QPR travel to Carrow Road on Saturday to face fellow newly promoted side Norwich City, a fixture that has brought them little joy in recent seasons.
Norwich 1 QPR 0, Saturday January 1, 2011, Championship
QPR have a dreadful recent record at Carrow Road, one win in ten visits prior to last season’s visit which made it one win in 11. Norwich were in great form and closing in on QPR at the top of the Championship table. They’d overhauled Leeds at the top of League One the season before the home supporters spent most of this game taunting the visitors that the same thing was about to happen. It didn’t, QPR went onto win the league, but Norwich did beat Rangers here thanks to a fabulous early strike from full back Russell Martin. QPR’s cause wasn’t helped by Matthew Connolly’s second sending off in as many visits to Norfolk for fouling Grant Holt as he ran through on goal but the R’s should have equalised late on when Patrick Agyemang hit the post with a header that should have been scored. Norwich were promoted in second behind QPR.
Norwich: Ruddy 7, R Martin 7, Nelson 6, Whitbread 6, Drury 6, Smith 7, Crofts 7, Hoolahan 8, C Martin 7, Holt 8, Wilbraham 6 (Gill 82,-)
Subs Not Used: Rudd, Jackson, Johnson, McNamee, Tudur Jones, Berthel Askou
Goals: R Martin 10 (assisted C Martin)
QPR: Kenny 8, Walker 6, Gorkss 6, Connolly 5, Hill 6 (Orr 46, 6), Derry 7, Faurlin 6, Clarke 4, Mackie 6, Taarabt 6 (Tofas 62, 6), Helguson 5 (Agyemang 46, 7)
Subs Not Used: Cerny, Rowlands, Hulse, Borrowdale
Sent Off: Connolly 51 (denying obvious goal scoring opportunity)
Booked: Hill (foul), Taarabt (foul)
Wes Hoolahan’s first half penalty miss was the headline of a goalless draw between these two sides at Loftus Road earlier in the season. The Irishman drilled a spot kick wide of Paddy Kenny’s left hand post midway through the first half after a theatrical fall by striker Grant Holt under meagre contact from Matt Connolly in the penalty area. In truth both teams seemed happy with a point from pretty early in the second half and a goalless draw was a fair result from a drab fixture.
QPR: Kenny 7, Walker 8, Connolly 8, Gorkss 8, Hill 7, Derry 6, Buzsaky 7 (Leigertwood 27, 4), Mackie 6, Taarabt 6 (Smith 76), Ephraim 5 (Agyemang 69, 5), Helguson 6
Subs Not Used: Cerny, Orr, Clarke, Faurlin
Booked: Derry (dissent), Mackie (foul)
Norwich: Ruddy 7, R Martin 7, Barnett 6, Ward 7, Drury 6 (Steven Smith 58, 6), Crofts 7, Hoolahan 5 (C Martin 69, 6), Smith 6, Lappin 6, Holt 7, Jackson 5
Subs Not Used: Rudd, Fox, Johnson, McNamee, Berthel Askou
Booked: Ward (foul), Barnett (impeding throw in), Lappin (foul)
Head to Head >>> Norwich wins 43 >>> Draws 33 >>> QPR wins 38
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
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
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 last season but left to join Leyton Orient prior to this season and has yet to score in 14 appearances for Russell Slade’s team.
Others >>> Lee Camp, QPR (loan) 2004, (loan) 2007, 2007-2009, Norwich (loan) 2006 >>> 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 >>> 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
Norwich 3 QPR 2, Saturday April 17, 1976, First Division
The consistency and ability of Neil Warnock’s team last season meant that Rangers were finally able to lift the silver jug as winners of the First Division for the first time in their history. That jug was once the prize for the champions of England before the breakaway Premier League was formed in 1992 and it’s rather ironic that we lifted it despite a New Year’s Day loss at Norwich because it was a heartbreaking defeat on that ground in 1976 that cost Rangers their only other chance of winning it and being crowned champions for the only time in their history.
In the 1975/76 season QPR had one of the best teams in the country. It was a glorious mixture of skill, ability, experience and guile; Parkes, Clement, Gillard, Hollins, McLintock, Webb, Thomas, Francis, Masson, Bowles and Givens with an honourable mention for Mick Leach. Rangers only used 17 players in the entire season but that was all they needed to set themselves up for a tilt at the title in the closing weeks of the season. Rangers had won six straight games, and won ten and drawn one of their previous 11, prior to a visit to Carrow Road here games before the end of the season. Win, and there would be only two more hurdles to clear before the league championship was presented at Loftus Road.
In true QPR style, they gifted Norwich a 3-2 win – their only defeat in the final 15 matches of the season but it cost them the title all the same. Norwich took a first half lead when Dave Clement’s weak back header to Phil Parkes was poked home by Ted MacDougall but an equaliser soon followed when Stan Bowles found Dave Thomas wide on the left and he superbly cut into the area past two opponents before firing home.
Even back then QPR were rather prone to the Lloyd Doyley effect – where players yet to score in a ridiculous number of games suddenly break their duck against Rangers – and they fell behind in the second half to a fabulous long range volley from Peter Morris, who scored just that one time in 66 appearances for the Canaries. Phil Parkes probably thought he’d done enough when he punched a corner a good 30 yards clear of his goal but Morris had other ideas and found the net from distance. When Norwich then made it three with a suspiciously offside looking goal the game, and the season, was up
Tony Powell lobbed a farcical own goal past his own keeper late on to halve the deficit but Rangers could not fight back. QPR beat Arsenal and then Leeds with goals from Bowles and Thomas sealing a 2-0 win in front of 31,002 in Shepherds Bush. Sadly, as we all know, Liverpool played Wolves in a game in hand some ten days later and scored three times in the final 15 minutes to snatch our title away from us.
QPR: Parkes, Clement, McLintock, Webb, Gillard, Thomas, Francis, Hollins, Givens, Bowles, Masson.
Links >>> Norwich 1 QPR 0 Match Report >>> Norwich 3 QPR 2 1976 Highlights >>> QPR 2 Norwich 0 1967 Highlights
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