Ahead of the trip to Teesside on Tuesday, we're dipping back to a classic match from 1993 when Les Ferdinand's second half winner pushed Boro closer to the drop.
Middlesbrough 0 QPR 1, Saturday January 9, 1993, Premier League
Middlesbrough FC during the 1980s was something of a financial disaster zone. They’d actually been relegated to the Third Division in 1985 and come within ten minutes of liquidation before local businessman Steve Gibson brought together a consortium to save the club. Gibson has spectacularly bankrolled Boro ever since, seeing them move to the new Riverside Stadium and reach a UEFA Cup final in 2006. Led by inspirational captain Tony Mowbray and wily manager Lennie Lawrence they finished second in the 1991/92 Second Division and thereby won the right to be founder members of the Premier League.
They started the season well too. Champions Leeds were thrashed 4-1 at Ayresome Park and they won four and drew one of their first seven matches prior to a visit to Loftus Road which blossomed from quiet beginnings into a real 3-3 cliffhanger, with Andy Sinton equalising for the third time in the game with a stoppage time penalty in the days when QPR used to score stoppage time penalties. Memories and highlights of that absolute belter available here in our History column from the first meeting this season.
But while QPR, into a second year under the guidance of manager Gerry Francis, kicked on with Les Ferdinand, succeeding Roy Wegerle as the team’s go-to striker, banging in the goals left right and centre, Boro did not. Rangers had beaten nine-man Everton 4-2 with a Sinton hat trick and then comprehensively dumped Glenn Hoddle’s Swindon out of the FA Cup prior to a league meeting with Boro in the North East in early January. The hosts, meanwhile, had won only two of their previous 15 matches, a run that started with that draw at Loftus Road. Beaten 1-0 at home by relegation rivals Crystal Palace a week prior, they got a repeat dose from Gerry Francis’ team.
Jon Gittens fluffed a good early chance wide from a John Hendrie free kick and then Paul Wilkinson failed to connect with the resulting Jimmy Phillips corner at the back post having been left unmarked. The standard Tony Roberts fluffed goalkick put the R’s under more pressure midway through the half — Bardsley fouling Tommy Wright and a young Craig Hignett volleying fractionally wide when the resulting free kick was cleared out to him on the edge of the box. Amidst more defensive chaos Nicky Mohan spun on a loose ball on the edge of the six yard box and thumped a volley off the bar with Roberts beaten. The goalkeeper was in much better touch later on though when a weak header from David Bardsley set Hignett away and when his loose touch deflected into the path of Jamie Pollock the future QPR legend unleashed a volley hat seemed destined for the top corner until Roberts made an improbable and unorthodox save onto the inside of the post at full stretch.
QPR lost Gary Penrice after 20 minutes and Andy Sinton at half time thanks to injury but recovered from that and a first half battering to go on and win the game. Bradley Allen was added to the attack alongside Les Ferdinand, Danny Maddix was brought in for Sinton to shore things up with the midfield missing the influential Ray Wilkins. A brilliant move on a difficult pitch got Rangers the only goal of the game with Ferdinand sweeping it wide to Brevett to release Allen who found Ferdinand and after taking a touch to move himself into the penalty area he fairly well hammered the ball into the bottom corner to silence the crowd.
Boro had 15 minutes to salvage something and after Hignett won a generous free kick from Simon Barker on the edge of the area he took the set piece himself and drew a routine save from Roberts — or, as routine as saves ever got for the accident-prone keeper.
Afterwards Lawrence said: "I’m concerned with the lack of confidence we showed. We spoke about the need to start the game properly and we didn’t get going for the first 20 minutes, made it easy for QPR. We finished the first half reasonably lively and were a bit unfortunate but most of our shots were from long range and most goalkeepers at this level can deal with that. In the second half it was just too predictable and a repeat of the Crystal Palace game. We didn’t play at all in this game, we failed to produce crosses and decent shots on their goal.
Boro lost 5-1 at Villa in their next league game and went into something of a free fall with a run of seven defeats from eight games leading to a relegation with 44 points, four ahead of Forest who finished last and five behind Palace who were relegated on goal difference from Oldham Athletic. That despite Boro winning two and drawing one of the last three games. QPR went the other way, finishing the season with four wins and three draws from the final seven games to finish fifth and top London club.
Boro: Pears; Fleming, Peake, Phillips, Mohan, Gittens; Pollock, Wright (Falconer), Wilkinson; Hendrie, Hignett
QPR: Roberts; Bardsley, McDonald, Peacock, Brevett; Impey, Barker, Wilson, Sinton (Maddix); Ferdinand, Penrice (Allen)
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 Middlesbrough packages are embedded below, give him a subscribe on YouTube or follow @QPR_Memories on Twitter.
QPR 1 Middlesbrough 4, Tuesday November 5, 2024, Championship
The low point of QPR’s season to date came at home to Michael Carrick’s Middlesbrough in November. With poor Hevertton Santos thrown to the wolves out of position at left back against Ben Doak and a paper thin midfield dominated all night it’s really a miracle it only finished 4-1. Doak was intrinsic to the quickfire first half double from McGree and Conway which put the visitors in a commanding position. Their weirdly paranoid attempts to try and hold what they have and shithouse the second half away eventually allowed QPR back into it with a Steve Cook effort forced into his own net by Dijksteel. This snapped Boro out of their lull, they started playing properly again, and immediately added two more through Latte Lath and Barlaser. An appalling display.
QPR: Nardi 5; Dunne 3, Cook 4, Field 4, Santos 1 (Andersen 46, 4); Varane 3 (Dixon-Bonner 90+1, -), Morgan 5 (Kolli 75, 4), Madsen 1 (Lloyd 85, -); Saito 5, Celar 3, Chair 4 (Smyth 46, 4)
Subs not used: Aoraha, Bennie, Morrison, Shepperd
Goals: Dijksteel og 69
Boro: Dieng 7; Ayling 7, Edmundson 6, Clarke 7, Borges 6 (Dijksteel 50, 6); Howson 7 (Barlaser 81, -), Morris 8; Doak 8 (Hamilton 89, -), Azaz 8, McGree 7; Conway 7 (Latte Lath 80, -)
Subs not used: Brynn, Burgzorg, Forss, Fry, Jones
Goals: McGree 31 (assisted Doak), Conway 35 (assisted Azaz), Latte Lath 87 (assisted McGree), Barlaser 90+5 (unassisted)
Yellow Cards: Doak 11 (foul), Conway 36 (dissent, we think), Borges 45+3 (foul)
QPR 0 Middlesbrough 2, Saturday March 9, 2024, Championship
On a hot streak of form that had included victories against Leicester, Bristol City and Rotherham, and a 2-2 draw against West Brom at Loftus Road in which the hosts played some breathtaking football, it seemed like QPR were in the mood to play themselves to safety last March. Unfortunately, cursed game three in the three-game week struck again with an insipid performance and deserved defeat to Michael Carrick’s vastly superior Middlesbrough. Emmanuel Latte Lath and Marcus Forss got the goals in ten second half minutes.
QPR: Begovic 3; Dunne 5, Cook 5, Clarke-Salter 6, Paal 5 (Larkeche 78, 5); Field 5 (Hayden 55, 4), Colback 5; Willock 5, Andersen 6 (Armstrong 78, 5), Chair 6 (Smyth 55, 6); Frey 5 (Dykes 55, 4)
Subs not used: Fox, Hodge, Cannon, Walsh
Yellow Cards: Hayden 64 (foul), Clarke-Salter 80 (fighting)
Boro: Dieng 7; McNair 6, van den Berg 8, Clarke 7; Ayling 7 (Dijksteel 90+4, -), Howson 7, O’Brien 7, Engel 6; Forss 6 (Silvera 78, 6), Latte Lath 6 (Greenwood 78, 6), McGree 6 (Azaz 90, -)
Subs not used: Barlaser, Jones, Gilbert, Glover, Thomas
Goals: Latte Lath 64 (assisted Clarke), Forss 76 (assisted Ayling)
Yellow Cards: Forss 39 (foul), Engel 66 (foul), Ayling 80 (fighting), Dieng 90+2 (time wasting), McNair 90+3 (time wasting)
Middlesbrough 0 QPR 2, Saturday September 2, 2023, Championship
One of the rare high spots of Gareth Ainsworth’s reign in charge came in quite unexpected circumstances at Middlesbrough in September. Andre Dozzell, who hadn’t scored a goal for QPR in two years of trying, calmly popped one in off the post from 30 yards in the first half on what was approaching his hundredth appearance. Jack Colback followed in on a scramble in the second to make it 2-0 and seal what was a surprisingly comfortable away win.
Boro: Dieng 5; McNair 4, Fry 5, Lenihan 5, Engel 3; Howson 5 (O’Brien 69, 6), Hackney 5; Silvera 5, Rogers 6 (Greenwood 58, 5), Jones 6 (McRee 58, 6); Lath 4 (Coburn 69, 5)
Subs not used: van den Berg, Barlaser, Gilbert, Glover, Bilongo
Bookings: Greenwood 77 (foul)
QPR: Begovic 8; Kakay 6, Fox 6 (Larkeche 85, -), Cook 7 (Clarke-Salter 45, 6); Smyth 8, Dozzell 8 (Duke-McKenna 85, -) Colback 8, Field 6, Paal 7; Chair 8 (Willock 85, -), Armstrong 6 (Kolli 72, 7)
Subs not used: Archer, Dixon-Bonner, Kelman, Adomah
Goals: Dozzell 43 (assisted Colback), Colback 71 (assisted Smyth)
Bookings: Colback 50 (foul), Chair 65 (foul)
Middlesbrough 3 QPR 1, Saturday February 18, 2023, Championship
In form Middlesbrough delivered the last rites on Neil Critchley’s brief reign as QPR manager with a comfortable 3-1 victory at the Riverside in February 2023. QPR, beset by injuries and in chronically poor form, actually held their own for an hour before the division’s leading marksman Chuba Akpom scored first from a cross and then on a rebound from his own saved penalty after Tim Iroegbunam’s ludicrous tackle in the penalty box. Ilias Chair’s stoppage time goal from out near the halfway line, aided and abetted by Boro’s woeful keeper Zach Steffen, looked like being a consolation until Rangers broke again straight from the kick off and Chris Martin’s volley from point blank range was one extraordinary block on the goalline away from the most unlikeliest of equalisers. Boro, stung, went straight up the other end and made it three through Riley McGree to make double sure of the points and Critchley was dismissed immediately afterwards after 12 games in charge and one win.
Boro: Steffen 4; Smith 6, McNair 6, Lenihan 6, Giles 7; Barlaser 8 (Mowatt 88, -), Hackney 6 (Bola 90+3, -); Ramsey 7 (Howson 78, 6), Akpom 8, McGree 8; Archer 7 (Crooks 78, 7)
Subs not used: Fry, Forss, Roberts
Goals: Akpom 64 (assisted Lazer Quest), 77 (rebound off missed penalty), McGree 90+3 (assisted Crooks)
Bookings: Akpom 64 (over celebrating — steady down mate, there’ll be another along in a minute or two)
QPR: Dieng 6; Kakay 5, Dickie 5, Dunne 6, Paal 6; Field 6, Dozzell 5 (Adomah 69, 5), Iroegbunam 4, Chair 6; Martin 6, Lowe 5
Subs not used: Johansen, Archer, Dicks and Boner, Gubbins, Drewe, Aoraha Borealis, Pugh, Pugh, Barney McGrew, Cuthbert, Dibble, Grubb, former culture and media secretary Tessa Jowell, Davis Love III etc.
Genuine goals, no make up: Chair 90 (assisted Steffen)
QPR 3 Middlesbrough 2, Saturday August 6, 2022, Championship
QPR continued an impressive run of results against Middlesbrough with a seventh unbeaten meeting at Loftus Road in August 2022. Chris Willock made it three for three against this opposition with a goal of the season contender after 12 minutes, and that was followed up with close range goals from Jimmy Dunne and Lyndon Dykes off set pieces before half time. Matt Crooks’ goal made it 3-1 just prior to the break and when Marcus Forss got it back to 3-2 with half an hour still to play there was a cliffhanger ending in store, but Rangers hung on grimly to post a first three points of the season.
QPR: Dieng 7; Kakay 6, Dickie 8, Dunne 7, Paal 6; Amos 7, Johansen 7 (Dozzell 82, -), Field 7; Willock 8 (Adomah 74, 7), Chair 6 (Travelman 88, -), Dykes 7 (Bonne 87, -)
Subs not used: Masterson, Shodipo, Walsh
Goals: Willock 13 (unassisted), Dunne 27 (assisted Chair), Dykes 38 (assisted Johansen)
Bookings: Johansen 77 (very fouly foul), Kakay 90+1 (time wasting)
Boro: Steffen 4; Dijksteel 4 (McNair 46, 7), Lenihan 6, Bola 5; Jones 6, Crooks 6, Howson 6, McGree 6, Giles 7; Forss 7 (Smith 68, 5), Watmore 4 (Akpom 46, 7)
Subs not used: Fry, Boyd-Munce, Roberts, Finch
Goals: Crooks 41 (assisted Giles), Forss 56 (assisted Crooks)
Reds: Lenihan 90+2 (denying an obvious goalscoring opp/serious foul play)
Mellow yellows: Forss 17 (naughty, naughty), Bola 73 (pointy finger foul)
QPR 2 Middlesbrough 2, Wednesday February 9, 2022, Championship
QPR’s play-off hopes were still well alive when Middlesbrough, one of the in-form chasers, came to town for a midweek match in February, 2022. Ilias Chair, fresh back from the African Cup of Nations, curled a brilliant opening goal around returning goalkeeper Joe Lumley midway through the first half to give Rangers the lead. But they couldn’t see that through to half time, with Jimmy Dunne’s error from a corner in stoppage time giving Boro a second bite at a delivery and Dael Fry equalised into the bottom corner. Lumley then treated his former club to a second goal straight after the restart when he dallied over a back pass long enough for Chris Willock to steal the ball and score. But amidst an onslaught from the visitors which really should have yielded an away win, Albert Adomah turned into his own net against his former club.
QPR: Marshall 8; Adomah 6, Dickie 6, Dunne 6, Barbet 6, Wallace 6 (Odubajo 78, 6); Field 7, Johansen 5 (Gray 68, 6), Chair 7 (Hendrick 60, 6); Willock 7, Dykes 7
Subs not used: Amos, Austin, Sanderson, Mahoney
Goals: Chair 29 (assisted Willock), Willock 46 (assisted Lumley)
Boro: Lumley 4; Jones 8, Dijksteel 6, Fry 8, McNair 6, Taylor 6; Crooks 7 (Payero 87, -), Tavernier 8, Howson 7; Sporar 6 (Connolly 81, -), Watmore 7 (Balogun 71, 6)
Subs not used: Peltier, Bamba, Daniels, McGree
Goals: Fry 45+2 (unassisted), Adomah og 60 (assisted Jones)
Bookings: Howson 84 (foul)
Middlesbrough 2 QPR 3, Wednesday August 18, 2021, Championship
Arguably QPR’s best performance of the whole 2021/22 season came in match three at the Riverside Stadium, with Rangers overcoming a one-man deficit for almost the entire second half to win 3-2 regardless. Boro flew out of the traps and subjected the visitors to an absolute barrage in the first quarter of an hour, with numerous near misses and sitters gone begging eventually made to pay with Uche Ikpeazu’s penalty after Lyndon Dykes was adjudged to have manhandled his opponent at the far post. But the pressure subsided and QPR worked their way back into the game, equalising straight after half time when Jonny Howson turned Lee Wallace’s low cross past his own goalkeeper. Any momentum that might have generated should have dissipated when Moses Odubajo then picked up a dumb second yellow to leave the R’s with ten men for the rest of the game, but Lyndon Dykes responded immediately with a second goal that Joe Lumley should have saved. Crowd stunned, Rangers might have been able to see that out had Dom Ball not dallied in possession having done the initial hardest part of the task — Matt Crooks smacked in an equaliser. Once again though the visitors stormed forward immediately, scoring a shock third through Willock, and almost adding an immediate fourth from the same source.
Boro: Lumley 4; Dijksteel 6, Hall 5, Fry 6, Bola 6; Howson 5, McNair 6; Spence 6 (Payero 86, -), Crooks 7, Jones 8; Ikpeazu 7 (Akpom 71, 5)
Subs not used: Morsy, Peltier, Bamba, Daniels. Coburn
Goals: Ikpeazu 7 (penalty, won Fry), Crooks 72 (assisted Jones)
Bookings: Jones 54 (foul), Payero 90+8 (foul)
QPR: Dieng 7; Odubajo 4, Dickie 7, De Wijs 7, Barbet 7, Wallace 7 (Dunne 86, 7*); Ball 6, Johansen 7, Chair 6 (Kakay 58, 7); Dykes 6 (Austin 68, 5), Willock 8
Subs not used: Archer, Thomas, Dozzell, Adomah
Goals: Howson og 48 (assisted Wallace), Dykes 56 (assisted Willock), Willock 76 (assisted Johansen)
Red Cards: Odubajo 50 (two yellows)
Bookings: Odubajo 38 (foul), Odubajo 50 (foul), Johansen 90+3 (time wasting)
Middlesbrough 1 QPR 2, Saturday April 15, 2021, Championship
QPR finished last season with a trio of away wins to surpass the previous season’s total of seven. One of those was at Middlesbrough where an initial blast stunned the home team, Rob Dickie scored from fully 30 yards, and Lee Wallace finished a flowing move with a back post header. A comfortable win became a nervous one when Bolasie pulled a goal back on the half hour and, having got away with a similar incident in the first half thanks to a great recovery save, Seny Dieng was sent off for chopping down an opponent outside the box. Joe Lumley’s cameo off the bench featured two outstanding saves as the R’s hung on to win 2-1.
Boro: Archer 6; Fisher 6 (Johnson 55, 6), Hall 6, McNair 6; Spence 5 (Coulson 63, 5), Saville 7, Howson 6, Bola 5; Kebano 6, Watmore 7, Bolasie 8 (Assombalonga 82, -)
Subs not used: Bettinelli, Akpom, Fletcher, Hackney, Coburn, Malley
Goals: Bolasie 28 (assisted Kebano)
QPR: Dieng 6; Kakay 5, Dickie 8, Barbet 6; Adomah 6 (Ball 74, 7), Thomas 6 (Lumley 60, 8), Johansen 6, Chair 6 (Duke-McKenna 86, -), Wallace 8; Willock 7 (Field 74, 6), Dykes 7
Subs not used: Kane, Bonne, Bettache, Hämäläinen, Kelman
Goals: Dickie 15 (assisted Dykes), Wallace 18 (assisted Dykes)
Red Cards: Dieng 58 (denying obvious goalscoring opp)
Yellow Cards: Kakay 31 (foul)
QPR 1 Middlesbrough 1, Saturday September 26, 2020, Championship
QPR and Middlesbrough fought out a 1-1 draw in a run-of-the-mill Championship fixture at Loftus Road back in September 2020. QPR’s set piece hangover from 2019/20 continued early on as Chuba Akpom stole in at the near post to head home a nineteenth minute corner, but Bright Osayi-Samuel was soon on hand to convert from close range after Bettinelli spilled a routine shot. Luke Amos and Britt Assombalonga both missed great chances to score and Tom Carroll’s shot somehow hit the inside of the post, rolled all the way along the line and eluded a host of would-be scorers to ensure the scores finished deadlocked.
QPR: Dieng 6; Kakay 7, Dickie 6, Barbet 5, Wallace 5; Cameron 5, Amos 6; Osayi-Samuel 7, Thomas 6 (Carroll 60, 6), Chair 6 (Smyth 73, 6); Dykes 6
Subs not used: Kane, Ball, Oteh, Masterson, Kelly
Goals: Osayi-Samuel 28 (assisted Amos)
Boro: Bettinelli 5; McNair 7, Hall 6 (Fry 55, 6), Dijksteel 5; Tavernier 5, Howson 6, Johnson 5, Saville 6, Spence 5 (Morsy 64, 6); Assombalonga 5, Akpom 6
Subs not used: Wing, Browne, Bola, Coulson, Pears
Goals: Akpom 19 (assisted McNair)
Bookings: Dijksteel 85 (foul)
Middlesbrough 0 QPR 1, Saturday July 7, 2020, Championship
QPR recovered from a rocky start to lockdown football with a 1-0 away win at Neil Warnock’s Middlesbrough. Jordan Hugill scored a first half winner so spectacular it exploded his hamstring and it turned out to be his final touch for the club before a summer move to Norwich. Typically, it came just seconds after he’d butchered a far easier one on one chance with the goalkeeper. Middlesbrough threatened sporadically but this was a rare solid day at the office for the rickety QPR defence, and Joe Lumley played well on his recall to the side.
Boro: Stojanovic 6; Howson 6, Fry 5, Friend 5, Johnson 4 (Coulson 80, -); Moukoudi 5, Saville 5 (Wing 65, 5); Roberts 7 (Tavernier 80, -), Morrison 4 (McNair 66, 6), Fletcher 5 (Nmecha 66, 5); Assombalonga 5
Subs not used: Dijksteel, Shotton, Clayton, Pears
Bookings: Johnson 38 (foul), Saville 51 (foul), Assombalonga 89 (diving)
QPR: Lumley 7; Kakay 7, Cameron 6, Barbet 7; Kane 6, Manning 7; Amos 5, Ball 6, Eze 7 (Oteh 70, 5); Osayi-Samuel 7, Hugill 6 (Chair 35, 6)
Goals: Hugill 32 (assisted Manning)
QPR 2 Middlesbrough 2, Saturday November 9, 2019, Championship
QPR were very QPR indeed when they met an injury ravaged Middlesbrough for a banker home win at Loftus Road back in November. An early Britt Assombalonga goal was equalised by Nahki Wells quickly enough, and a Jonny Howson own goal off a corner before half time set things back according to the script. But a second half of procrastination left the score perilously close and when Wells inexplicably passed the ball straight to Assombalonga deep in the QPR penalty box the game was up and two points were lost.
QPR: Lumley 5; Hall 5, Cameron 4, Wallace 5; Kane 6, Manning 5; Ball 6, Amos 5 (Scowen 62, 5), Eze 6, Chair 6 (Hugill 62, 5); Wells 5
Subs not used: Smith, Pugh, Mlakar, Osayi-Samuel, Barnes
Goals: Wells 25 (assisted Chair), Howson og 44 (assisted Hall, pre-assist Eze)
Bookings: Wells 42 (unsporting), Hall 53 (foul), Ball 83 (foul), Cameron 89 (foul)
Middlesbrough: Randolph 5; Fry 6, Ayala 6, Friend 6; Howson 6 (Dijksteel 65, 6), Johnson 6; McNair 7, Wing 6, Tvaernier 6 (Clayton 77, 6); Fletcher 7, Assombalonga 7
Subs not used: Coulson, O’Neill, Walker, Liddle, Pears
Goals: Assombalonga 23 (assisted Howson), 65 (assisted Wells)
Bookings: Fry 90+2 (foul), Randolph 90+4 (time wasting)
Middlesbrough 2 QPR 0, Saturday February 23, 2019, Championship
QPR made it seven league games without a win with an abject display and thoroughly deserved 2-0 defeat at Middlesbrough in February. They conceded with barely three minutes on the clock, in Boro’s first attack, by letting Jonny Howson run through unchecked to nudge a cross through Joe Lumley. The young keeper’s difficult afternoon got worse when Ashley Fletcher beat him far too easily at his near post for 2-0 on the half hour. He did save from Assombalonga shortly after that when Toni Leistner was caught dallying in possession, and again after half time as Boro went through the second half motions and won at a canter.
Boro: Randolph 6; Howson 7, Ayala 6, Shotton 6, Fry 7; Wing 6, Mikel 8, Besic 8 (Downing 59, 6), Saville 8; Assombalonga 6 (Hugill 78, 6), Fletcher 6 (Tavernier 73, 6)
Subs not used: Konstantopoulos, Clayton, McNair, Van La Parra
Goals: Howson 3 (assisted Besic), Fletcher 31 (assisted Besic)
Bookings: Besic 14 (foul), Howson 63 (foul)
QPR: Lumley 3; Furlong 4, Leistner 5, Hall 5, Bidwell 5; Wszolek 5 (Wells 81, -), Luongo 5, Cousins 5, Manning 4 (Osayi-Samuel 46, 6); Eze 6; Hemed 4 (Smith 69, 5)
Subs not used: Ingram, Scowen, Kakay, Lynch
Bookings: Cousins 70 (foul)
QPR 2 Middlesbrough 1, Saturday December 15, 2018, Championship
QPR snapped a four-match winless run with a good performance and 2-1 win against promotion chasing Boro at Loftus Road in December. The R’s started fast and took a third minute lead thanks to a close range finish from Pawel Wszolek. Boro bit back after half time with George Saville making the most of Darnell Furlong’s unfortunate slip to find the far corner. But that was their only shot on target across the 90 minutes and Rangers deserved the win supplied to them by Nahki Wells from Wszolek’s assist on the hour.
QPR: Lumley 6; Furlong 7, Leistner 8, Lynch 5 (Scowen 52, 6), Bidwell 6; Cousins 7, Luongo 8; Wszolek 8, Eze 7 (Smith 88, -), Freeman 8; Wells 8 (Oteh 90+3, -)
Subs not used: Ingram, Chair, Osayi-Samuel, Smyth
Goals: Wszolek 3 (assisted Bidwell), Wells 60 (assisted Wszolek)
Boro: Randolph 5; Shotton 6, Ayala 6, Flint 6, Friend 5; Howson 6 (Wing 64, 6), Clayton 6; Saville 7 (Fletcher 82, -), Downing 6 (Tavernier 64, 6), Assombalonga 5; Hugill 5
Subs not used: Konstantopoulos, Batth, McNair, Fry
Goals: Saville 51 (unassisted)
Bookings: Saville 58 (foul), Flint 73 (persistent fuckwittery), Assombalonga 88 (foul)
QPR 0 Middlesbrough 3, Saturday January 20, 2018, Championship
QPR’s fluid formations, fast rotating team and wildly inconsistent form came a cropper against a well drilled and expensively assembled Tony Pulis side at Loftus Road in January. Although Jack Robinson wasn’t far wide with an early 30-yarder, Boro took the lead when Daniel Ayala was left unmarked to head home a corner and it was 2-0 before half time when George Friend was given all the time he needed to pick out the top corner from 25 yards. A pair of half time substitutions barely stemmed the bleeding and the game was finally put to bed five minutes from time by Adama Traore.
QPR: Smithies 6; Onuoha 5, Lynch 5, Robinson 5; Furlong 6, Bidwell 5 (Osayi-Samuel 46, 5); Scowen 5 (Eze 70, 6), Freeman 5, Luongo 5; Washington 5, Oteh 5 (Smith 46, 5)
Subs not used: Ingram, Manning, Baptiste, Wszolek
Boro: Randolph 6; Shotton 7, Ayala 7, Gibson 7, Friend 7; Bamford 6 (Clayton 72, 7), Leadbitter 7, Howson 7, Traore 8; Downing 7 (Christie 87, -); Asombalonga 6 (Gestede 69, 7)
Subs not used: Konstantopoulos, Braithwaite, Fletcher, Johnson
Goals: Ayala 24 (assisted Traore), Friend 34 (unassisted), Traore 85 (assisted Gestede)
Middlesbrough 3 QPR 2, Saturday September 16, 2017, Championship
Injury-hit QPR’s makeshift defence suffered from a mad five minutes on the hour and ended up losing a game they could easily have won when these sides met back in September. Debutant David Wheeler slammed in Luke Freeman’s cross shot early on to give Rangers the lead and, although Chelsea loanee Lewis Baker equalised for Boro before the break, a typical Jamie Mackie goal early in the second half restored Rangers’ advantage. But missing Nedum Onouha, Grant Hall, Joel Lynch and James Perch, the defence finally imploded on the hour as Boro’s big money attack scored twice in quick succession through Ashley Fletcher and Britt Assombalonga to win 3-2.
Boro: Randolph 5; Christie 6, Fry 6, Gibson 6, Fabio 5; Leadbitter 6 (Howson 56, 6), Clayton 6 (Fletcher 46, 7); Baker 8, Downing 6 (Forshaw 78, 6), Johnson 8; Assombalonga 7
Subs not used: Konstantopoulos, Friend, Shotton, Bamford
Goals: Baker 36 (assisted Johnson), Fletcher 55 (assisted Christie), Assombalonga 60 (assisted Johnson)
Yellows: Clayton 34 (foul), Leadbitter 39 (foul), Christie 66 (unsporting), Baker 66 (foul)
QPR: Smithies 7; Furlong 6, Baptiste 6, Robinson 6, Bidwell 6; Luongo 8, Freeman 7, Manning 7; Lua Lua 6 (Wszolek 45, 6), Smith 6 (Mackie 45, 6), Wheeler 6 (Sylla 68, 6)
Subs not used: Borysiuk, Ngbakoto, Lumley, Osayi-Samuel
Goals: Wheeler 2 (assisted Freeman), Mackie 50 (unassisted)
Yellows: Luongo 32 (foul), Wszolek 47 (foul), Smithies 52 (timewasting), Mackie 66 (unsporting)
QPR 2 Middlesbrough 3, Friday April 1, 2016, Championship
QPR’s defence played the April fools as Middlesbrough won 3-2 at Loftus Road when these sides met towards the end of 2015/16. Jordan Rhodes made the most of Grant Hall’s mistake to round Alex Smithies and give the visitors a seventeenth minute lead but Jamie Mackie’s powerful volley off the underside of the bar equalised on the say-so of the linesman. Ale Faurlin fouled Albert Adomah for an obvious penalty straight after half time but Smithies, typically, saved Leadbitter’s kick. From the resulting corner, however, was headed in by Ramirez and more slack marking at a corner allowed Gibson to make it three soon after. Tjaronn Chery’s spectacular late strike served as mere consolation after Seb Polter had a goal incorrectly disallowed.
QPR: Smithies 7; Onuoha 5, Angella 5, Hall 5, Perch 7; Faurlin 5 (Washington 79 6), Henry 7; Phillips 5 (Hoilett 62, 6), Chery 7, Mackie 7 (El Khayati 69 6); Polter 6
Subs not used: Ingram, Luongo, Petrasso, Robinson
Goals: Mackie 31 (Unassisted), Chery 86 (assisted Polter)
Bookings: Perch 77 (foul)
Middlesbrough: Konstantopoulos 6; Nsue 7, Kalas 6, Gibson 6, Friend 7; Clayton 7, Leadbitter 7, Adomah 8, Ramirez 7 (Forshaw 67, 6), Downing 6 (Ayala 84, 6); Rhodes 6 (Nugent 78, 6)
Subs not used: de Laet, De Pena, de Sart, Agazzi
Goals: Rhodes 18 (Assisted Leadbitter), Ramirez 51 (Assisted Leadbitter), Gibson 57 (Assisted Leadbitter)
Middlesbrough 1 QPR 0, Friday November 20, 2015, Championship
Officially Neil Warnock was in temporary charge when QPR played at the Riverside Stadium that season, although family issues meant he didn’t attend the game and Kevin Blackwell was the man delivering instructions from the touchline. A horrifying image. QPR, as was their style at the time, started with no striker at all and should have been behind at half time when Konchesky got caught out of position by Adomah but his low cross was turned onto the inside of the post by David Nugent from a yard out. A rally at the start of the second half saw Matt Phillips miss an equally good chance for the visitors but the game looked to be drifting to a goalless draw until an injury time corner wasn’t dealt with and Leroy Fer deliberately handled the resulting shot on the line to prevent a goal. A red card, and successful Grand Leadbitter penalty, the inevitable outcome.
Middlesbrough: Konstantopoulos 6; Nsue 6, Ayala 6, Gibson 6, Friend 6; Leadbitter 7, Clayton 7; Adomah 6 (Kike 78, 6), Fabbrini 7 (Stuani 63, 6), Downing 6; Nugent 5
Subs not used: de Pena, Meijas, Stephens, Zuculini, Woodgate
Goals: Leadbitter (penalty, handball Fer, 90)
Bookings: Leabitter (foul)
QPR: Green 6; Perch 5, Onuoha 7, Hall 7, Konchesky 5; Henry 6, Sandro 6 (Emmanuel-Thomas 81, -), Fer 5, Faurlin 6 (Tozser 75, 5), Phillips 6, Yun 6.
Subs not used: Smithies, Angella, Luongo, Petrasso, Blackwood
Red Cards: Fer 90 (deliberate handball preventing a goal)
Booked: Phillips (foul), Faurlin (repetitive fouling), Onuoha (foul)
Head to Head >>> Boro wins 21 >>> Draws 18 >>> QPR wins 23
2024/25 QPR 1 Boro 4 (Dijksteel og)
2023/24 QPR 0 Boro 2
2023/24 Middlesbrough 0 QPR 2 (Dozzell, Colback)
2022/23 Middlesbrough 3 QPR 1 (Chair)
2022/23 QPR 3 Middlesbrough 2 (Willock, Dunne, Dykes)
2021/22 QPR 2 Middlesbrough 2 (Chair, Willock)
2021/22 Middlesbrough 2 QPR 3 (Howson og, Dykes, Willock)
2020/21 Middlesbrough 1 QPR 2 (Dickie, Wallace)
2020/21 QPR 1 Middlesbrough 1 (Osayi-Samuel)
2019/20 Middlesbrough 0 QPR 1 (Hugill)
2019/20 QPR 2 Middlesbrough 2 (Wells, Howson og)
2018/19 Middlesbrough 2 QPR 0
2018/19 QPR 2 Middlesbrough 1 (Wszolek, Wells)
2017/18 QPR 0 Middlesbrough 3
2017/18 Middlesbrough 3 QPR 2 (Wheeler, Mackie)
2015/16 QPR 2 Middlesbrough 3 (Mackie, Chery)
2015/16 Middlesbrough 1 QPR 0
2013/14 Middlesbrough 1 QPR 3 (Benayoun, Zamora, Morrison)
2013/14 QPR 2 Middlesbrough 0 (Barton, Austin)
2010/11 Middlesbrough 0 QPR 3 (Helguson 2, Taarabt (pen))
2010/11 QPR 3 Middlesbrough 0 (Helguson pen, Ephraim, Mackie)
2009/10 Middlesbrough 2 QPR 0
2009/10 QPR 1 Middlesbrough 5 (Agyemang)
1997/98 QPR 5 Middlesbrough 0 (Sheron 2, Gallen, Bruce, Vickers og)
1997/98 Middlesbrough 2 QPR 0 (FA Cup replay)
1997/98 QPR 2 Middlesbrough 2 (FA Cup - Gallen, Spencer)
1997/98 Middlesbrough 3 QPR 0
1995/96 QPR 1 Middlesbrough 1 (McDonald)
1995/96 Middlesbrough 1 QPR 0
1992/93 Middlesbrough 0 QPR 1 (Ferdinand)
1992/93 QPR 3 Middlesbrough 3 (Ferdinand, Penrice, Sinton)
1988/89 QPR 0 Middlesbrough 0
1988/89 Middlesbrough 1 QPR 0
1982/83 QPR 6 Middlesbrough 1 (Allen 3, Mickelwhite, Flanagan, Gregory)
1982/83 Middlesbrough 2 QPR 1 (Allen)
1981/82 QPR 1 Middlesbrough 1** (Stainrod)
1981/82 Middlesbrough 2 QPR 3** (Stainrod 2, Neill)
1978/79 QPR 1 Middlesbrough 1 (Goddard)
1978/79 Middlesbrough 0 QPR 2 (Harkouk, Eastoe)
1977/78 QPR 1 Middlesbrough 0 (Busby)
1977/78 Middlesbrough 1 QPR 1 (Busby)
1976/77 Middlesbrough 0 QPR 2 (Masson, Abbott)
1976/77 QPR 3 Middlesbrough 0 (Givens (pen), Masson, Bowles)
1975/76 QPR 4 Middlesbrough 2 (Francis 2 (1pen), Givens, Bowles)
1975/76 Middlesbrough 0 QPR 0
1974/75 QPR 0 Middlesbrough 0
1974/75 Middlesbrough 1 QPR 3 (Bowles, Givens, Rogers)
1972/73 Middlesbrough 0 QPR 0
1972/73 QPR 2 Middlesbrough 2 (Givens, O’Rourke)
1971/72 QPR 1 Middlesbrough 0 (Clement)
1971/72 Middlesbrough 3 QPR 2 (McCulloch, Marsh)
1970/71 QPR 1 Middlesbrough 1 (Francis)
1970/71 Middlesbrough 6 QPR 2 (Clement, Marsh)
1969/70 Middlesbrough 1 QPR 0
1969/70 QPR 4 Middlesbrough 0 (Bridges 2, Clark, Clement)
1967/68 Middlesbrough 3 QPR 1 (L Allen)
1967/68 QPR 1 Middlesbrough 1 (Marsh)
1966/67 Middlesbrough 2 QPR 2 (Marsh, Lazarus)
1966/67 QPR 4 Middlesbrough 0 (Marsh 3, L Allen)
1946/47 Middlesbrough 3 QPR 1** (Boxshall)
1946/47 QPR 1 Middlesbrough 1** (Pattison)
1912/13 Middlesbrough 3 QPR 2**
** - FA Cup
Don Masson >>> Boro 1964-1968 >>> QPR 1974-1977
Don Masson was born near Aberdeen and supported the Dons as a youngster but was moved from there to Middlesbrough at age 12 so his father could pursue a life-long dream of becoming a bus driver. Having initially been taught to play football as a young boy by his mum, Masson caught the eye of then Second Division Boro and made his debut there as an 18-year-old in a League Cup game at Charlton.
Masson played more than 50 games for Boro and scored six times as they were relegated from the Second Division, but then bounced straight back from the Third as runners up behind the all conquering QPR team led by Rodney Marsh which secured a historic Third Division title and League Cup double win that season. Masson was known as a fierce trainer who demanded similarly high standards of his team mates, and he pissed the rest of the Boro squad off to such an extent that a ‘round robin’ letter was circulated and signed by the team demanding he be sold.
Having impressed in a reserve game against Bradford Park Avenue earlier in the week, Masson felt sure that’s where he was heading when he was summoned to Ayresome Park for transfer talks. Instead, Notts County manager Billy Gray was waiting there to do a £7,000 double deal for Masson and Bob Worthington. County were two divisions lower, and winless in their first seven matches at that level, but Masson jumped at the chance to move and it proved to be the making of him.
Between his arrival in 1968 and departure in 1974, County enjoyed something of a golden era. Former Celtic charge Jimmy Sirrel replaced Gray in 1969 and made his fellow Scot Masson the club captain at age 22. The pair won the Fourth Division in 1971, remaining unbeaten at Meadow Lane all season, and then won promotion from the Third Division in 1972/73. Sirrel was poached by Sheff Utd, and Masson by QPR, but both returned to Meadow Lane to complete the job with a third promotion in 1981 taking the Magpies from the bottom division to the top inside a decade. Masson has since been voted Notts County’s greatest ever player by the club’s supporters. He is the only player in the club’s history to win its Player of the Year trophy outright on three separate occasions.
Masson was rated as the best player outside the top division in England, and finally got his chance at the highest level aged 29 when Dave Sexton took him to QPR in 1974 for £100,000. Widely said to be the ‘final piece in the puzzle’ of that brilliant QPR side, he claimed a runners up medal when the R’s finished second to Liverpool in 1975/76. His performances across 144 games for the R’s were enough to belatedly bring him his first international honours for Scotland aged 30, and although he is widely remembered for missing a crucial penalty kick against Peru in the 1978 World Cup, he also scored for Scotland against England in a 2-1 win in 1976 to clinch the first of two Home International Championships during his career.
He moved from Loftus Road first to Derby in exchange for Leighton James before a second successful stint at Notts County, had a spell with Minnesota in the fledgling MLS, and was player manager at Kettering Town for a time before retiring to run a guest house in Nottingham and then later in Elton — which he’s still doing to this day.
You can hear our in depth interview with Don via our Patreon.
Others >>> Seny Dieng, Boro 2023-present, QPR 2016-2023 >>> Jordan Archer, QPR 2021-2024, Boro 2021 >>> Joe Lumley, Boro 2021-2023, QPR 2013-2021 >>> John Eustace, QPR (assistant) 2018-2022, Boro (loan) 2003 >>> Neil Warnock, Boro (manager) 2020-2021, QPR (manager) 2010-2012 >>> Albert Adomah, QPR 2020-2024, Boro 2013-2016 >>> Grant Hall, Boro 2020-2022, QPR 2015-2020 >>> Ravel Morrison, Boro (loan) 2020, QPR (loan) 2017, QPR (loan) 2014 >>> Jordan Hugill, QPR (loan) 2019-2020, Boro (loan) 2018-2019 >>> Alex Baptiste, QPR 2017-2019, Boro 2015-2017 >>> Steve McClaren, QPR (manager) 2018-2019, Boro (manager) 2001-2006 >>> Martin Cranie, Boro 2018, QPR (loan) 2007 >>> Fabio Da Silva, Boro 2016-2018, QPR (loan) 2012-2013 >>> Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, QPR (manager) 2015-2016, Boro 2004-2006 >>> Gary O’Neil, QPR 2013-2014, Boro 2007-2011 >>> Luke Young, QPR 2011-2014, Boro 2007-2008 >>> Emmanuel Ledesma, Boro 2012-2015, QPR 2008-2009 >>> Kieron Dyer, Boro 2013, QPR 2011-2013 >>> Ishmael Miller, Boro (loan) 2012-2013, QPR (loan) 2011 >>> Carl Ikeme, Boro (loan) 2011, QPR (loan) 2010 >>> Marcus Bent, QPR (loan) 2010, Boro 2009-2010 >>> Andrew Davies, Boro 2002-2008, QPR (loan) 2005 >>> Mikkel Beck QPR (loan) 2000, Boro 1996-1999 >>> Jamie Pollock, QPR 1998, Boro 1990-1996 >>> Bruce Rioch, QPR (assistant) 1996-1997, Boro (manager) 1986-1990 >>> Dave Thomas, Boro 1982, QPR 1972-1977 >>> John O’Rourke, QPR 1971-1974, Boro 1966-1968
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