We're back to Boxing Day 1996 this week for the Memorable Match with Saturday's opposition Norwich - a late Andy McDermott winner made it five on the spin for a QPR team that should have achieved so much more that season.
QPR 3 Norwich City 2, Thursday December 26, 1997, First Division
When we talk about the great missed opportunities for QPR to establish themselves in the upper echelons of the modern sport the chat often quickly heads to the departure of Les Ferdinand, the way his record transfer fee was spent, and the relegation that followed in 1995/96.
There’s somewhat less discussion about how that team subsequently failed to even make the play-offs in the division below the season after, despite a takeover by Chrysalis mogul Chris Wright and substantial investment in a team that had Andy Impey and future England World Cup star Trevor Sinclair on the wings, England B internationals Paul Murray and Nigel Quashie in midfield, the free scoring John Spencer and Gavin Peacock in attack and a defence that included stalwarts Alan McDonald and Danny Maddix as well as Rufus Brevett who himself would go back to the Premier League for many years afterwards with Fulham and West Ham.
The damage was mostly done early. Kevin Gallen’s season ending knee injury suffered while scoring the winning goal in game two at Portsmouth was a significant blow. Ray Wilkins lasted barely to the end of the first month, despite winning at Fratton Park, at home to Oxford and taking a point at Wolves. Plans to bring in Alan Curbishley from Charlton, where he would go on to build a Premier League dynasty, were abandoned in favour of untried Arsenal assistant Stewart Houston and his ill-fated decision to bring his former boss Bruce Rioch in as assistant. More damagingly still, in the short term, was Houston wanted to spend time assessing his team when the board were keen to get going with signings. A loan off Everton’s Matt Jackson which should have been made permanent was allowed to lapse and slide away to a season of makeshift and fill in right backs like Mark Graham, Matt Brazier and Andy McDermott. Jackson played the next decade in the top two divisions with great distinction at Norwich and Wigan among others. After a 3-1 win at Barnsley on September 14 QPR won only twice more (at home to Bradford and away to Tranmere) in the next 13 games.
The campaign was kickstarted by the arrival of John Spencer and Gavin Peacock from bitter near neighbours Chelsea. Although Spencer’s debut goal at Reading ended up being the bright spot in a 2-1 defeat, the Scotland international was absolutely electric at First Division level and quickly piled on 18 goals in 29 appearances for the R’s including a memorable perfect hat trick in one of three separate victories over promoted Barnsley. Spencer scored eight goals in his final ten games of the season.
Spencer won a penalty, scored by Simon Barker, in a 1-0 home win over Sheff Utd, then scored himself, along with Peacock, for a 2-0 at Oldham. Both were on the scoresheet again a week later as Southend were thrashed 4-0 and a 2-1 win at Huddersfield sent Houston’s team into a Boxing Day clash with Norwich looking for a fifth straight win. The two had specialised in high-scoring affairs in the early days of the Premier League (3-1, 2-2, 4-3, 4-2 in one four game sequence) and they were in chaotic Christmas mood at Loftus Road once again.
The first two goals were highly typical of this QPR team and era.
For the opener a ball was worked through the centre of midfield to point man Danny Dichio who brought it down well and swung it out wide to the right for a cross. McDermott provided that on this occasion, and Spencer hung in the air to nod down back into the path of Peacock who’d started the move and finished brilliantly across veteran Bryan Gunn and into the far corner. The former Rangers youngster celebrating a return to the club on a permanent basis after initially signing on loan.
The second, however, offered up another reason why this team ultimately never went anywhere. You’re not going to achieve much if your goalkeeper costs you a goal every other game. Norwich, under a second spell of Mike Walker management after his failed tilt at Everton, equalised five before half time when Ian Crook’s 25 yard speculator, hit right at Tony Roberts, was somehow allowed to pass clean through his hands and into the back of the net as he held two gloves up to execute what should have been a simple catch. Ball with a bell in it etc.
Thankfully the R’s were back in front inside 60 seconds. Simon Barker threaded a cute ball through a static defence, possibly still in celebration mode, and Dichio moved onto the ball calmly to slot across the keeper for 2-1.
Back came Norwich. Their up and down between top two divisions had mirrored our own and when we did ride high together in the top five of the early Premier League it was Ruel Fox and later Darren Eadie who terrorised David Bardsley and co down the wing. Eadie it was, from Jackson’s long ball (of course) and Maddix’s poor slip who ran through to bang in 2-2 down at the School End.
The game would be settled at the death by an almighty goalmouth scramble and a goal from an unlikely source. Brevett’s cross and Dichio’s flick initially caused carnage and a chance for Trevor Sinclair. Sinclair then retrieved, carried the ball to the byline, stood a high, hanging cross up to the far post, and felt sure his team had won the game when Dichio headed it down, past Gunn, over the line, and back into play from what surely looked like a goal and a handball over the line. To make sure, Australian full back McDermott thrashed the rebound into the roof of the net. His first goal for the club that he soon followed with another in a 2-0 home win against Huddersfield - I rather liked him and felt it odd that he was soon offloaded to West Brom for a nominal fee after just six starts.
There were a pair of memorable wins against Premier League-bound Barnsley to come soon after, including Trevor Sinclair’s bicycle kick. The comeback 4-4 at Port Vale was little over a fortnight away. The team won seven of its last ten games, including a 3-0 demolition of Man City at Maine Road. But it wasn’t enough. That poor start to the season, and another run of seven games without a win that included a dire 1-0 loss at home to Oldham, saw the R’s finish ninth, seven points off Palace who won the play-offs from sixth – Hopkins looking to curl one etc. Norwich finished thirteenth.
QPR spent again that summer, adding a clutch of Houston’s former charges from Arsenal as well as Stoke striker Mike Sheron. They briefly topped the league the following September but Houston was quickly sacked when form dipped and the decision to take West Brom’s Ray Harford at his "I’d win the league with your strikers” word proved disastrous. Wright’s lavish spending in the first 18 months as chairman quickly fell apart around the club’s ears and a long period of financial and footballing decline set in which carried Rangers all the way through another relegation into the Second Division.
QPR: T Roberts; A McDermott, A McDonald (D Maddix, 36), K Ready, R Brevett; S Barker, G Peacock, M Brazier (A Impey, 84), T Sinclair; J Spencer, D Dichio
Subs not used: M Hateley
Goals: Peacock 22, Dichio 40, McDermott 86
Norwich: B Gunn, R Newman, M Jackson, D Sutch, J Polston, I Crook, N Adams, M Milligan, D Eadie, A Johnson, K O'Neill
Subs not used: D Mills, K Scott, R Fleck
Goals: Crook 39, Eadie 74
Attendance: 15, 699
LFW regular and AKUTR’s columnist Dave Barton has set up a QPR Memories YouTube channel, with a mixture of clips, classic games, and old highlights packages. His Norwich packages are embedded below, give him a subscribe on YouTube or follow @QPR_Memories on Twitter.
QPR 2 Norwich 2, Saturday February 10, 2024, Championship
QPR lead, trailed, and eventually drew with play-off chasing Norwich at Loftus Road in early February. Jack Colback had put Marti Cifuentes’ improving side in front but Norwich came out strong for the second half and turned things around with goals from McLean and Sargent. A nice finish on the turn from new signing Michy Frey registered his first goal for the club with 13 minutes left to share the spoils.
QPR: Begovic 6; Cannon 6, Cook 6, Clarke-Salter 7, Paal 6; Hayden 8 (Dykes 86, -), Colback 7, Hodge 6 (Andersen 66, 6); Willock 5 (Smyth 66, 6), Armstrong 6 (Frey 66, 7), Chair 7 (Dixon-Bonner 90, -)
Subs not used: Dunne, Archer, Fox, Larkeche
Goals: Colback 27 (unassisted), Frey 77 (assisted Andersen)
Yellow Cards: Chair 79 (foul), Clarke-Salter 87 (foul)
Norwich: Gunn 5; Stacey 6 (Sorensen 68, 4), Hanley 5, Gibson 6, Giannoulis 5 (McCallum 86, -); McLean 8, Sara 7; Fassnacht 5 (Rowe 58, 7), Barnes 5, Sainz 7 (Hernandez 86, -); Sargent 7 (Nunez 68, 5)
Subs not used: Gibbs, Long, van Hooijdonk, Batth
Goals: McLean 48 (assisted Sara), Sargent 62 (assisted Stacey)
Yellow Cards: Gibson 25 (foul), Mclean 52 (foul), Hanley 76 (delaying restart), McCallum 90+7 (foul)
Norwich 1 QPR 0, Saturday November 25, 2023, Championship
What improvements had been seen in Marti Cifuentes’ first two games – draws against Rotherham and Bristol City – were not enough to snap a winless run against Norwich which by this point stretched to eight games. City themselves were in poor form, and manager David Wagner under increasing fan pressure, but were able to win an instantly forgettable game with one Sara ball over the top and a calm finish from Hwang Ui-jo. QPR looked slow, lacked goals, and posed no impact from the bench – three familiar failings we felt would continue to hamstring moving forwards. The following Tuesday they beat Stoke 4-2, coming from behind to snatch victory with two goals supplied by substitutes.
Norwich: Long 5; Stacey 6, Duffy 5, Batth 6, Giannoulis 5; McLean 6, Sara 7; Fassnacht 5 (McCallum 90+4, -), Barnes 6, Hernandez 6 (Hainz 78, 6); Ui-Jo 7 (Idah 64, 5)
Subs not used: Gibbs, Nunez, Fisher, Reyes, Springett, Warner
Goals: Hwang Ui-jo 21 (assisted Sara)
Bookings: Sara 77 (foul), Fassnacht 84 (foul), McLean 90 (foul), Barnes 90+5 (delaying restart)
QPR: Begovic 5; Kakay 5 (Drewe 81, -), Cook 6, Dunne 4, Paal 6; Dixon-Bonner 6 (Dozzell 63, 4), Field 5, Colback 5; Willock 5 (Kelman 82, -), Dykes 4 (Armstrong 63, 5), Chair 6
Subs not used: Clarke-Salter, Archer, Richards, Larkeche, Duke-McKenna
Bookings: Colback 48 (dissent), Willock 72 (foul), Dozzell 80 (foul), Cook 90+3 (retaliation)
QPR 0 Norwich 1, Wednesday August 16, 2023, League Cup
A scratchy QPR team, lacking fitness after a troubled pre-season, were beaten at the death in an early League Cup tie with Norwich at Loftus Road. Rangers created precious little going forwards, bar one second half miss from Lyndon Dykes. At the other end saves from substitute keeper Joe Walsh looked like they’d dragged a tiring side through to a penalty shoot-out until a cross from Fisher was headed in by Jon Rowe deep into the ninety-eighth minute.
QPR: Archer 6 (Walsh 46, 6); Adomah 3 (Drewe 85, -), Kakay 6 (Fox 77, 5), Field 6, Gubbins 5, Larkeche 5 (Paal 77, 6); Duke-McKenna 7, Dixon-Bonner 6, Dozzell 5 (Aoraha 62, 7); Richards 4, Dykes 6 (Kolli 64, 7)
Subs not used: Rendall, Pedder, Bala
Bookings: Field 24 (foul)
Norwich: Gunn 6; Fisher 7, Duffy 6, Omobamidele 5, Placheta 7; Gibbs 5 (Rowe 69, 7), McLean 6 (Sara 46, 6); Fassnacht 6 (McCallum 80, 6), Nunez 5, Springett 5 (Hernandez 32, 5 (Barnes 69, 5)); Idah 5 (Sargent 69, 7)
Subs not used: Gibson, McCracken, Warner
Goals: Rowe 90+8 (assisted Fisher)
Bookings: Omobamidele 61 (foul)
QPR 1 Norwich 1, Wednesday April 19, 2023, Championship
The game felt pretty much up in QPR’s 22/23 battle against relegation when they were forced to cling grimly on to a solitary point against injury hit Norwich at Loftus Road in their penultimate home game. With away trips to Burnley and Stoke to come, a win felt imperative in this fixture and Lyndon Dykes’ scored off Ilias Chair’s brilliant assist to open the scoring and build hope. But Norwich equalised immediately after half time through Idah and Seny Dieng wasting time at 1-1 through the final ten minutes told you everything about where QPR were in the fixture. Remarkably, they won the following two away games to survive regardless.
QPR: Dieng 5; Drewe 5, Dunne 5, Clarke-Salter 5 (Dickie 60, 5), Paal 5; Lowe 4, Iroegbunam 7 (Amos 69, 6), Field 7, Chair 6 (Richards 90+1, -); Dykes 7, Martin 4 (Adomah 82, -)
Subs not used: Willock, Archer, Dixon-Bonner
Goals: Dykes 9 (assisted Chair)
Yellow Cards: Dykes 30 (foul), Dunne 41 (kicking ball away), Chair 55 (foul), Martin 76 (foul), Amos 90+3 (foul)
Norwich: Gunn 6; Aarons 6 (Tzolis 87, -), Omobamidele 5, Sorensen 5, Giannoulis 5 (McCalleum 34, 6); Hayden 4 (Nunez 84, -), Sara 6; Marquinhos 5 (Idah 46, 7), Gibbs 5, Hernandez 7 (Pukki 75, 6); Sargent 6
Subs not used: Krul
Goals: Idah 46 (unassisted)
Yellow Cards: Omabamidele 19 (foul), Hernandez 32 (foul)
Norwich 0 QPR 0, Wednesday November 2, 2022, Championship
Substitute Chris Willock striking the foot of the Norwich post late on was as much action as anybody got from a dour goalless draw between these sides at Carrow Road in November, bar one six foot tall 18-year-old.
Norwich: Gunn 8; Byram 6 (Dowell 84, -), Hanley 6, Gibson 6, McCallum 7 (McLean 70, 6); Hayden 6 (Aarons 84, -), Gibbs 6; Gomes 6 (Hernandez 66, 7), Ramsey 6, Cantwell 5 (Nunez 70, 6); Pukki 6
Subs not used: Krul, Hugill
Bookings: Byram 35 (foul)
QPR: Dieng 8; Laird 7, Dickie 7, Balogun 7, Paal 7; Dozzell 6 (Willock 57, 7), Iroegbunam 8, Field 7; Amos 6 (Shodipo 85, -), Chair 7 (Adomah 85, -), Dykes 7 (Bonne 85, -)
Subs not used: Archer, Trävelmän, Kakay
Bookings: Iroegbunam 1 (foul), Field 48 (foul), Dykes 75 (foul)
QPR 1 Norwich 3, Saturday April 24, 2021, Championship
A rare defeat for red hot Rangers at the end of the 2020/21 season came at the hands of champions elect Norwich, behind closed doors at Loftus Road. From looking set for a relegation battle when the teams met at Carrow Road at Christmas, Rangers transformed their season through the second half of the campaign and could have pushed for the play-offs had the run started a few games earlier. Against Norwich they paid for two individual errors — Seny Dieng allowing Quintilla’s 30 yarder to squirm through his hands for the opening goal, and then Lyndon Dykes missing a penalty for the first time in our colours at the start of the second half which would have made it 1-1. Dykes did later succeed in finding the net but Aarons and Buendia scored either side of that goal to make it 3-1 to the visitors.
QPR: Dieng 4; Dickie 4, De Wijs 5 (Ball 76, 6), Barbet 6; Kakay 6 (Adomah 66, 7), Johansen 6 (Bettache 89, -), Thomas 5 (Field 46, 6), Chair 6 (Austin 66, 5), Wallace 6; Willock 7, Dykes 6
Subs not used: Kane, Bonne, Hämäläinen, Walsh
Goals: Dykes 71 (assisted Austin)
Bookings: Field 68 (foul)
Norwich: Krul 8; Aarons 7, Omubamedele 6, Hanley 6, Quintilla 7 (Tettey 89, -); McLean 8, Skipp 7; Buendia 7 (Placheta 89, -), Dowell 7 (Sorensen 74, 6), Cantwell 7 (Hernandez 85, -); Pukki 5 (Hugill 85, -)
Subs not used: Vrancic, Nyland, Stiepermann, Mumba
Goals: Quintilla (assisted Buendia), Aarons 57 (assisted Mclean), Buendia 82 (assisted McLean)
Norwich 1 QPR 1, Tuesday December 29, 2020, Championship
QPR hadn’t won in eight and were coming off a comprehensive Boxing Day defeat at home to Swansea when they travelled to league leaders Norwich on a hiding to nothing at the end of December. Although it was backs to the wall for long periods, Rangers actually stood up pretty well and it took one of Norwich’s numerous questionable penalty appeals, all screamed for like they were the worst tackle you’d ever seen in your life, to finally break the deadlock when Todd Cantwell crashed to earth and Teemu Pukki rolled home. That looked like being that until late in the day when Bright Osayi-Samuel was fouled in the box to level the penalty count and he converted the equaliser himself. Bright then had an incredible chance to win the game in injury time, slid onto a plate for him by Albert Adomah and somehow skied over from a yard out.
Norwich: McGovern 6 (Barden 46, 6); Aarons 7, Zimmerman 6, Hanley 7, Sorensen 5 (Hugill 89, -); Crane 7, McLean 6; Buendia 6, Vrancic 6, Cantwell 7 (Dowell 89, -); Pukki 6
Subs not used: Quintilla, Martin, Tettey, Omobamidele, Gibson, Omotoye
Goals: Pukki 75 (penalty, won Cantwell)
Bookings: Zimmermann 84 (foul), McClean 87 (foul), Skipp 90 (foul)
QPR: Dieng 8; Dickie 8, Cameron 7, Barbet 7; Kane 5, Ball 6, Carroll 6, Chair 6 (Adomah 71, 6), Hämäläinen 5; Dykes 5 (Bonne 71, 6), Osayi-Samuel 6
Subs not used: Thomas, Willock, Masterson, Bettache, Kelman, Kelly, Duke-McKenna
Goals: Osayi-Samuel 84 (penalty, won Osayi-Samuel)
Bookings: Kane 22 (foul), Ball 73 (foul), Dickie 75 (dissent), Carroll 88 (time wasting), Osayi-Samuel 90+1 (foul) Bonne 90+4 (foul)
Norwich 4 QPR 0, Saturday April 6, 2019, Championship
Steve McClaren had been sacked and John Eustace was in caretaker charge when QPR travelled to Premier League-bound Norwich in early April 2019. The change of manager did little to alter Rangers’ fortunes, as an abject display and defensive horror show led to a 4-0 defeat that should have been far worse. Buendia swept in from close range and Stiepermann beat Joe Lumley too easily from long range in the first ten minutes. The Canaries missed a catalogue of first half chances thereafter before eventually making it 3-0 when Toni Leistner’s suicidal pass played Teemu Pukki clean through on goal. It toom until the 85th minute for Pukki to add the fourth with his second of the game, but had this finished seven or eight nil there could have been few complaints from West London.
Norwich: Krul 6; Aarons 7, Zimmermann 7, Godfrey 7, Lewis 7; Trybull 7 (Rhodes 90, -), McLean 7; Buendia 8, Stiepermann 8 (Cantwell 80,-), Hernandez 8; Pukki 8 (Leitner 88,-)
Subs not used: McGovern, Vrancic, Leitner, Rhodes, Klose, Hanley, Cantwell
Goals: Buendia 6, Stiepermann 10, Pukki 38, 85
Red Cards: Buendia 71 (serious foul play)
QPR: Lumley 3; Rangel 3, Furlong 3, Lynch 2, Bidwell 2 (Leistner 34,, 3); Cameron 2 (Scowen 58, 5), Cousins 2; Wszolek 3 (Osayi-Samuel 74, 5), Eze 3, Freeman 3; Wells 3
Subs not used: Ingram, Manning, Hemed, Smith
Bookings: Lynch 43 (being a dick)
QPR Star Man N/A
QPR 0 Norwich 1, Saturday September 22, 2018, Championship
A late Teemu Pukki goal won the first meeting between these sides this season, breaking the deadlock in a shocking match that had seemed destined to finish 0-0 really from the very moment it began. In teaming rain the two teams set about boring the tits off a Saturday night television audience, apparently both quite happy with the 0-0 they started with until Pukki opened the scoring with 20 minutes to go. There then followed a period of time wasting even more flagrant and blatant than something Preston or Sheffield United might try, aided an abetted by referee Darren Bond who put the tin hat on the whole sordid mess by denying QPR a fairly obvious penalty in injury time when Massimo Luongo was shoved to the ground in the act of shooting. And it pissed with rain all afternoon.
QPR: Lumley 6; Baptiste 5 (Cousins 77, 5), Leistner 6 (Smith 87, -), Lynch 6, Bidwell 5; Eze 5, Luongo 5, Scowen 5 (Osayi-Samuel 77, 6), Freeman 6; Hemed 5, Wells 6
Subs not used: Ingram, Cameron, Wszolek, Kakay
Norwich: Krul 6; Aarons 6, Zimmerman 6, Klose 6, Lewis 7; Leitner 6 (Trybull 90, -), Tettey 8; Buendia 6 (Vrancic 68, 6), Stiepermann 7, Cartwell 7; Pukki 7 (Rhodes 90+2, -)
Subs not used: Godfrey, Srbeny, McGovern, Thompson
Goals: Pukki 71 (assisted Stiepermann)
Yellows: Aarons 61 (foul), Lewis 67 (foul)
QPR 4 Norwich 1, Saturday April 2, 2018, Championship
Rangers ran riot against Norwich at Loftus Road in April 2018, after initially falling behind. Matt Smith had hit the post with a header before a Norwich counterattack caused problems in the QPR penalty area and the ball bobbled into the net off Ryan Manning. Massimo Luongo equalised with a cute shot past Angus Gunn almost straight from the kick off and it was one way traffic thereafter. Smith headed past Gunn after initially deflecting a Scowen shot up in the air, then nodded down a back post cross for Ebere Eze to control and finish from close range. Freeman curled a free kick wide with the keeper beaten and then Manning atoned for his earlier own goal with a late diving header for four.
QPR: Smithies 6; Furlong 7, Onuoha 8, Lynch 6, Bidwell 6; Luongo 8, Scowen 8, Manning 7, Freeman 7 (Wszolek 81, -), Eze 8 (Smyth 89, -); Smith 8 (Sylla 77, 6)
Subs not used: Cousins, Washington, Ingram, Robinson
Goals: Luongo 39 (assisted Smith), Smith 55 (assisted Scowen), Eze 60 (assisted Smith), Manning 80 (assisted Bidwell)
Bookings: Luongo 41 (unsporting), Lynch 56 (foul)
Norwich: Gunn 4; Pinto 5, Zimmerman 5, Hanley 5, Husband 5 (Lewis 75, 6); Reed 5, Vrancic 5; Hoolahan 6, Maddison 5, Murphy 6; Oliveira 5
Subs not used: Watkins, Klose, Edwards, Tettey, Srbeny, McGovern
Goals: Manning own goal 38 (assisted Murphy)
Bookings: Husband 41 (unsporting), Vrancic 68 (foul), Hanley 77 (foul), Zimmerman 80 (foul)
Norwich 2 QPR 0, Wednesday August 16, 2017, Championship
A quickfire return to Carrow Road after the dire 4-0 defeat on the final day of the 2016/17 season didn’t afford much by way of revenge and comfort for QPR. City broke the deadlock in that witching hour straight after half time which Rangers have conceded in for fun that season — Nelson Oliveira breaking clear and finishing crisply beyond Alex Smithies. Luke Freeman should have equalised straight from the kick off but with that chance missed it was left to Harrison Reed to seal the victory with a 30-yard banger late on.
Norwich: Gunn 6; Pinto 6 (Martin 68, 6), Zimmermann 6, Franke 6; Husband 5, Reed 7, Hoolahan 6, Maddison 7, Vrancic 7; Murphy 6 (Watkins 79, 6), Oliveira 8 (Stiepermann 85, -)
Subs not used: Naismith, Jerome, Tettey, McGovern
Goals: Oliveira 48 (assisted Vrancic), Reed 82 (unassisted)
Bookings: Martin 72 (foul)
QPR: Smithies 7; Perch 6, Onuoha 6, Lynch 6 (Furlong 65, 5); Wszolek 5 (Lua Lua 29, 5), Bidwell 7; Scowen 6, Freeman 6, Luongo 6; Mackie 6 (Smith 71, 5), Washington 5
Subs not used: Ingram, Manning, Borysiuk, Robinson
Bookings: Lynch 15 (foul)
Norwich 4 QPR 0, Sunday May 7, 2017, Championship
QPR slumped to an embarrassing four goal defeat on the final day of 2016/17 at Carrow Road. Neither side had anything to play for with Norwich’s play-off hopes long since dead and QPR safe from relegation courtesy of the previous week’s victory against Forest at Loftus Road. Norwich used that freedom to open up from the kick off, and could have scored three in the first three minutes before finally taking the lead with a deflected Wes Hoolahan shot. Further goals from the man of the match Pritchard, Josh Murphy and another from Hoolahan followed. QPR fans got a brief sight of youngster Josh Bowler on his senior debut — an ‘I was there’ moment if he goes on to be a success at Everton.
Norwich: Ruddy 6; Pinto 6 (Godfrey 86, -), Martin 6, Klose 6, Dijks 6; Howson 7, Dorrans 7; Hoolahan 7, Pritchard 8 (Maddison 71, 6), Murphy 8; Oliveira 6 (Jerome 61, 5)
Subs not used: Wildschut, Tettey, McGovern, Murphy
Goals: Hoolahan 22 (unassisted), 90+2 (assisted Jerome), Pritchard 60 (assisted Hoolahan), Murphy 85 (unassisted)
QPR: Smithies 5; Perch 5, Onuoha 6, Lynch 6, Robinson 5 (Bowler 69, 7); Luongo 5, Doughty 4, Manning 4; Wszolek 4, Smith 4 (Freeman 45, 6), Washington 5 (Grego-Cox 81, -)
Subs not used: Goss, Ingram, Petrasso, Furlong
QPR 2 Norwich 1, Saturday November 19, 2016, Championship
QPR won a frenetic first meeting between these sides in the first match of Ian Holloway’s second spell in charge. It looked like it was going to be easy when a first minute long throw from Jack Robinson caused chaos in the area and Martin Olsson handled the ball on the goal line to prevent it going in. An early red card, but Tjaronn Chery rolled the subsequent penalty wide. That didn’t look like it would matter too much when Conor Washington tapped in from a corner and Seb Polter slid home a lovely second off an outstanding through ball from Chery. But Naismith pulled one back for the ten men with plenty of time remaining and despite a numerical advantage QPR were fortunate to hang on.
QPR: Smithies 7; Onuoha 6, Hall 7, Lynch 8; Perch 7, Robinson 7 (Sandro 46, 6); Luongo 7 (Shodipo 66, 6), Cousins 6, Chery 6; Polter 7 (Sylla 82, -), Washington 8
Subs not used: Ingram, Borysiuk, El Khayati, Ngbakoto
Goals: Washington 21 (assisted Chery/Polter), Polter 27 (assisted Chery)
Bookings: Lynch 80 (foul)
Norwich: Ruddy 7; Martin 6, Bennett 6, Bassong 5, Olsson -, Tettey 6, Dorrans 5, Murphy 6, Brady 5; Naismith 7 (Murphy 88, -), Oliveira 4 (Jerome 75, 7)
Subs not used: Whittaker, Klose, Hoolahan, McGovern
Goals: Naismith 78 (assisted Murphy)
Red Cards: Olsson 1 (deliberate handball on the goal line)
Bookings: Tettey 2 (dissent), Naismith 37 (foul), Dorrans 45+3 (foul)
Head to Head >>> QPR wins 40 >>> Draws 39 >>> Norwich wins 52
2023/24 QPR 2 Norwich 2 (Colback, Frey)
2023/24 Norwich 1 QPR 0
2023/24 QPR 0 Norwich 1***
2022/23 QPR 1 Norwich 1 (Dykes)
2022/23 Norwich 0 QPR 0
2020/21 QPR 1 Norwich 3 (Dykes)
2020/21 Norwich 1 QPR 1 (Osayi-Samuel)
2018/19 Norwich 4 QPR 0
2018/19 QPR 0 Norwich 1
2017/18 QPR 4 Norwich 1 (Luongo, Smith, Eze, Manning)
2017/18 Norwich 2 QPR 0
2016/17 Norwich 4 QPR 0
2016/17 QPR 2 Norwich 1 (Washington, Polter)
2012/13 QPR 0 Norwich 0
2012/13 Norwich 1 QPR 1 (Zamora)
2011/12 QPR 1 Norwich 2 (Barton)
2011/12 Norwich 2 QPR 1 (Young)
2010/11 Norwich 1 QPR 0
2010/11 QPR 0 Norwich 0
2008/09 QPR 0 Norwich 1
2008/09 Norwich 0 QPR 1 (Rowlands)
2007/08 Norwich 3 QPR 0
2007/08 QPR 1 Norwich 0 (Rowlands)
2006/07 Norwich 1 QPR 0
2006/07 QPR 3 Norwich 3 (Rowlands 2, Smith)
2005/06 Norwich 3 QPR 2 (Ainsworth, Cook)
2005/06 QPR 3 Norwich 0 (Furlong, Santos, Nygaard)
2000/01 Norwich 1 QPR 0
2000/01 QPR 2 Norwich 3 (Carlisle, Wardley)
1999/00 QPR 2 Norwich 2 (Kiwomya 2)
1999/00 Norwich 2 QPR 1 (Wardley)
1998/99 QPR 2 Norwich 0 (Murray, Peacock)
1998/99 Norwich 4 QPR 2 (Sheron, Peacock)
1997/98 Norwich 0 QPR 0
1997/98 QPR 1 Norwich 1 (Peacock)
1996/97 QPR 3 Norwich 2 (Peacock, Dichio, McDermott)
1996/97 Norwich 1 QPR 1 (Impey)
1994/95 QPR 2 Norwich 0 (Ferdinand, Gallen)
1994/95 Norwich 4 QPR 2 (Barker, Gallen)
1993/94 Norwich 3 QPR 4 (Barker, Penrice, Peacock, White)
1993/94 QPR 2 Norwich 2 (Sinclair, Ferdinand)
1992/93 QPR 3 Norwich 1 (Ferdinand 2, Wilson)
1992/93 Norwich 2 QPR 1 (Allen)
1991/92 Norwich 0 QPR 1 (Bailey)
1991/92 QPR 0 Norwich 2
1991/92 Norwich 1 QPR 2** (Sinton, Impey)
1990/91 Norwich 1 QPR 0
1990/91 QPR 1 Norwich 3 (Wegerle)
1989/90 QPR 2 Norwich 1 (Falco, Clarke)
1989/90 Norwich 0 QPR 0
1988/89 QPR 1 Norwich 1 (Falco)
1988/89 Norwich 1 QPR 0
1987/88 QPR 3 Norwich 0 (Channing, Coney, Fereday)
1987/88 Norwich 1 QPR 1 (Allen)
1986/87 QPR 1 Norwich 1 (Rosenior)
1986/87 Norwich 1 QPR 0
1984/85 QPR 2 Norwich 2 (Fereday, Wicks)
1984/85 Norwich 2 QPR 0
1983/84 QPR 2 Norwich 0 (Dawes, Waddock)
1983/84 Norwich 0 QPR 3 (Stainrod, Fenwick 2)
1981/82 Norwich 0 QPR 1 (Roeder)
1981/82 QPR 2 Norwich 0 (Stainrod, Gregory)
1978/79 QPR 0 Norwich 0
1978/79 Norwich 1 QPR 1 (G Francis)
1977/78 QPR 2 Norwich 1 (Eastoe, Cunningham)
1977/78 Norwich 1 QPR 1 (Needham)
1976/77 Norwich 2 QPR 0
1976/77 QPR 2 Norwich 3 (Masson, Webb)
1975/76 Norwich 3 QPR 2 (Thomas, Powell og)
1975/76 QPR 2 Norwich 0 (Masson, Bowles)
1973/74 QPR 1 Norwich 2 (Bowles
1973/74 Norwich 0 QPR 0
1971/72 QPR 0 Norwich 0
1971/72 Norwich 0 QPR 0
1970/71 Norwich 3 QPR 0
1970/71 QPR 0 Norwich 1
1969/70 QPR 4 Norwich 0 (Marsh, Venables, Clarke, Bridges)
1969/70 Norwich 1 QPR 0
1967/68 Norwich 0 QPR 0
1967/68 QPR 2 Norwich 0 (Keen, I Morgan)
1959/60 QPR 0 Norwich 0
1959/60 Norwich 1 QPR 0
1958/59 Norwich 5 QPR 1 (Longbottom)
1958/59 QPR 2 Norwich 1 (Longbottom, Kerrins)
1957/58 QPR 1 Norwich 1 (Cameron)
1957/58 Norwich 2 QPR 0
1956/57 Norwich 1 QPR 2 (Longbottom, Painter)
1956/57 QPR 3 Norwich 1 (Angell, Locke, Quigley)
1955/56 Norwich 1 QPR 0
1955/56 QPR 2 Norwich 3 (Petchley, Smith)
1954/55 QPR 2 Norwich 1 (Angell, Cameron)
1954/55 Norwich 1 QPR 1 (Smith)
1953/54 QPR 0 Norwich 2
1953/54 Norwich 2 QPR 2 (Clayton, Hawkins)
1952/53 QPR 3 Norwich 1 (Waugh 2, Tomkys)
1952/53 Norwich 2 QPR 0
1947/48 Norwich 5 QPR 2 (Hatton, Smith)
1947/48 QPR 3 Norwich 1 (Hatton, McEwan, Pettison)
1946/47 Norwich 0 QPR 1 (Mills)
1946/47 QPR 2 Norwich 0*(Hatton, Mills)
1946/47 Norwich 4 QPR 4* (Mills 2, McEwen, Pattison)
1946/47 QPR 1 Norwich 1 (Hatton)
1933/34 Norwich 1 QPR 0
1933/34 QPR 5 Norwich 2 (Blackman 2, Emmerson 2, Clarke)
1932/33 QPR 2 Norwich 2 (Goodier, Howe)
1932/33 Norwich 3 QPR 2 (Marcroft, Goddard)
1931/32 QPR 2 Norwich 2 (Blackman, Cribb)
1931/32 Norwich 2 QPR 1 (Lewis)
1930/31 QPR 3 Norwich 1 (Goddard 2, Rounce)
1930/31 Norwich 1 QPR 1 (Goddard)
1929/30 QPR 3 Norwich 2 (Goddard 3)
1929/30 Norwich 3 QPR 0
1928/29 Norwich 3 QPR 1 (Goddard)
1928/29 QPR 3 Norwich 0 (Coward 2, Rounce)
1927/28 QPR 0 Norwich 0
1927/28 Norwich 3 QPR 1 (Johnson)
1926/27 Norwich 0 QPR 1 (Lofthouse)
1926/27 QPR 4 Norwich 0 (Goddard 2, Lofthouse, Vargo)
1925/26 QPR 0 Norwich 1
1925/26 Norwich 1 QPR 1 (Whitehead)
1924/25 Norwich 5 QPR 0
1924/25 QPR 1 Norwich 2 (Ogley)
1923/24 Norwich 5 QPR 0
1923/24 QPR 2 Norwich 1 (Parker, Johnson)
1922/23 QPR 2 Norwich 0 (Gregory, Birch)
1922/23 Norwich 1 QPR 1 (Davis)
1921/22 QPR 2 Norwich 0 (Gregory, Smith)
1921/22 Norwich 0 QPR 0
1920/21 QPR 2 Norwich 0 (Gregory, Birch)
1920/21 Norwich 2 QPR 0
1909/10 QPR 3 Norwich 0* (Steer, McNaught, Whyman)
1909/10 Norwich 0 QPR 0*
* - FA Cup
** ZDS Trophy
*** League Cup
Jamie Cureton >>> Norwich 1993-1996, 2007-2010 >>> QPR 2004-2005
Although born a West Country boy of Bristol, Cureton actually started his footballing career over in Norfolk with Norwich City. He made his debut for the Canaries in their last Premier League season before relegation and scored an impressive eight goals in just 17 games for City. However Cureton struggled to get into the team the following season and despite becoming a cult-hero at Carrow Road for dying his hair green and yellow for a match against rivals Ipswich in 1996, Cureton moved onto Second Division Bristol Rovers under manager Ian Holloway. It was at The Memorial Stadium that Cureton really showed his goal-scoring prowess, twice scoring more than twenty goals in one season to finish as Rovers top scorer.
A move to promotion hopefuls Reading followed and he continued his goal-scoring feats with the Royals and helped them gain promotion to the First Division in 2002. A year later though Cureton decided to try his luck abroad and signed for South Korean club Buscan Icons, turning down a summer move to Loftus Road in the process. The gamble never really paid off for Jamie though and a year on with just four goals to his name in Asia, Cureton decided to come back to England.
It look as though it would be with Peterborough until former gaffer Ian Holloway got his man at the second attempt with the help of the ‘Our QPR’ fund. This was somewhat controversial at the time as the fund had initially been started to pay bills and keep the threat of administration away from a potentially promotion winning QPR side — chief executive David Davies had said earlier in the season that players may have to be sold to meet costs. QPR had also bought Tony Thorpe after being rejected by Cureton that summer so the move was a strange one all round. He struggled to get into the side that won promotion back to the Championship that season with a last day win over Sheffield Wednesday, but did contribute two vital goals, including one with the last kick of the game, to a 3-2 win against Port Vale at Loftus Road without which Bristol City would have beaten us to second place.
The goals never quite came for him, mainly due to Holloway repeatedly playing him out of a position on the right-wing to accommodate Tony Thorpe along with Kevin Gallen and Paul Furlong. His only goals in the Championship the following season strangely came against Coventry, with a memorable hat-trick that included a Van Basten like volley at Loftus Road and another at Highfield Road but he soon found himself surplus to requirement and was farmed out first on loan to Swindon then Colchester before landing a permanent moved to Layer Road in 2006. It was here he rediscovered his shooting boots winning the Championship Golden Boot award with 24 in the 2006/07 season and securing a move back to his first club Norwich City.
Cureton has been very hit and miss for his entire career — enjoying great spells with Bristol Rovers and Reading, and poor ones with QPR and then Norwich second time around. Cureton managed just 48 starts, and a further 28 substitute appearances across three years in his second spell with the club — a time that saw Norwich quickly rattle through four managers and sink down into League One. He spent time on loan with Barnsley and then Shrewsbury looking for first team football before joining Exeter City in 2010. His time at St James’ Park was prolific, he scored 17 League One goals but left to join Leyton Orient where he managed just one in 23 suggesting his career was winding down.
A second spell at Exeter was even more prolific than the first and he then scored 29 goals in just shy of 100 appearances for Dagenham and Redbridge between 2014 and 2016. Now 45, he was appointed player manager at Enfield in September after a prolific spell with Bishop’s Stortford and brief stops at Farnborough, Eastleigh and Hornchurch.
Others >>> Isaac Hayden, QPR (loan) 2024, Norwich (loan) 2023/24 >>> Sam McCallum, Norwich 2020-2024, QPR (loan) 2021-2022 >>> Jordan Hugill, Norwich 2020-2023, QPR (loan) 2019-2020 >>> Lee Camp, QPR (loan) 2004, (loan) 2007, 2007-2009, Norwich (loan) 2006, Norwich 2013-2014 >>> Jimmy Smith, QPR (loan) 2006-2007, Norwich (loan) 2007 >>> Jason Jarrett, Norwich 2005-2006, QPR (loan) 2007-2008 >>> Zesh Rehman, Norwich (loan) 2006, QPR 2006-2009 >>> Jamie Cureton, Norwich 1993-1996, 2007-2010, QPR 2004-2005 >>> Dean Marney, QPR (loan) 2004, Norwich (loan) 2005 >>> Robert Taylor, Norwich 1990-1991, QPR (loan) 2001 >>> Peter Crouch, QPR 2000-2001, Norwich (loan) 2003 >>>Paul Peschisolido, QPR (loan) 2000, Norwich (loan) 2001>>> Brian McGovern, QPR (loan) 1999-2000, Norwich 2000-2002 >>> Bruce Rioch, QPR (coach) 1996-1997, Norwich (manager) 1998-2000 >>> Matt Jackson, QPR (loan) 1996, Norwich 1996-2001 >>> Mike Sheron, Norwich 1994-1995, QPR 1997-1999 >>> Andy Linighan, Norwich 1988-1990, QPR (loan) 1999 >>> Dean Coney, QPR 1987-1989, Norwich 1989-1991 >>> John O’Neill, QPR 1987, Norwich 1987-1988 >>> Glenn Roeder , QPR 1978-1983, Norwich (manager) 2007-2009 >>> Chris Woods, QPR 1979-1981, Norwich 1981-1986
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