had endured a torrid autumn featuring the infamous defeat by Vauxhall Motors in the FA Cup, but had come out fighting over the winter with seven wins from ten matches catapulting them into the play off reckoning. That resurgence had been led from the front by the much maligned Paul Furlong and although a draw at home to Mansfield and heavy defeat to Sam Parkin-inspired Swindon had stalled progress in the lead up to this game, it took the former Chelsea man just five minutes to stride through on goal and emphatically open the scoring. Danny Shittu doubled that lead before half time with a typically powerful header from a corner. The victory was sealed in injury time when Furlong added a third in front of the hardy travelling fans behind the goal.

Huddersfield: P Senior, K Sharp (G Labarthe Tome, 73), T Heary, N Brown, A Moses, M Smith, K Irons (J Worthington, 56), D Mattis, S Baldry, A Booth, J Stead (J Thorrington, 56)

Subs not used: P Scott, A Jeffery

Bookings: Stead, Sharp

QPR: C Day, T Forbes, C Carlisle , D Shittu, G Padula , M Bircham , R Langley , S Palmer, L Cook (T Williams, 75), P Furlong , K Gallen

Subs not used: B Angell, D Oli, M Bean, L Griffiths

Goals: Furlong 5, 90, Shittu 38

Bookings: Carlisle, Bircham, Langley, Furlong

Attendance: 8695

QPR 3 Huddersfield 0, Tuesday September 17, 2002, Second Division

The horrors of Vauxhall Motors and similarly disastrous defeats to Notts County, Cardiff and a draw with nine man Luton were all still to come when the teams met for the first time that season. At that stage it looked as though Ian Holloway’s men were a very good bet for promotion with four wins and two draws from their first nine matches. That was soon extended to eight wins and two draws from 12 as an emphatic home success against Huddersfield — with first Danny Shittu and later Clarke Carlisle exposing their weakness from set pieces — sparked a run of five wins from six games. Perennial QPR loanee Tommy Williams scored the second goal from open play between the two set piece strikes although he would finish the season best known for failing to pass the ball in a gilt edged chance in the play-off final, instead taking on a shot and missing before Cardiff won the game with a late strike.

QPR: S Royce, T Forbes, D Shittu, C Carlisle, T Williams, M Rose (D Murphy, 89), R Langley, S Palmer, K Connolly, K Gallen, D Oli (R Pacquette, 83)

Subs not used: F Digby, Doudou, A Thomson

Goals: Shittu 4, Williams 32, Carlisle 74

Huddersfield: S Bevan, S Jenkins, N Brown, E Youds (A Booth, 18), K Sharp, D Mattis, K Irons, C Holland, J Thorrington (S McDonald, 79), K Gallacher (J Worthington, 79), D Schofield

Subs not used: P Senior, S Baldry

Attendance: 11010

Previous Results

2015/16 QPR 1 Huddersfield 1 (Polter)

2015/16 Huddersfield 0 QPR 1 (Chery)

2013/14 QPR 2 Huddersfield 1 (Austin 2)

2013/14 Huddersfield 1 QPR 1 (Hoilett)

2002/03 Huddersfield 0 QPR 3 (Furlong 2, Shittu)

2002/03 QPR 3 Huddersfield 0 (Shittu, Williams, Carlisle)

2001/02 Huddersfield 1 QPR 0

2001/02 QPR 3 Huddersfield 2 (Thomson, Rose, Palmer)

2000/01 Huddersfield 2 QPR 1 (Thomson)

2000/01 QPR 1 Huddersfield 1 (Connolly)

1999/00 Huddersfield 1 QPR 0

1999/00 QPR 3 Huddersfield 1 (Darlington, Kiwomya, Peacock)

1998/99 QPR 1 Huddersfield 1 (Baraclough)

1998/99 QPR 0 Huddersfield 1*

1998/99 Huddersfield 2 QPR 0

1997/98 Huddersfield 1 QPR 1 (Jones)

1997/98 QPR 2 Huddersfield 1 (Quashie 2)

1996/97 QPR 2 Huddersfield 0 (McDermott, Spencer)

1996/97 Huddersfield 1 QPR 2* (Peacock, McDonald)

1996/97 QPR 1 Huddersfield 1* (Hateley)

1996/97 Huddersfield 1 QPR 2 (Dichio, Brazier)

1983/84 Huddersfield 2 QPR 1* (Gregory)

1972/73 Huddersfield 2 QPR 2 (Francis, Leach)

1972/73 QPR 3 Huddersfield 1 (Givens 2, Thomas)

1969/70 Huddersfield 2 QPR 0

1969/70 QPR 4 Huddersfield 2 (Marsh, I Morgan, Bridges, Venables (pen))

1967/68 QPR 3 Huddersfield 0 (Marsh 2, Legg og)

1967/68 Huddersfield 1 QPR 0

1948/49 Huddersfield 5 QPR 0*

1948/49 QPR 0 Huddersfield 0*

1931/32 Huddersfield 5 QPR 0*

* - FA Cup

Connections

Steve Yates >>> QPR 1993-1999 >>> Huddersfield 2003-2005

The recent half-hearted link between QPR and Bristol Rovers’ free-scoring forward Matt Taylor brought memories of the early 1990s flooding back, when a fair old procession of players travelled down the M4 swapping the blue and white quarters for the blue and white hoops.

Following Gerry Francis’ move from Rovers to Rangers in 1991 he brought in a succession of players he’d worked with previously including Gary Penrice, Ian Holloway, Devon White, Garry Thompson, Dennis Bailey and Steve Yates.

Yates had already made 237 appearances for Rovers between graduating from the club’s youth set up in 1988 and moving to Loftus Road for £650,000 in 1993. He made his debut in a home defeat to Liverpool early in the 1993/94 season — a game best remembered for a 30-yar howitzer from Ray Wilkins at the Loft End — and was generally considered not be very good by the Rangers faithful.

That was partly because he was stepping up a couple of divisions, partly because he was caught between being a right back and centre back while also dropping in and out of the team, but mainly because he was being judged against some excellent QPR defenders at the time. David Bardsley was the first choice right back ahead of him with club legend Alan McDonald, Darren Peacock prior to a big-money move to Newcastle, and the often forgotten and underrated Danny Maddix all competing for centre back spots.

He made 150 starts for the club in his six years at Loftus Road, scoring in a Premier League defeat at Aston Villa and a First Division 3-2 win at Oxford United. But there were few tears shed, or notice paid really, when he left in the summer of 1999 at the end of his contract.

And, following his departure, he came into his own as a Championship centre half. Annoying really, because QPR were soon rotating Steve Morrow, Matthew Rose and Karl Ready in that position with horrifying results and another relegation their reward. Yates moved to Tranmere Rovers, an odd move considering his wife had said she as homesick in London where people took the mick out of her West Country accent.

But he excelled at Prenton Park as John Aldridge’s side became known as a cup giant killer supreme. Yates scored twice in one of those, a 3-0 win at local rivals Everton — two of 14 goals he scored in 137 appearances. Another one beat Leeds United in the League Cup as Rovers made it all the way through to the final where they were beaten by Leicester — Yates a second half substitute following a red card for a young Clint Hill. He was a cult hero at Prenton Park thanks to his career-best goal scoring exploits.

He subsequently played, briefly, for Sheffield United before joining Huddersfield Town in 2003 — at the time the Terriers were in the bottom division. While with Town he lost a front tooth in a tunnel punch up with Carlisle’s Richie Foran, for which both players were sent off. He was part of the Peter Jackson side which won promotion back to the third tier, but decided to retire from the sport in 2005.

He came back in 2006 for brief stints with Scarborough, Halifax, Morecambe and finally Caernarfon Town. He recently returned to his first club, Bristol Rovers, as kit man.

Others >>> Joel Lynch, QPR 2016-present, Huddersfield 2012-2016 >>> Alex Smithies QPR 2015-present, Huddersfield 2007-2015 >>> Neil Warnock, Huddersfield (manager) 1993-1995, QPR (manager) 2010-2012 >>> Damien Delaney, Huddersfield (loan) 2002, QPR 2008-2009 >>> Fraser Digby, Huddersfield 2000, QPR 2000-2001 >>> Leon Knight, QPR (loan) 2001, Huddersfield (loan) 2001-2002 >>> Michel Ngonge Huddersfield (loan) 2000, QPR 2000-20001 >>> Kevin Gallen, QPR 2001-2007, 1994-2000, Huddersfield 2000-2001 >>> Steve Yates, QPR 1993-1999, Huddersfield 2003-2005 >>> Peter Eastoe, QPR 1976-1979, Huddersfield (loan) 1983 >>> Ted Goodier, Huddersfield 1922-1923, QPR 1931-1935

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OldPedro added 20:28 - Sep 15 I remember that going to that cup replay with a friend from work who was a Huddersfield fan. I was sat in the main stand with the Town fans when Macca scored the winner - somehow I managed to stay quiet despite wanting to jump up and celebrate.
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Myke added 21:46 - Sep 15 Peter Eastoe I'd forgotten about him - handy striker. Forgotten about Granero too - hopefully I soon will again!
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thorpebankR added 12:08 - Sep 16 Bit lively outside after that macca goal I remember!
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TacticalR added 15:09 - Sep 16 Great stuff. Thanks. Steve Yates 'was generally considered not be very good by the Rangers faithful'. I think it was also that he was one of a number of players associated with our relegation from the top flight and a growing realisation that Chris Wright's optimism about a swift return to the Premiership was misplaced.
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