The Connections and Memories column returns with a look at a memorable match and players that have played for both teams as QPR preapre to face Ipswich Town live on Sky on Saturday.

This column is finally beginning to beat me, after all there’s only so far you can stretch some memories and those connected with Rangers and the last couple of opponents haven’t really been worth reading about. I mean how much you can say about Simon Osbourne’s stellar nine game career at Loftus Road or pick out Steve Hodge’s magic moment in a hooped shirt? Not a lot is the answer, so I gave the column a rest which probably wont be the last time this season as connections and memories become harder to squeeze out. Which brings me nicely to Saturday nights opponents Ipswich Town. Once again the memories are a bit thin on the ground for this one (especially as this the third focus on Town) but I’ve got Luton v Brighton on in the background and I’m all set to give it a go.

Since the last column we’ve held arguably the best team in the league to another goalless draw, failed to take advantage of our best ever chance of winning at the City Ground and even added another midfielder to our squad. That’s without mentioning Lee Camp, postponed fixtures, twelve year-old dads and Slumdog Millionaire. On Saturday though normal service resumes with the visit of Ipswich to Loftus Road in front of the Sky cameras. Talk is rife this week that Jim Magilton could be the next manager in the queue at the Job Centre if Town’s results don’t pick up. But in a league as tight as this seasons Championships, two wins would put Ipswich straight back into the play-off picture. They have a decent away record this season so Rangers cant afford to take the Tractor Boys lightly if we are to continue our own progress towards the top six.

Ipswich first travelled to W12 for Third Division South game in April 1939 that ended goalless. Last season’s fixture also ended all square with Marc Nygaard cancelling out Sylvain Legwinski in a 1-1 draw. So lets take a walk down the blue and white hooped path of memory lane a revisit a Rangers win from a miserable season days and two Ian Holloway players who played for both clubs.

Memorable Match
QPR 2-1 Ipswich
8 October 1968
First Division
From Vital QPR
QPR secured their first ever win as a top flight team against Ipswich at Loftus Road in October 1968. The R’s had been promoted to the top flight for the first time in their history the season before but were struggling to cope at the higher level and went into the match desperate to get off the mark with their first win. Alec Stock`s men were facing the drop even at this early stage after going through their first twelve matches without a win - five draws and seven defeats. Ipswich by comparison were holding their own in the top flight under Bill McGarry sitting twelfth in the First Division. However they had also lost six of their 12 games with away defeats against Sunderland, Sheffield Wednesday and Chelsea.

Rangers had already lost to Ipswich at Portman Road when goals from Colin Viljoen, Danny Hegan and Ray Crawford gave Town a comfortable 3-0 victory. Alec Stock made wholesale changed from the side that were defeated at home by West Bromwich Albion the game before. Out went Ron Hunt, Frank Sibley, Ian Morgan and Frank Clarke and coming in were skipper Mike Keen, Bobby Keetch, Les Allen and Alan Wilks as Rangers continued to suffer in the absence of injured forward Rodney Marsh.

After a poor first half, Rangers were looking to stamp some impetus on proceedings. They needed only to wait two minutes before a piece of creative genius saw Rangers infront. Recalled skipper Mike Keen slipped a fantastic 30-yard pass through for striker Barry Bridges, with Ken Hancock no match for the forward`s strike as he put the R`s 1-0 up. Rangers were once again looking like the team of old, really playing with great enthusiasm and creativity that took them from the third division to their current position. However Ipswich had a way back into the game when Bobby Keetch put through his own net to equalise for the Tractor Boys. A stormy match on a boggy pitch saw the R`s pile forward in search of an unlikely winner, peppering the Town target with half chances but nothing of real substance. Frustration however turned to elation when Rangers took their chance and snatched all the points. It was winger Roger Morgan who bagged the goal with little over fifteen minutes remaining sending the near 18,000 crowd into raptures as the R`s secured their first win.

QPR: Kelly, Watson, Harris, Keen, Keetch, Hazell, Bridges, Leach, Allen, Wilks, Morgan R
Ipswich: Hancock, Carroll, Mills, Viljoen, Baxter, Jefferson, Spearitt, Hegan, Crawford (Hunt 68), O`Rourke, Brogan.

Postscript: A follow up win against Sheffield Wednesday suddenly gave Rangers hope that they had turned the corner and indeed were capable of avoiding the drop. However two more home wins against Nottingham Forest and Stoke City were all the R`s could muster as they finished rock-bottom with eighteen points, breaking the record as the lowest points total. Ipswich finished in twelfth place as a late surge of two defeats in thirteen saw them into the safety of mid-table.

Connections
Steve Palmer
Ipswich Town 1989-95
QPR 2001-04
When you go down the list of players that have played a important part in the history of Queens Park Rangers, I doubt Steve Palmer would be too high on the list. But in his relatively short stint at Loftus Road, Palmer he played an integral part of Ian Holloway’s promotion winning side. Born in Brighton, Palmer is well known for being the only professional footballer of the modern era to have graduated from Cambridge University, where he obtained a degree in software engineering whilst captaining Cambridge Uni AFC. Despite earning a degree it was football where Palmer saw his future and signed pro-terms with Ipswich Town in 1989.

At Portman Road, a young Palmer learnt his trade and was part of the squad that won the old Second Division in 1992, earning promotion to the newly formed Premier League. In all Palmer played 90 games for Ipswich most of them in the top flight before Town’s relegation in 1995, and then joined Watford for a £135,000 fee. In his time at Vicarage Road, under Graham Taylor Palmer played for the Hornets in three different divisions. Helping the club gain two promotions from the Second Division and his return to the Premier League. It was Palmer who skippered Waford in their play-of final victory over Bolton to reach the top-flight. Unfortunately their stay with the big boys only lasted one season and after a further year with the Hornets, Palmer left to join QPR on a free transfer.

He joined a side who had just been relegated to the third tier of English football for the first time since the sixties and had been re-built by Ian Holloway over the summer with free transfers and trialists. Seeking his leadership qualities, Holloway appointed Palmer captain and made his debut in a 1-0 win over Stoke City. He would go onto be an ever present in the Rangers side for the next two seasons, although some questioned the wisdom of playing the big centre-back as a defensive midfielder as Holloway did on occasions. He led the R’s to the play-off final in 2003, only to lose to Cardiff but Palmer and the side bounced back the following season kicking off with a goal in the 5-0 opening day win over Blackpool and finishing celebrating at Hillsborough as the R’s secured automatic promotion. He left Loftus Road that summer to finish his career with a two season spell with MK Dons but now can be seen working with Tottenham’s youngsters as the academies Performance Manager.

He wasn’t the most skilful or talented player to grace the hoops but his leadership and determination when the team needed it most in a difficult period will always be remembered fondly.
Magic R’s Moment: His goal in the 5-0 rout at Blackpool on a boiling hot day set a trend that would see through to the end of the season.

Adam Miller
Ipswich 1999-00
QPR 2004-06
A Rangers fan growing up, Miller’s footballing career started at Portman Road as a seventeen year old trainee. Although he impressed in youth and reserve games, he could never force his way into the first team picture and decided to accept a trial from Southend United. This led to Miller being offered terms by Southend, only for it to be withdrawn a week later due to the sacking of manager Alan Little. Without another offer from a league team and way down the pecking order at Ipswich, Miller dropped down the divisions and signed for non-league Canvey Island. In the 2000-01 season Miller enjoyed his first full season of first team football, helping Canvey reach the FA Trophy Final and second place in the league.

After two seasons with Canvey, Miller moved to first Grays Athletic and then Gravesend and Northfleet but failed to reproduce the kind of form he had shown with his previous club so moved on once more to Aldershot. With the Shots Miller regained his form and was named the Non League Paper’s Player of the Year in 2004. Then after a friendly with Championship side QPR later that year, his performance along with some previous scouting reports impressed Rangers manager Ian Holloway so much that he bought Miller to the club he supported as a boy. A month later he made he made his QPR and football league debut in a 2-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest and would go on to make twelve more appearances for the Superhoops that season - including a red card at home to Leeds.

The following campaign though with Rangers having improved their squad, Miller struggled to force his way into the side and joined Peterborough on loan before leaving Loftus Road permanently for Stevenage. At Stevenge he picked up a FA Trophy winners medal before following manager Mark Stimson to Gillingham.
Magic R’s moment: erm….. That red card showed some fight I guess….

Others:
Johnny Gibbons QPR 1947-49, Ipswich 1949-50. Now retired
John O’Rouke Ipswich 1967-69, QPR 1971-74. Now runs a newsagent
Frank Clarke QPR 1968-70, QPR 1970-73. Now unknown
Phil Parkes QPR 1970-79, Ipswich 1990-01. Now teaches young goalkeepers
Alan Brazil Ipswich 1977-83, QPR 1986. Now pundit on Talksport
Paul Goddard QPR 1977-80, Ipswich 1991. Now works for a football agency
Chris Kiwomya Ipswich 1987-95, QPR 1998-01. Now a reserve team coach at Ipswich
David Kerslake QPR 1983-89, Ipswich 1997. Now unknown.
Mark Stein QPR 1988-89, Ipswich 1997. Now a physio at Barnet
Wayne Brown Ipswich 1995-2002, QPR (loan) 2001. Now at Preston on loan from Hull
Sieb Dijkstra QPR 1994-96, Ipswich 1999. Now goalkeeping coach at MVV
Kevin Lisbie QPR (loan) 2000-01, Ipswich 2008-present
George Santos Ipswich 2003-04, QPR 2004-06. Now at Fleetwood Town
Simon Walton Ipswich (loan), 2006-07 QPR 2007-08. Now at Plymouth

Fans’ Memories
Devon White's Loft End header no question. Absolute screamer. Also the season after that we beat Sheffield Wednesday on the Tuesday night and then played them on the Saturday and lost. We were on holiday in Florida at the time and Dad rang home from the airport to get the score. We couldn't believe it! Felt sure we would win that one. -Northernr

1985 Quarter Final after a mental 0-0 at Portman Road. We lost 2-1 I think Bannister scored. Terry Butcher was brillliant on the night -welwynranger

A nil-nil draw back when John Wark(Tashe et al) was playing for them. Quite possibly the most boring game I have ever seen. I think they played 5 at the back and I remember thinking please let it end. -Metallica

4-1 about 10 years back. Also a dreadful 3-3 at LR back in circa '78? 3-0 up at half time, conceded 3 in the second half.....nightmare. -Brightonhoop

When QPR fans started ripping up our own seats and throwing them at Ipswich fans,but only managed to hit QPR fans in the Paddocks. -QPR1882

Almost forty-one years ago: October 8, 1968 - After twelve games without a win, newly-promoted QPR finally won their first-ever Division One game, beating Ipswich 2-1 (Barry Bridges and Roger Morgan) in a midweek game at Loftus Road. The QPR team:Mike Kelly: Alan Harris - Tony Hazell- Bobby Keetch - Ian Watson Mike Keen - Roger Morgan - Les Allen Mick Leach - Barry Bridges - Alan Wilks. Three days later, QPR picked up a second win against Sheffield Wednesday at Loftus Road, and QPR were finally establishing ourselves. Unfortunately as things turned out, we only picked up another two wins all season. And QPR went down with a then pathetically-low 18 points (subsequently bettered by Stoke). QPRReport

To add your memories to this column you can use the commenting facility below, e-mail us loftforwords@yahoo.co.uk or post on the message board thread.

Photo: Action Images

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