Ash is back to look over the player connections and a memorable game between this Saturday's opponents - Hull City and Queens Park Rangers
This week Rangers travel up to the shiny new KC Stadium to play Hull City, who are somehow fighting it out at the top of the Championship. How Phil Brown has got his team pushing for automatic promotion is beyond me but we can expect a much sterner test then the 2-0 win earlier in the season.
We first took the journey up to Hull in February 1950 coming away with a 1-1 draw while our last visit ended in a last minute defeat but its been fairly even ever since as we take a walk down the blue and white hoped path of memory lane….
Memorable Match
Hull City 1-5 Queens Park Rangers
October 8, 1985
League Cup
This game will be more remembered for the run that followed it then just an outright game itself but this stonking victory gave the cup run a perfect start. Hull were a Second Division team at the time and went into this game as obvious underdogs. Jim Smith made three changes to the previous league side for the first leg at Loftus Road and Rangers ran out comfortable winners scoring three goals without reply. Two weeks later QPR changed their team again and really turned on the style against their lower league opposition. QPR rested John Byrne and Wayne Fereday but it didn’t matter as two goals each from David Kerslake and Leroy Rosenior plus a rare goal for Mike Fillery put the Tigers, who could only manag a solitary consolation, to bed.
Of course Rangers went on from that 8-1 aggregate win to reach the final of that season’s League Cup disposing of Watford, Nottingham Forest, Chelsea and the mighty Liverpool in the semi-finals, where two own goals helped the R’s through, before losing in the final to Oxford 3-0.
QPR: Barron, McDonald, Dawes, Waddock, Wicks, Fenwick, Kerslake, Allen, Bannister, Robinson, Fillery (Byrne)
Player Connections
Mark Hateley
QPR 1995-97
Hull City 1997-98
To say Mark Hateley isn’t fondly remembered at Loftus Road is quite an understatement. When Ray Wilkins was given £6 million to spend on finding a replacement for Sir Les, he somehow spunked it on some of the worst set of signings this club has ever witnessed - and Hateley was one of them. Hateley came to Rangers for £1.5 million with great pedigree following spells aboard at AC Milan and Monaco, 32 England caps and a wealth of medals north at the boarder at Glasgow Rangers. But it was soon apparent once he had donned the hoops that he’d spent far too long terrorising the defenders of Motherwell and Dundee and was no longer a threat in the English league. Just five goals in 30 odd appearances saw Mark move on to Hull (via a brief spell back at Rangers) where he was equally ineffective but somehow managed to nab his first and only managerial job. He was sacked after two seasons and can now be found discussing his glory days for Setanata’s Scottish Premier League coverage.
Did you know - Hateley’s Dad Tony was also a footballer, most notably for Aston Villa and Liverpool
Damien Delaney
Hull City 2002-2008
QPR 2008-
Damien was of the ten players who joined the R’s in the January transfer window after a solid and successful five seasons at Hull. Delaney was Peter Taylor’s first signing as Hull manager and went on to make over 200 appearances for the Tigers, including being named player of the season in their 2003/04 promotion campaign from League Two and won goal of the season for a strike against Rochdale. Naturally a centre-back Delaney was switched to left back last season and it was in this position he came to Rangers and Gigi’s attention. After several bids for other left-backs were knocked back, we swooped for Damien in January who joined on a three year deal. Despite many Hull fans apparently being quite glad to see the back of the Irishman, he’s already produced some fine displays in a hooped shirt and will be hoping to settle a few scores on Saturday.
Did you know - Damien was the last player to score at Hull’s old ground, Boothery Park.
Adam Bolder
Hull City 1998-2000
QPR 2007 -
Bolds started his career at his hometown club Hull, signing his first professional contract in August 1998. He only lasted two seasons and 20 first team outings for the Tigers before joining Derby County and making his debut against Manchester United. Bolder spent seven years at Pride Park, enjoying Premier League football in the process before joining the R’s in January last year and joining up again with former Rams boss John Gregory. Along with the signings of Lee Camp and Danny Cullip, Adam helped the R’s avoid relegation and became quite the hero at the Loft. But since Gigi De Canio’s arrival Bolder has found himself out of the first-team picture and is currently on loan at Sheffield Wednesday, where it’s widely expected he will join permanently in the summer. Still me hero for the winner against Charlton, which has gained me many bragging rights round my parts! Scored twice for Wednesday in the Steel City derby earlier this week.
Did you know - If Adam hadn’t become a footballer, he wanted to be in the armed forces.
Others: Ernie Shepherd (Hull City 1948-50, QPR 1950-57)
Terry Peacock (Hull City 1952-56, QPR 1956-58)
Nick Culkin (Hull City, 1999 loan, QPR 2002-05, now retired)
Simon Walton (QPR 2007-Present, Hull City 2008 loan)
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