Everton have the better of this fixture historically, but QPR have some fabulous memories of their more recent visits to Goodison Park.

Recent Meetings

When these sides last met at Loftus Road it was toward the end of the 1995/96 season. QPR would finish that campaign in the bottom three having started a rally of results, particularly at home, just too late. Everton were one off three sides suddenly beaten with some ease by QPR in W12, Southampton and West Ham would follow, but it wasn’t enough to keep the R’s up. In this game Kevin Gallen, Mark Hateley and Andy Impey scored the goals for Rangers who won 3-1 despite not forcing a corner in the entire game. John Ebbrell scored for Everton, then managed by Joe Royle.

QPR: Sommer, Bardsley, McDonald, Yates, Brevett, Impey, Holloway, Wilkins, Sinclair, Gallen, Hateley

Subs not used: Ready, Brazier, Dichio

Goals: Gallen, Hateley, Impey

Everton: Southall, Unsworth (Short 63), Watson, Horne (Grant 73), Parkinson, Holcrft, Ebbrell, Kanchelskis, Ferguson, Limpar (Branch 46), Hottinger

Goals: Ebbrell

The reasons QPR went down that season can be seen more starkly by studying the line up for the away match. For a start, Kevin Gallen was left to play up front by himself with a five man midfield behind that included Matt Brazier and Ned Zelic. Gallen had forged a good partnership with Les Ferdinand the year before but struggled after Les left for Newcastle – Wilkins tried to replace him with Mark Hateley and although he scored in the return fixture that turned out to be a disaster. Brazier, and his fellow youth team graduate Trevor Challis who started here, were never remotely good enough and while Zelic certainly was he quickly fell out with everybody at QPR and demanded to leave. Here the game was over before half time with Graham Stuart and Paul Rideout scoring before the break and QPR unable to respond.

Everton:Southall, Jackson, Watson, Short, Unsworth, Kanchelskis, Ebbrell, Parkinson, Limpar, Stuart, Rideout.

Subs not used: Horne, Hinchcliffe, Amokachi

Goals: Stuart 18, Rideout 37

Bookings: Limpar, Ebbrell, Jackson

QPR: Sommer, Ready, Yates, Maddix, Challis (McDonald 82), Impey, Zelic, Barker, Sinclair (Dichio 53), Brazier, Gallen

Subs not used: Wilkins

Bookings: Ready, Zelic, Barker.

Previous Results

Head to Head >>> Everton wins 20 >>> Draws 10 >>> QPR wins 14

1995/96 QPR 3 Everton 1 (Gallen, Hateley, Impey)

1995/96 Everton 2 QPR 0

1994/95 QPR 2 Everton 3 (Gallen, Ferdinand)

1994/95 Everton 2 QPR 2 (Ferdinand 2)

1993/94 QPR 2 Everton 1 (White, Ferdinand)

1993/94 Everton 0 QPR 3 (Allen 3)

1992/93 Everton 3 QPR 5 (Ferdinand 3, Impey, Bardsley)

1992/93 QPR 4 Everton 2 (Sinton 3, Penrice)

1991/92 Everton 0 QPR 0

1991/92 QPR 3 Everton 1 (Barker 2, Bailey)

1990/91 QPR 1 Everton 1 (Wegerle)

1990/91 Everton 3 QPR 0

1989/90 Everton 1 QPR 0

1989/90 QPR 1 Everton 0 (Sinton)

1988/89 Everton 4 QPR 1 (Falco)

1988/89 QPR 0 Everton 0

1987/88 Everton 2 QPR 0

1987/88 QPR 1 Everton 0 (M Allen)

1986/87 QPR 0 Everton 1

1986/87 Everton 0 QPR 0

1985/86 Everton 4 QPR 3 (Bannister 2, Byrne)

1985/86 QPR 3 Everton 0 (Bannister 2, Byrne)

1984/85 Everton 2 QPR 0

1984/85 QPR 0 Everton 0

1983/84 Everton 3 QPR 1 (Mickelwhite)

1983/84 QPR 2 Everton 0 (Charles 2)

1978/79 Everton 2 QPR 1 (Goddard)

1978/79 QPR 1 Everton 1 (Gillard)

1977/78 Everton 3 QPR 3 (Shanks, Hollins, Howe)

1977/78 QPR 1 Everton 5 (Eastoe)

1976/77 Everton 1 QPR 3 (Leach, Masson, Bowles)

1976/77 QPR 0 Everton 4

1975/76 Everton 0 QPR 2 (Bowles, Leach)

1975/76 QPR 5 Everton 0 (Francis 2, Givens, Masson, Thomas)

1974/75 Everton 2 QPR 1 (Givens)

1974/75 QPR 2 Everton 2 (Givens, Busby)

1973/74 QPR 1 Everton 0 (Givens)

1973/74 Everton 1 QPR 0

1968/69 QPR 0 Everton 1

1968/69 Everton 4 QPR 0

1951/52 Everton 3 QPR 0

1951/52 QPR 4 Everton 4 (Shepherd 2, Waugh, Gilberg)

1949/50 QPR 0 Everton 2*

1914/15 QPR 1 Everton 2* (Birch)

* - FA Cup

Memorable Match

Everton 3 QPR 5, Easter 1993

In the mid 90s QPR had the Indian sign over Everton, helped along the way by a unique achievement by three players. Andy Sinton, Les Ferdinand and then Bradley Allen all scored hat tricks in consecutive games against the Toffees, with Les’ efforts coming in this middle fixture of the three in 1993. Rangers would go onto finish fifth in the Premiership that season and had already beaten Nottingham Forest 4-3 at home on Easter Saturday two days before this game with another Ferdinand hat trick.

The highlights of this game at Goodison wouldn’t look out of place on a highlights compilation of some of the Dutch total football sides of yesteryear and as Rangers carved the home side apart, even the Everton fans behind the goal can be seen applauding Gerry Francis’ men.

Andy Impey opened the scoring from long range but Tony Cottee headed in an equaliser from a corner to restore parity. From then on it was the Ferdinand show – his first effort was a powerful, determined strike after he reached a loose ball in the area, the second a relative tap in after Neville Southall dropped a cross at his feet, and the third a beautifully crafted goal after nice build up by Sinton and Allen. David Bardsley drilled in a free kick to make it 5-1 and although Stuart Barlow, who’d scored twice at Loftus Road in a 4-2 defeat after Everton had been reduced to nine men at Christmas, scored again and Precki added some respect to the scoreline Rangers were magnificent and thoroughly deserved a 5-3 victory.

Everton: Southall, Jackson (Barlow 28), Hinchcliffe, Horne, Watson, Ablett, Ward (Precki 54), Beardsley, Cottee, Snodin, Ebbrell

Subs Not Used: Kearton

Goals: Cottee 31, Barlow 87, Precki 89

QPR: Roberts, Bardsley, Peacock, McDonald, Wilson, Impey, Holloway, Wilkins, Sinton (Barker), Ferdinand, Allen

Subs not used: Ready, Stejskal

Goals: Ferdinand 37, 48, 51, Impey 6, Bardsley 79

Highlights

Played for Both Clubs

Dave Thomas >>> QPR 1972 to 1977 >>> Everton 1977 to 1979

Dave Thomas was an unprecedented piece of business for Second Division QPR when he arrived for a fee of £165k in 1972 – a record fee for the division at that time. The young winger, famed for tearing up and down the sideline and riding some horror tackles with his socks rolled down to his ankles and no shin pads, was the league’s hottest property and Burnley were QPR’s big rivals for promotion that year. Manager Gordon Jago knew exactly what he was getting and the side was promoted that year with something to spare.

In the First Division, under first Jago and later Dave Sexton, Thomas absolutely excelled and won eight England caps. He played in the great QPR side of 1976 that was so heartbreakingly pipped to the title by a single point by Liverpool. Despite a history that includes the likes of Rodney Marsh, Stan Bowles and Les Ferdinand many QPR fans who watched the side in the 1970s will name Thomas as one of, if not the, best players they ever saw at Loftus Road.

After missing out on the title the side began to break up, and QPR were actually relegated two seasons later. After 220 senior appearances for Rangers and 33 goals he moved back to Lancashire with Everton for £200k and helped striker Bob Latchford reach 30 goals in the 1977/78 season with many assists. He had brief spells with Vancouver Whitecaps, Middlesbrough and Portsmouth as his career wound down in the 1980s and then worked as a PE teacher in Chichester before retiring. He was one of the QPR players featured on Sky’s Time of Our Lives documentary on the club that aired last year.

Photo: Action Images

NorwayRanger16 added 22:43 - Aug 17 Early release Clive, are you working on another story eh? ;-)
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Northernr added 22:45 - Aug 17 Frantically punching out Everton preview stuff as I'm anticipating a busy day on other stuff tomorrow, and I can't imagine Everton match previews will be what people are looking for on LFW this time tomorrow!
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NorwayRanger16 added 22:52 - Aug 17 Sorry, thought it was the preview. Making comments before reading the whole piece not so smart :-) "the second a relative tap in after Neville Southall dropped a cross at his feet", i disagree slightly with this, yes it was a clanger by Southall, but i remember some fine skills by Sir Les before hammering it in. Right?
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Spaghetti_Hoops added 23:12 - Aug 17 Have very happy memories of watching Dave Thomas, from only a few yards away, hurtle down the wing attacking The Loft end. Dave was an important member of that team and one of my favourite players of the time. However it is pushing it a bit to place him up there with Marsh, Bowles and Ferdinand. And to leave out Gerry Francis from that elite group is unforgiveable. If there is anyone who thinks Dave was the best player they ever saw at Loftus Road they are mad.

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Northernr added 23:31 - Aug 17 Well obviously it's before my time so I'm unable to comment but in the down time over the summer months when we've had these votes and things before some people have had Thomas right up there above those you mention.
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QPRski added 07:37 - Aug 18 A quick comment as weall wait for the big news of the day. Aas a more mature fan who well rembers that glorius team and season I can say Dave was a key player of that team and I hold in very in very high esteems. But that whole team was very well balanced. The only player who regularly took stick was Micky Leach who was often was th 12th man. Lets hope we will recreate soon another great team of "brilliant" and "just good players". But the key is to get a balanced team, great team spirit and keep good mamangers!

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DanVanDyke added 16:53 - Aug 18 I actually met Dave last week at my bosses wedding in Durham as he is their neighbour. Lovely bloke and didn't mind me chuntering on about THAT team for ages. I got smashed soon after so can't recall his ceildh dancing or whether he rolled his socks down!
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Spaghetti_Hoops added 19:58 - Aug 18 Dave never seemed to need to roll his socks down. He would zoom down the wing, take a breather and pull his socks up, and within a minute they would be back round his ankles again. As a player he was all speed, more Theo Walcott than Ashley Young. Shooting erratic, sometimes wild, but he made so many chances for himself and others that the low percentage on target didn't matter. Fearless and a thrilling sight in full flow. If you have the book Loftus Road Legends you won't find Dave in it. There's a reason for that.

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