As QPR and Everton prepare for a crunch Premiership game at Loftus Road LFW looks back at a memorable meeting from 1987 and one of the club’s greatest ever players.
Everton 0 QPR 1, Saturday August 20, 2011, Premiership
After a 4-0 opening day defeat at home to Bolton nobody gave QPR much of a prayer in their first away game at Goodison Park back in August. Because of the previous week’s riots that saw Everton’s opener against Spurs postponed this was actually the Toffees’ first match of the season but they were stunned by Neil Warnock’s QPR side that launched a trademark smash and grab raid on a ground that they have always enjoyed visiting in the Premiership era. Tommy Smith got the only goal of the game in the first half, finishing nicely after Akos Buzsaky found him in the area intelligently, and although Tim Cahill missed an absolute sitter and Leighton Baines hit the bar with a free kick the Londoners held on for their first win of the Premiership season.
Everton: Howard 6, Neville 6, Jagielka 6, Distin 6, Baines 7, Barkley 7, Heitinga 6 (Saha 74, 6), Rodwell 5 (Arteta 54, 5), Osman 6, Cahill 6, Beckford 4 (Fellaini 63, 5)
Subs Not Used: Mucha, Hibbert, Vellios, Anichebe
Booked: Osman (foul)
QPR: Kenny 8, Orr 7, Hall 7, Gabbidon 7, Connolly 7, Derry 8, Faurlin 7, Smith 7 (Ephraim 66, 7), Buzsaky 7, Taarabt 6, Agyemang 5 (Bothroyd 55, 8)
Subs Not Used: Murphy, Gorkss, Perone, Moen, Andrade
Booked: Hall (foul)
Goals: Smith 31 (assisted Buzsaky)
QPR 3 Everton 1, Monday April 8, 1996, Premiership
When these sides last met at Loftus Road it was an Easter Monday fixture in the 1995/96 season. QPR would finish that campaign in the bottom three having started a rally of results, particularly at home, just too late. Everton were one off three sides suddenly beaten with some ease by QPR in W12, Southampton and West Ham would follow, but it wasn’t enough to keep the R’s up. In this game Kevin Gallen, Mark Hateley and Andy Impey scored the goals for Rangers who won 3-1 despite not forcing a corner in the entire game. John Ebbrell scored for Everton, then managed by Joe Royle.
QPR: Sommer, Bardsley, McDonald, Yates, Brevett, Impey, Holloway, Wilkins, Sinclair, Gallen, Hateley
Subs not used: Ready, Brazier, Dichio
Goals: Gallen, Hateley, Impey
Everton: Southall, Unsworth (Short 63), Watson, Horne (Grant 73), Parkinson, Holcrft, Ebbrell, Kanchelskis, Ferguson, Limpar (Branch 46), Hottinger
Goals: Ebbrell
Head to Head >>> QPR wins 15 >>> Draws 10 >>> Everton wins 20
2011/12 Everton 0 QPR 1 (Smith)
1995/96 QPR 3 Everton 1 (Gallen, Hateley, Impey)
1995/96 Everton 2 QPR 0
1994/95 QPR 2 Everton 3 (Gallen, Ferdinand)
1994/95 Everton 2 QPR 2 (Ferdinand 2)
1993/94 QPR 2 Everton 1 (White, Ferdinand)
1993/94 Everton 0 QPR 3 (Allen 3)
1992/93 Everton 3 QPR 5 (Ferdinand 3, Impey, Bardsley)
1992/93 QPR 4 Everton 2 (Sinton 3, Penrice)
1991/92 Everton 0 QPR 0
1991/92 QPR 3 Everton 1 (Barker 2, Bailey)
1990/91 QPR 1 Everton 1 (Wegerle)
1990/91 Everton 3 QPR 0
1989/90 Everton 1 QPR 0
1989/90 QPR 1 Everton 0 (Sinton)
1988/89 Everton 4 QPR 1 (Falco)
1988/89 QPR 0 Everton 0
1987/88 Everton 2 QPR 0
1987/88 QPR 1 Everton 0 (M Allen)
1986/87 QPR 0 Everton 1
1986/87 Everton 0 QPR 0
1985/86 Everton 4 QPR 3 (Bannister 2, Byrne)
1985/86 QPR 3 Everton 0 (Bannister 2, Byrne)
1984/85 Everton 2 QPR 0
1984/85 QPR 0 Everton 0
1983/84 Everton 3 QPR 1 (Mickelwhite)
1983/84 QPR 2 Everton 0 (Charles 2)
1978/79 Everton 2 QPR 1 (Goddard)
1978/79 QPR 1 Everton 1 (Gillard)
1977/78 Everton 3 QPR 3 (Shanks, Hollins, Howe)
1977/78 QPR 1 Everton 5 (Eastoe)
1976/77 Everton 1 QPR 3 (Leach, Masson, Bowles)
1976/77 QPR 0 Everton 4
1975/76 Everton 0 QPR 2 (Bowles, Leach)
1975/76 QPR 5 Everton 0 (Francis 2, Givens, Masson, Thomas)
1974/75 Everton 2 QPR 1 (Givens)
1974/75 QPR 2 Everton 2 (Givens, Busby)
1973/74 QPR 1 Everton 0 (Givens)
1973/74 Everton 1 QPR 0
1968/69 QPR 0 Everton 1
1968/69 Everton 4 QPR 0
1951/52 Everton 3 QPR 0
1951/52 QPR 4 Everton 4 (Shepherd 2, Waugh, Gilberg)
1949/50 QPR 0 Everton 2*
1914/15 QPR 1 Everton 2* (Birch)
* - FA Cup
Dave Thomas was an unprecedented piece of business for Second Division QPR when he arrived for a fee of £165k in 1972 – a record fee for the division at that time. The young winger, famed for tearing up and down the sideline and riding some horror tackles with his socks rolled down to his ankles and no shin pads, was the league’s hottest property and Burnley were QPR’s big rivals for promotion that year. He’d become Burnley’s youngest ever player when he made his debut and manager Gordon Jago knew exactly what he was getting and the side was promoted that year with something to spare.
In the First Division, under first Jago and later Dave Sexton, Thomas absolutely excelled and won eight England caps. He played in the great QPR side of 1976 that was so heartbreakingly pipped to the title by a single point by Liverpool. In total he managed 220 appearances and 33 goals for the R’s.
After missing out on the title the side began to break up, and QPR were actually relegated three seasons later. After 220 senior appearances for Rangers and 33 goals he moved back to Lancashire with Everton for £200k in the summer of 1977.
In 1977/78 he helped Latchford reach 30 goals with many assists, including two for his four goals at Loftus Road in a 5-1 wn. He had brief spells with Vancouver Whitecaps, Middlesbrough and Portsmouth as his career wound down in the 1980s and then worked as a PE teacher in Chichester before retiring. He was one of the QPR players featured on Sky’s Time of Our Lives documentary on the club that aired last year.
Others >>> Kevin McLeod, Everton 2000-2003, QPR 2003-2005 >>> John Spencer, QPR 1996-1998, Everton 1998-1999 >>> Matt Jackson, Everton 1991-1996, QPR (loan) 1996 >>> Kenny Sansom, QPR 1989-1991, Everton 1993 >>> Peter Reid, Everton 1982-1989, QPR 1989-1990 >>> Andy King, Everton 1976-1980, QPR 1980-1981 >>> Peter Eastoe, QPR 1976-1979, Everton 1979-1982 >>> Mickey Walsh, Everton 1978, QPR 1978-1981
QPR 1 Everton 0, Tuesday September 2, 1987/88, First Division
When QPR were sweeping all before them in the Championship last season club records tumbled by the week. A 19 match unbeaten start to the season by Neil Warnock’s team was the best since 1987/88 when they won six and drew one of their first seven matches. The fifth match in that run was a midweek home game against Everton, a team with two recent league titles under its belt.
Everton had recently promoted former player Colin Harvey into their managerial hot seat. He’d been assistant to Howard Kendall through the early part of the decade during which the Toffees had won two league championships, the FA Cup and the Cup Winners Cup. Kendall, frustrated by the ban on English clubs in Europe at the time, had left to manage Athletic Bilbao. Harvey would lead Everton to fourth, eighth and sixth during his three seasons in charge but he came a cropper on a sweltering night at Loftus Road early in his reign.
In front of England manager Bobby Robson and a packed Loftus Road crowd Rangers kicked towards the Loft End in the first half and scored the decisive goal midway through the period. Central midfielder Martin Allen clearly brought a loose ball down on the edge of the area with his arm but after being allowed to play on he then produced a stunning finish from long range into the back of Bobby Mimms’ net.
Kevin Brock tried his luck from similar range in the second half but found Mimms in better form and although Everton pressed for an equaliser late on a young David Seaman was in fine form at the other end to keep them at bay. Brock would later follow the Rangers’ manager at the time Jim Smith to Newcastle. The defeat was Harvey’s first as Everton boss and lifted QPR to the top of the First Division. The R’s won five of their next seven but then went on a run of nine games without a win and eventually finished fifth with Everton in fourth. Liverpool won the title, nine points ahead of Man Utd.
QPR: Seaman, Fereday, Fenwick, Parker, McDonald, Dawes, Allen, Brock, Byrne, Coney, Bannister
Highlights >>> Everton 0 QPR 3, 93/94 >>> Everton 3 QPR 5, 92/93 >>> QPR 4 Everton 2, 92/93 >>> QPR 1 Everton 0, 87/88 >>> Everton 2 QPR 0, 84/85 >>> QPR 0 Everton 0, 84/85 >>> QPR 1 Everton 5, 77/78 >>> QPR 5 Everton 0, 75/76 >>> Everton 0 QPR 2, 75/76 Tweet @loftforwords
Pictures – Action Images