Ahead of the trip to Cambridge on Tuesday we look back to a memorable meeting at The Abbey Stadium from 1982 when Clive Allen delivered a finishing masterclass, and look at the many weird and wonderful player connections including club ambassador Andy Sinton.

Memorable Match

Cambridge 1 QPR 4, Saturday November 20, 1982, Second Division

QPR were at the height of their Terry Venables powers when they travelled to The Abbey Stadium for a Second Division meeting in November 1982.

FA Cup finalists as a Second Division team in 1982, and only narrowly beaten after a replay at Wembley by Spurs, the R’s had set their sights on promotion back to the top division the following year. They were well on their way to achieving that, despite losing on the opening day at Newcastle, with only three defeats in the first 15 fixtures. They did, however, come into this game with only one win in the previous four having lost at Boro, drawn a foul-tempered game at Rotherham and then drawn in controversial circumstances at home to Blackburn.

Over the next four games, however, Rangers really put down a marker. Carlisle and Leeds were both beaten 1-0, and then Grimsby swept aside 4-0 at Loftus Road. The run began at Cambridge, who would end the season in twelfth, and had nothing to match a visiting team with Clive Allen and Simon Stainrod up front, backed by future England internationals John Gregory and Terry Fenwick among others.

By contrast, Steve Wicks (he’s after you) had endured a frustrating start to the campaign. Missing every game to this point through injury, he made his first start of the season in the four shirt with Gary Waddock out. Gary Mickelwhite’s early corner found him journeying to the near post at just the right time to head the opening goal at the near post – a vintage Venables set piece. Unfortunately he would later be replaced by Ian Stewart and didn’t play again for the R’s until February 5 at Oldham.

Rangers had an enormous escape when Smith hit the post in front of the travelling faithful, but while the TV director was still rolling in replays of that effort Tony Sealy was able to storm down the other end from the right wing and finish crisply into the far corner for number two.

The second half was all about young Clive Allen. His first goal was exactly the sort of finish he, and his brother Bradley, would make their trademark. Dribbling into the area he appeared to have gone too far, too close to the byline, and narrowed the angle too much. No matter, he threaded the needle between goalkeeper and near post and watched as the ball tricked into the far side net. Precision finishing.

Smith did get his header right at the second time of asking to pull one back and make it 3-1, but Stewart’s cross nodded down by Stainrod was soon giving Allen a chance to showcase another trademark skill – flicking the ball back over the defender’s head with his first touch, then meeting it powerfully into the roof of the net with his second.

Rangers would eventually win the league by ten points from second placed Wolve, and then qualify for Europe in their first season back in the big time. Of course Venables then went to Barcelona, Alan Mullery got the job and the club was never the same again. Still, nice while it lasted.

QPR: Hucker; Neill, Wicks (Stewart), Fenwick, Hazell, Dawes; Sealy, Mickelwhite, Gregory; Allen, Stainrod

Recent Meetings

QPR 0 Cambridge 0, Saturday February 2, 2002, Second Division

QPR were in the early stages of their Second Division rebuild under Ian Holloway when Cambridge United came to Loftus Road for the first time since the early 1980s in February 2002. Having started the pre-season in administration and with only eight professionals signed up, and two of those (Langley, Carlisle) out for the season already, the summer friendlies became a procession of trialists. The team Ollie and Kenny Jackett cobbled together started well, fell away through the autumn, but had come on strong over Christmas with quickfire wins against Chesterfield, Bournemouth, Wycombe, Bury and Stoke. Hopes that a play-off push may materialise after all then rather fell away through February and March as points tarted to be dropped in a series of frustrating draws at Loftus Road. One of those was against eventually-relegated Cambridge United who, backed by a large travelling support, had much the better of the game and were unfortunate not to be awarded a first half penalty for what looked like a foul on Dave Kitson.

QPR: F Digby, T Forbes (R Langley, 80), D Shittu, S Palmer, M Bignot; Doudou, M Rose, G Peacock, L Griffiths; K Gallen (K Connolly, 71), A Thomson (R Pacquette, 71)

Subs not used: R Evans, A Bonnot

Bookings: Bignot, Pacquette

Cambridge: L Perez, T Fleming, A Tann, S Angus, F Murray, A Scully (K Austin, 45), L Guttridge (N Mustoe, 65), I Ashbee, S Tudor, D Kitson (D Traore, 77), D Chillingworth

Subs not used: S Marshall, W Goodhind

Referee: Andy D’Urso

Attendance: 18,071

Cambridge 2 QPR 1, Saturday September 29, 2001, Second Division

The young Kitson had fairly well terrorised Rangers at The Abbey Stadium in the first meeting back in September. Scoring after just three minutes, Kitson crawled all over the Rangers backline (no Danny Shittu at this stage) all afternoon and deserved the victory sealed by a second half goal from Tom Youngs. Cambridge were hanging on by the end when karl Connolly pulled one back and Stevland Angus was sent off, but hang on they did. Rangers had started the season well with wins against Stoke, Bury, Port Vale, Wigan and Cardiff. A pre-season friendly thrashing of Chelsea had put the W12 regulars in optimistic mood after a dire 12 months prior. There’d been a Rob Styles-afflicted farce at Wycombe, and a narrow loss to fellow highflyers Brighton at the Withdean, but this really was the first chastening experience of going to the Second Division’s smaller grounds and not having it all our own way. It would, as it turned out, be a three year stay in the second tier for Ollie’s Rangers. This game was also remembered for the ill-advised launching of conkers into the away end by a member of the local constabulary which… didn’t go down well.

Cambridge;L Perez, W Goodhind, D Walling, S Angus, P Warner, R Prokas, P Wanless, I Ashbee, T Youngs, A One (A Revell, 67 (L Guttridge, 89)), D Kitson

Subs not used: A Duncan, S Marshall, T Fleming

Goals: Kitson 3, Youngs 56

Red Cards: Angus 85

Yellow Cards: Angus, Angus

QPR: C Day, T Forbes, S Palmer, B Askar, C Warren, M Perry, M Rose, A Bonnot (M Bignot, 70), A Thomson, L Griffiths (K Connolly, 65), Doudou (R Pacquette, 45)

Subs not used: N Bull, S Wardley

Goals: Connolly 76

Yellow Cards: Pacquette

Referee: Richard Beeby

Attendance: 4,508

Past Results

Head to Head >>> Cambridge wins 4 >>> Draws 2 >>> QPR wins 4

2000/01 QPR 0 Cambridge 0
2000/01 Cambridge 2 QPR 1 (Connolly)
1982/83 Cambridge 1 QPR 4 (Wicks, Sealy, Allen 2)
1982/83 QPR 2 Cambridge 1 (Sealy 2)
1981/82 QPR 2 Cambridge 1 (Allen, Fenwick pen)
1981/82 Cambridge 1 QPR 0
1980/81 QPR 5 Cambridge 0 (Sealy 2, Muir 2, Roeder)
1980/81 Cambridge 1 QPR 0
1979/80 QPR 2 Cambridge 2 (Allen, Busby)
1979/80 Cambridge 2 QPR 1 (Bowles)

Connections

Andy Sinton >>> QPR 1989-1993 >>> Cambridge 1982-1985

Despite being born in Cramlington in the North East of England, Andy Sinton started his football career at Cambridge United. The England U15 international turned down interest from a number of clubs, including Newcastle, in pursuit of first team football at the earliest possible opportunity. He certainly got that, when manager John Docherty stuck him in the first team at 16 years and 228 days old in November 1982 making him the U’s youngest ever player.

Although the U’s finished twelfth in the second tier that season, this was to be the start of a decline through the mid 1980s which took them straight through Division Three in 1984/1985 into the bottom league for 85/86 where they again finished right at the bottom in 22nd. Sinton, though, was the stand out, and until John Ruddy’s call up in 2012 was the only player to come through the ranks at The Abbey Stadium and go on to achieve full international honours – he would finish with 12 England caps.

Docherty, who’d managed Cambridge through four years of Second Division football and worked so hard to persuade Sinton to sign for them, had previously been with Brentford. That was to be Sinton’s next stop when he moved to Griffin Park for £25k in 1985. By 1989 he’d starred on the wing for the Bees long enough for Trevor Francis to make him a £350k part of his complete overhaul of the QPR team he’d played for and now managed at Loftus Road. Sinton was twice named Brentford’s Player of the Year, so his switch down the Western Avenue did not go down awfully well.

Francis’ time as player manager in W12 was tempestuous and short lived, but Sinton would become a star in Shepherd’s Bush under the astute management of first Don Howe and later Gerry Francis. His 25 goals in 191 appearances for Rangers included a winner on his home debut in a 1-0 success against Aston Villa, a stunning 25-yarder in the Premier League’s first Monday Night Football TV game in a 1-1 draw at Man City, and a first senior hat trick to see off nine-man Everton at Loftus Road on Boxing Day 1992. He scored the other goal, besides Dennis Bailey’s hat trick, in the 4-1 win against Man Utd at Old Trafford on New Year’s Day that same year.

His £2.75m move to Sheff Wed in the summer of 1993 was mitigated somewhat by the arrival of Trevor Sinclair for £600k to replace him. Sinton had attracted strong interest from Arsenal, and would lose two cup finals against the Gunners while at Hillsborough. He later rejoined Gerry Francis at Spurs and won a League Cup there before finishing his career with Wolves and Burton. Despite Sinton’s success at Rangers, and Sinclair’s brilliance as his replacement, Sinton was given dog’s abuse whenever he returned to play at Loftus Road and has spoken in retirement about how much that affected him – not least because he says he never wanted to leave in the first place na the move was driven by chairman Richard Thompson as a book balancer.

Paul Parker had been sold before him, and when Darren Peacock followed later the fans’ ire started to turn towards the chairman. Buying low and selling high was a good model for QPR, but Peacock was replaced by Karl Ready and later Les Ferdinand by Mark Hateley. It proved to be death by a thousand cuts for the team which was relegated out of the Premier League just when the TV money was about to explode, a relegation it took 15 years to get back from and one which has changed the shape of the club forever.

Sinton, after managing in non-league at Fleet and Telford, is now back at Rangers as club ambassador, commentating on matches for the club’s channels, running the Forever R’s former players’ society, and doing so much to rebuild bridges between the club, its supporters and its former players which had reached desperately poor levels by the end of Flavio Briatore’s time here and the early days of Tony Fernandes.

Also, just a bloody good bloke.

Others >>> Taylor Richards, Cambridge (loan) 2024-present, QPR 2022-present >>> Jordan Cousins, Cambridge 2023-present, QPR 2016-2019 >>> George Thomas, Cambridge 2023-present, QPR 2020-2023 >>> Gareth Ainsworth, QPR (manager) 2023, 2003-2010, Cambridge 1992-1993 >>> Macauley Bonne’s Offside, Cambridge (loan) 2024, QPR 2020-2023 >>> Conor Masterson, QPR 2019-2023, Cambridge (loan) 2021-2022 >>> Dom Ball, QPR 2019-2022, Cambridge (Loan) 2015 >>> Darnell Furlong, QPR 2015-2019, Cambridge (loan) 2016 >>> Shaun Derry, Cambridge (manager) 2015-2018, QPR 2010-2013 >>> Alex McCarthy, QPR 2014-2015, Cambridge (loan) 2008 >>> Adam Miller, Cambridge 2010-2012, QPR 2004-2006 >>> Stuart Wardley, Cambridge 2005, QPR 1999-2002 >>> Dennis Oli, Cambridge 2004, QPR 2000-2004 >>> Tony Scully, Cambridge 2001-2003, QPR 1998-2001 >>> Paul Bruce, QPR 1996-2002, Cambridge (loan) 1999 >>> John Beck, Cambridge (manager) 2001, 1990-1992, QPR 1972-1976 >>> Steve Slade, Cambridge 2000, QPR 1996-2000 >>> Clive Wilson, Cambridge 1999-2000, QPR 1990-1995 >>> Mark Graham, QPR 1995-1999, Cambridge (loan) 1999 >>> Lee Charles, Cambridge (loan) 1998, QPR 1995-1998 >>> Devon White, QPR 1993-1994, Cambridge 1992-1993 >>> Gus Caesar, Cambridge (loan) 1991, QPR (loan) 1990 >>> Mike Flanagan, Cambridge 1986-1987, QPR 1980-1983 >>> Ian Evans, Cambridge (loan) 1984, QPR 1970-1974 >>> Mick Leach, Cambridge 1978-1979, QPR 1964-1978 >>> Allen Harris, Cambridge 1973-1974, QPR 1967-1971

If you enjoy LoftforWords, please consider supporting the site through a subscription to our Patreon or tip us via our PayPal account loftforwords@yahoo.co.uk.

The Twitter/Threads @loftforwords

Pictures - Action Images

Queens Park Rangers Polls