Ash takes his usual look back at a classic meeting between Barnsley and QPR and players that have played for both clubs ahead of the match at Oakwell on Saturday.

Well that was much better wasn’t it? Ok it was another game where we’d feel like we could of taken maximum points from like Sheffield Wednesday and Charlton but a point away from a home against an in form team was a significant improved from the weekends events. And even better – no booing at our own players and manager! This Saturday Paulo Sousa takes his troops on the road once again to Yorkshire for an away day at Barnsley The Tykes are firmly involved in a battle at the bottom of the league, and are currently on a run of just one win in their last eight games, including defeats to fellow strugglers Southampton and Norwich. Although there are never any easy games in the Championship, with the R’s ever improving away form this should be a game where three points are well within our reach to boost our play-off hopes.

We first travelled up to Barnsley , for an FA Cup game in March 1910 suffering a 1-0 defeat. While last season Gigi De Canio’s R’s fought out an unmemorable 0-0 draw. These memories between this two are few and far between, Trev’s goal and Spencer’s hat-trick apart but let’s take a walk down the blue and white hooped path of memory lane and recall a win from the mid-nineties and a player to have donned both shirts.

Memorable Match
Barnsley 1-3 QPR
14 September 1996
Nationwide Division One
Rangers came into this match under the temporary charge of Frank Sibley, having sacked Ray Wilkins earlier that month. His run of just one win since the opening week of the season, which came off the back of the R’s relegation from the Premier League was enough to see his time in charge come to an end and Sibley took over the reigns for the game against Barnsley.

In contrast to Rangers’ fortunes, Danny Wilson’s side where enjoying a great start to the season, winning all five league games and went into the match top of the table. Strikers Clint Marcelle and Andy Liddell were in great form, with four goals apiece and would be the men Rangers would need to keep quiet.

QPR started the brighter, with Danny Dichio the sole frontman due to the crippling injury to Kevin Gallen that would keep him out for the rest of the season. After just two minutes Dichio had the ball in the net, when he a Paul Murray cross but the goal was ruled out for offside. Moments later though Sibley’s men did take the lead, star man Trevor Sinclair ploughed down the left flank and sent a cross into the box which was once again met by Dichio, who knocked the ball down to Simon Barker and the midfielder volleyed the ball past David Watson. 1-0 Rangers.

Barnsley then started to find their gears and tested Jurgen Sommer with a string of shots from outside box. But the American goalie and the R’s backline kept strong and just before half time they doubled their lead. Sinclair once again the provided as another one of his crosses was met by loanee Matt Jackson and his flick perfect for 17-year old debutant Mark Perry to net his first goal for the club.

Danny Wilson made changes at half-time in a bid to get back into the game but five minutes into the second half Rangers all but put the game to bed with a third goal. This time Andy Impey providing the cross for Murray ’s who’s shot was parried by Watson but straight into the path of Dichio and the R’s frontman reap the rewards.

Barnsley did pull back a goal late on through Paul Wilkinson but it was no avail and Rangers pulled off an unlikely victory.

Barnsley: Watson, Eaden, Appleby, Sheridan (Bullock 45), Davis, De Zeeuw, Marcelle, Redfearn, Wilkinson, Liddell (Regis 61), Thompson.
QPR: Sommer, Jackson, Brevett, Barker, McDonald, Yates (Maddix 56, Brazier 68) Murray, Perry, Dichio, Impey, Sinclair

Postscript: The defeat proved just a small knock-back for Barnsley as Danny Wilson’s men finished second to Bolton and were promoted to the Premier League for the first time in their history. Stewart Houston took over the reigns at Loftus Road and guided the team to ninth five points off the play-off places.

Connections
John Curtis
Barnsley (loan) 1999
QPR 2007
If there was ever an example of how far we have come in the last eighteen months then John Curtis could be it. As mentioned by Clive, when we signed Jordi Lopez last week, a player who has played for both Real Madrid and Barcelona there was barely a thread on the message board about it. Rewind a season or so and we were all discussing in great depth what a useful player Curtis could be. How wrong we were and how times have changed eh!?

Curtis began life in the famous Manchester United youth ranks and was part of the side that won the FA Youth Cup in 1995, a team that included Ronnie Wallwork and captained by Phil Neville. Much was expected of the versatile defender and two years later he made his first team bow for the Red Devils in a League Cup defeat to Ipswich. He would make a further 13 appearances over the next two campaigns but struggled to get a regular run in a team that was on its way to an unprecedented treble.

At the start of the 1999-00 season, Curtis joined First Division side Barnsley on loan to get regular first-team football just a week after playing against Lazio. At Oakwell, Curtis enjoyed a regular slot in the Barnsley back four for the whole campaign, including the two draws against the R’s as they Tykes made it all the way to Wembley, only to lose to Ipswich in the play-off final. He impressed so much that Graeme Souness signed the defender that summer for 150,000. It proved an astute buy, as Curtis was an almost ever-present as Rovers were promoted to the Premier League as runners-up. However an injury meant that Curtis missed most of the following season and by the time he was fit again, he struggled to regain his place in the Rovers side and was released at the end of his contract after a loan spell at Sheffield United. He then had spells with Leicester, Portsmouth and Preston without success before joining League One Nottingham Forest in 2005. It proved to be a decent move for Curtis and established himself as first choice right-back for Forest in their bid promotion back to the Championship. A bid that proved unsuccessful in both Curtis seasons at the City Ground and after tightening the purse strings at Forest , John was let go by the club.

The same day he was released, QPR manager John Gregory snapped the player-up and brought the defender to Loftus Road. It seemed like a good deal for both club and player, with Rangers struggling for money but needing reinforcements and Curtis getting the chance at a higher level once again. But despite an average debut in a 2-2 draw with Bristol City, he looked way out of his depth for next four games which all ended in resounding defeats, including the humiliating 5-1 defeat to WBA live infront of the Sky Cameras. After that game Gregory was sacked by Rangers brand new millionaire owners Flavio Briatore and Bernie Ecclestone and Curtis never played for Rangers again. His contract was paid up that December and after a number of unsuccessful trials he is currently on the books of Blue Square South side Worcester City . To think we are still complaining about Peter Ramage. Curtis unfortunately for him is a prime example of how far we’ve come as a club in a very short space of time.

Others:
Lew Clayton Barnsley 1948-50, QPR 1950-54. Now unknown
Malcolm Graham Barnsley 1954-59, 1964-65. Now unknown
Kevin Gallen 1992-2000, 2001-07, Barnsley 2001. Now with Luton
Mike Sheron QPR 1997-99, Barnelsy 1999-03. Now youth team manager at Bury
Chris Barker Barnsley 1998-2002, QPR 2007-08. Now at Plymouth
Leon Knight QPR (loan) 2001, Barnsley (loan) 2007. Now at Thrasyvoulos F.C.
Jamie Cureton QPR 2004-05, Barnsley (loan) 2008-09. Now at Norwich
Daniel Nardiello Barnsley 2004-07, 2008, QPR 2007-08. Now at Blackpool

Fans’ Memories
I remember dancing down the steps in the away end after Furs scored in injury time the year we drew 3-3. Was that the promotion year? As I remember Cureton missed more than one good chance and we should have won easily then they came back into very late and wossname who later signed for us scored a freekick over the wall to give them the lead. -Big Lebowski

Standing on the balcony near the turnstiles when Furlong equalised - we should have thumped them out of sight that day but Holloway did his 'what we have we hold' bit and almost cost us. Also being the old wooden side stand when Mark Perry (not dead by the way) scored and we won 3-1.-Northernr

Enfield jnr jnr's first ever live football match. We had Shittu on the pitch and Doudou on the bench. In the second half Doudou came on as sub so there was even more than one load of shittu on the pitch. Lost 1-0, Kevin Betsy scored. Think we had a load of Betty's out there that day. What a load of shittu. Won’t stop us going Saturday though. You RRRRRRRRRR's -Enfieldargh

Matthew Rose scoring his first ever Rangers goal there...I decided to run down the front of the stand...when I got back up there I got a severe telling off from a police officer as I had knocked a woman steward flying when I ran down! It is also the coldest i have ever been at a match, when we played there in December one year and the ground had no roof or back to it! Furs’ goal there will live long in the memory though! -Jawad

The "relegation" game LAST SEASON?? YEAR BEFORE? Anyway ref was a local, it was freezing so a few of us went topless, lost to two late goals in controversy. Not a good ground for us...we nearly blew that 3-3 game. Watch the vid, a steward attacks Bircham for celebrating. -themodfather

This will be my fourth game in a row to Barnsley, its becoming something of a tradition now for me and me old man. The 3-3 game was my first at Oakwell, and as said above we should have battered them that day, I wont usually criticise Holloway, but he got it badly wrong that day going defensive when we were 2-1 up and all over them. Also, everytime we go Barnsley we seem to get closer. The first time we parked about a 10 minute walk away, the 2nd for that freezing relegation match we were at the top of the hill, last year we parked halfway down the hill to Oakwell. Going by that I am predicting we are parked somewhere near the tunnel area this year. -MrFoxy

To add your memories to this article e-mail us loftforwords@yahoo.co.uk, use the commenting facility below or post on the message board thread.

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