Fairly obvious choice for the memorable match this week as QPR prepare to welcome Barnsley back to Loftus Road.
QPR 4 Barnsley 0, Saturday August 7, 2010, Championship
Neil Warnock's QPR side started their march to the Championship title with a convincing 4-0 win against Barnsley on the opening day of the 2010/11 season — although the scoreline didn't quite tell the full story. Debutant goalkeeper Paddy Kenny, perhaps a little rusty after a year out with a drugs ban and nervous having only just arrived from Sheffield United, dropped a routine cross in his six yard box on the stroke of half time which should really have seen Barnsley go in at the break level. Then after half time Fitz Hall inexplicably punched a ball clear inside his own area but referee James Linnington failed to award a penalty kick. To exacerbate the visitors' frustration two of QPR's four goals came from the spot — Adel Taarabt was obviously fouled during a typically mesmeric run in the first half and Heidar Helguson converted, then in the second the Moroccan took responsibility and made it 3-0 although had Linnington played on through a foul on Helguson the ball had ended up in the net anyway. Between those two goals Jamie Mackie had scored his first for the club when goalkeeper Luke Steele fumbled the ball at the worst possible moment, and Hall swept in a fourth from a low Hogan Ephraim cross with nine minutes remaining.
QPR Kenny 5, Orr 7, Hall 6, Gorkss 7, Hill 7, Ephraim 7,Derry 7 (Leigertwood 79, 6), Faurlin 7, Taarabt 8 (Parker 77, 6),Helguson 7 (German 83, 5), Mackie 7
Subs Not Used: Cerny, Clarke, Connolly, Borrowdale
Booked: Orr (tripping)
Goals: Helguson 41 (penalty, assisted Taarabt), Mackie 53 (assisted Ephraim), Taarabt 63 (penalty, assisted Helguson), Hall 81 (assisted Ephraim)
Barnsley Steele 5, Hassell 2, Shackell 5, Foster 4, McEveley 2,Hammill 6 (Neumann 76, 5), Doyle 5, Lovre 5 (Butterfield 86, -),Devaney 5 (Hume 46, 6), Colace 7, Gray 6
Subs Not Used: Preece, Dickinsone, Boulding, Potter
Booked: Foster (foul, penalty concession), McEveley (professional foul)
Barnsley 0 QPR 1, Tuesday April 12, 2011, Championship
Things were very different by the time the two teams met again in April. QPR eventually built a 19 match unbeaten run at the start of the season and had led the division pretty much since day one, but a 4-1 defeat at lowly Scunthorpe on the Saturday before a trip to Oakwell hinted at a few jitters starting to set in. When Adel Taarabt scored a fine first from long range in the very first minute of the game all seemed well with the world, but the match turned into a backs to the wall effort from that point on with Kaspars Gorkss particularly impressive in the face of 89 minutes of Barnsley attacking and a truly horrific display from match referee Tony Bates. Barnsley hit the post twice, including once through Jacob Butterfield from long range in injury time at the end of the game, and had two very decent penalty appeals for handball waved away.
Barnsley: Steele 6, Trippier 7, McShane 5, Shackell 7, Hill 6 (McEveley 77, 5), Mellis 6 (Clark 77, 6), Doyle 6, Butterfield 7, Haynes 6, Harewood 5, Gray 6 (Noble-Lazarus 82, -)
Subs Not Used: Preece, Foster, Arismendi, O'Brien
Booked: Butterfield (foul)
QPR: Kenny 7, Orr 7, Gorkss 8, Connolly 7, Hill 7, Derry 6, Faurlin 6, Routledge 6, Taarabt 6 (Ephraim 69, 6), Smith 6, Helguson 7
Subs Not Used: Cerny, Buzsaky, Agyemang, Hulse, Miller, Shittu
Booked: Taarabt (foul/reaction)
Goals: Taarabt 1 (assisted Routledge)
Head to Head >>> QPR wins 24 >>> Draws 10 >>> Barnsley wins 14
2010/11 Barnsley 0 QPR 1 (Taarabt)
2010/11 QPR 4 Barnsley 0 (Helguson, Mackie, Taarabt, Hall)
2009/10 Barnsley 0 QPR 1 (Leigertwood)
2009/10 QPR 5 Barnsley 2 (Buzsaky 2, Leigertwood, Watson, Simpson)
2008/09 Barnsley 2 QPR 1 (Delaney)
2008/09 QPR 2 Barnsley 1 (Hall 2)
2007/08 Barnsley 0 QPR 0
2007/08 QPR 2 Barnsley 0 (Vine, Agyemang)
2006/07 Barnsley 2 QPR 0
2006/07 QPR 1 Barnsley 0 (Rowlands)
2003/04 Barnsley 3 QPR 3 (Furlong 2, Kay og)
2003/04 QPR 4 Barnsley 0 (Gallen, Rowlands, Ainsworth, Thorpe)
2002/03 QPR 1 Barnsley 0 (Pacquette)
2002/03 Barnsley 1 QPR 0
2000/01 QPR 2 Barnsley 0 (Kiwomya, Crouch)
2000/01 Barnsley 4 QPR 2 (Kiwomya 2)
1999/00 Barnsley 1 QPR 1 (Rose)
1999/00 QPR 2 Barnsley 2 (Darlington, Steiner)
1998/99 Barnsley 1 QPR 0
1998/99 QPR 2 Barnsley 1 (Langley,Gallen)
1996/97 QPR 3 Barnsley 2* (Peacock, Spencer, Sinclair)
1996/97 QPR 3 Barnsley 1 (Spencer 3)
1996/97 Barnsley 1 QPR 3 (Barker, Perry, Dichio)
1982/83 QPR 3 Barnsley 0 (Gregory, Sealy, Flanagan)
1982/83 Barnsley 0 QPR 1 (Allen)
1981/82 Barnsley 3 QPR 0
1981/82 QPR 1 Barnsley 0 (Flanagan)
1964/65 QPR 3 Barnsley 2 (Bedford 3)
1964/65 Barnsley 0 QPR 0
1963/64 QPR 2 Barnsley 2 (Bedford 2)
1963/64 Barnsley 3 QPR 1 (Bedford)
1962/63 Barnsley 0 QPR 0
1962/63 QPR 2 Barnsley 1 (Large 2)
1961/62 QPR 3 Barnsley 0 (Bedford, Keen, Evans)
1961/62 Barnsley 2 QPR 4 (Bedford, Angell, Towers, Evans)
1960/61 QPR 4 Barnsley 2 (Bedford, Andrews, Evans, Keen)
1960/61 Barnsley 3 QPR 3 (Whitfield 2, Bedford)
1959/60 QPR 1 Barnsley 0 (Andrews)
1959/60 Barnsley 2 QPR 1 (Bedford)
1951/52 QPR 1 Barnsley 1 (Smith)
1951/52 Barnsley 3 QPR 1 (Hatton)
1950/51 QPR 2 Barnsley 1 (Waugh, Smith)
1950/51 Barnsley 7 QPR 0
1949/50 QPR 0 Barnsley 5
1949/50 Barnsley 3 QPR 1 (Addinall)
1948/49 Barnsley 4 QPR 0
1948/49 QPR 2 Barnsley 2 (Addinall 2)
1909/10 Barnsley 1 QPR 0*
* - FA Cup
QPR 3 Barnsley 2, Saturday January 25, 1997, FA Cup Fourth Round
Having dithered over team strengthening following his September 1996 appointment as manager, Stewart Houston finally seemed to have QPR fit and firing when Barnsley came to town in January as the R’s attempted to bounce back to the Premier League at the first time of asking. A run of three wins from 15 matches through the autumn which had dropped Rangers as low as fourteenth in the First Division had given way to seven wins and a draw from nine matches over the Christmas and New Year period.
One of those victories had been against Barnsley . The Tykes were the surprise package of the First Division that year, eventually defying the odds and finishing in the second automatic promotion spot behind Bolton , but QPR completed a double against them with 3-1 wins at Oakwell and Loftus Road . The first game, back in September, had been during the transition period between Ray Wilkins and Houston with goals from Simon Barker, young Mark Perry and Danny Dichio sealing victory for a caretaker management trio of Frank Sibley, Billy Bonds and John Hollins.
By the time Danny Wilson’s side came to W12 in January Houston had spent some of new chairman Chris Wright’s millions to plunder John Spencer and Gavin Peacock from Premier League neighbours Chelsea and both players had hit the ground running with a slew of goals and assists to fire Rangers up to seventh in the division. Spencer in fact had scored a perfect hat trick against Barnsley in the league game — a left foot strike from a seemingly impossible angle, a powerful near post header, and a smooth right foot finish in injury time to seal the victory. The R’s followed that up by dispatching Huddersfield from the FA Cup in a Third Round replay thanks to a late Alan McDonald goal, and then recovered from a 4-0 half time deficit at Port Vale to snatch an unlikely draw.
Barnsley had stuttered rather after QPR’s win at Oakwell earlier in the season. Having won all five of their league games at the start of the season, including a last minute success at newly relegated title favourites Man City , the 3-1 set back against the Super Hoops was immediately followed by an identical defeat against lowly Grimsby on their own patch and then eight draws and a loss from 12 matches.
Nevertheless, the profits of doom who expected them to drop back into the pack were silenced by a fine winter run of five wins and two draws from eight games including the completion of a double over City and a 1-0 win at Sheffield United in the South Yorkshire derby. They’d also sent fellow First Division side Oldham out of the FA Cup at the Third Round stage while Rangers were grappling with Huddersfield to set up a cracking fourth round tie at Loftus Road.
It looked like it might by third time lucky for the northerners as a typically dire piece of goalkeeping from Tony Roberts gifted them a thirteenth minute lead. There appeared to be little danger when captain Neil Redfearn clipped a delicate free kick over the defensive wall but despite the shot carrying little pace and Roberts seeing it all the way the hapless goalkeeper allowed it to squirm through his hands, between his legs and over the goal line.
Rangers’ defence had been fairly dreadful for the entire season so its lethal attack was used to bailing the team out of trouble and just as they’d done at Vale Park the previous week they set about constructing a comeback. A goal kick flicked on around the halfway line appeared to be posing the visitors few problems until Spencer produced an airborne back flick which bamboozled the Barnsley defenders and sent Gavin Peacock steaming into space. Belatedly surrounded by three men on the edge of the box Peacock took a shot on himself and curled a fine equaliser past goalkeeper Dave Watson and into the top corner from 20 yards out.
Rangers took the lead for the first time in the game six minutes later at the midway point of the first half. Prolonged pressure around the edge of the box with Peacock and Paul Murray dictating play eventually led to Alan McDonald chipping a ball up to the back post where Barnsley were appealing for a foul against Danny Dichio. With his marker on the floor and the referee happy to allow play to go on Dichio squared the dropping cross through the goal mouth with a first time side foot pass that Spencer smashed in from close range.
Half time, leading 2-1 and in decent form, things were looking good for Houston ’s team. But the game turned nasty five minutes into the second half when winger Andy Impey planted the sweetest right hook you’ll ever see on a football field flush into the face of full back Adie Moses and was given a straight red card. Impey, absolutely fuming about something that had been done or said to him, had to be led from the field by his team mates as the club doctor retrieved Moses’ tongue from the back of his throat. He didn’t half smack him.
So that left Rangers with almost the entire second half to play against one of the league’s better teams a man light. The stage was set for Trevor Sinclair.
With a quarter of an hour left to play Rangers seemed happy to maintain possession of the ball wide on the right wing with full back Danny Maddix combining well with Spencer and Dichio in a triangle move presumably designed to do little more than run the clock down and frustrate Barnsley. Eventually, as the visitors closed in to bring the move to a close, Spence put his boot through the ball and sent a hopeful cross up towards the edge of the area. Sinclair, who always did have an eye for the spectacular, launched himself into the sky with his back to goal and executed a textbook bicycle kick which rocketed past Watson and flashed into the roof of the net from fully 20 yards. One of the greatest goals ever scored in the history of football. Even the Barnsley fans in the School End couldn’t help but stand and applaud.
Mind you, the game wasn’t over. Roberts, who seemed to have a Barnsley win on his coupon that day, contrived to let a 20 yard daisy cutter from John Hendrie squirm through him and into the net with four minutes still to play setting up a nail biting finish.
Rangers hung on though, and took a 10,000 strong following to Premier League side Wimbledon for the fifth round tie where, despite taking a first half lead through Mark Hateley, they were eventually beaten 2-1. Barnsley went on to win promotion to the Premier League and QPR finished ninth in the First Division. Match of the Day voted Sinclair’s goal their best of the season, ahead of David Beckham’s famous halfway line chip.
QPR: T Roberts, D Maddix, A McDonald, K Ready, R Brevett, P Murray, G Peacock, A Impey, T Sinclair, J Spencer, D Dichio
Subs not used: Sommer, Brazier
Goals: Peacock 20, Spencer 26, Sinclair 74
Sent Off: Impey 50
Bookings: Maddix, Murray, Impey
Barnsley: D Watson, N Eaden, M Appleby (A Liddell, 76), J Bosancic (S Jones, 64), A Moses, A De Zeeuw, N Redfearn , C Marcelle (M Bullock, 64), D Sheridan, J Hendrie, P Wilkinson
Goals: Redfearn 13, Hendrie 86
Bookings: Wilkinson, De Zeeuw, Hendrie
Attendance: 14,317
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