An entertaining game from Paulo Sousa’s reign as QPR manager is memorable in and of itself, but Dexter Blackstock’s late Loft End winner after a double from Heidar Helguson against Preston in December 2008 made it especially so.

Memorable Match

QPR 3 Preston 2, Saturday December 20, 2008, Championship

Paulo Sousa’s brief reign as QPR manager rarely brought the storms and fiery arguments going on in the background onto the pitch.

Iain Dowie had started the 2008/09 season in charge of QPR and big things were expected of the team in its first full season under Flavio Briatore and Bernie Ecclestone’s ownership. The billionaires had taken over stricken Rangers midway through the season before when rock bottom of the Championship, furnished the side with some January signings and successfully survived in the Championship under Luigi De Canio.

The Italian left that summer to be replaced by Dowie and an eclectic transfer window saw the likes of Emmanuel Ledesma and Sam Di Carmine arrive via Briatore’s contacts in Italy, and Dani Parejo was signed on loan from Real Madrid. Rather a strange experience watching that little lot play against Doncaster Rovers in game three, just a year on from starting league games with John Curtis at right back.

Dowie actually won seven of his first ten games and by mid-October Rangers were nicely set with five league wins, two draws and four defeats along with progress to a League Cup fourth round tie at Manchester United having beaten Premier League Aston Villa. But Flavio didn’t like him, or his football, infamously branding him a “hooligan” on The Four Year Plan documentary and so he was dismissed after a 0-0 midweeker at Swansea where the hosts played for an hour with no goalkeeper.

Sousa was the high profile appointment chosen after a Gareth Ainsworth caretaker spell that featured the famous 1-0 home win against Birmingham in the snow and the Cardiff victory where Flavio was filmed directing substitutions from the directors box.

Results, though, were patchy. Rangers lost the Portuguese’s first game at Watford 3-0. Clashes with ownership were frequent, and the relationship with sporting director Gianni Paladini was toxic. Daily rumours and leaks spilled onto the We Are The Rangers Boys message board. On the pitch, there was no such excitement. There were occasional highlights, like Martin Rowlands’ thunderbolt to knock over Wolves live on Sky, but Rangers were staid and boring under Sousa’s mentorship. Far too many 0-0s and 1-0s either way, far too much Sam Di Carmine playing up front by himself. From Boxing Day to March 14 Rangers won two of 16 games, failing to score in eight of those games and managing one goal in four of the others.

Against Preston at home though, just before Christmas, things did briefly click in the Rangers’ attack and the game blossomed into a real cliffhanger.

Lee Cook was the first to test Andy Lonergan in the visiting goal with a long range strike, Patrick Agyemang somehow contrived to miss an absolute sitter on the rebound after the keeper parried. From the resulting corner, however, Cook received the ball short and bent in one of his trademark left footed crosses for new signing Heidar Helguson to stride onto and head in his first goal for the club at Loftus Road having opened his account at Plymouth the week before.

A typically powerful header from Helguson that one, but anything he could do it seemed Preston could match because almost immediately at the other end Paul McKenna stood a ball up towards the back post and Chris Sedgwick attacked it over the top of Damien Delaney, arcing a beautifully angled and curling header of his own into the far corner of the net for 1-1.

Rangers retook the lead before half time when another left wing corner was this time headed down by Damion Stewart sparking an almighty scramble in the goalmouth from which Helguson was able to convert a second from close range. But, again, Preston roared back to equalise on the hour after Radek Cerny was very harshly adjudged to have brought Ross Wallace down in the box and Callum Davidson smashed home the resulting penalty in trademark style.

That set up a grandstand finish. Dexter Blackstock didn’t often get a look in under Sousa’s management, and his eventual loan to Nottingham Forest produced the argument that broke the camel’s back and saw the former Juventus man fired before the end of the season, but having brought him off the bench here he was rewarded with a winner four minutes from time. Rowlands’ dead ball delivery from the left was perfect as always, and Blackstock rose highest amidst a crowdscene to glance a header over Lonergan and into the top corner of the Loft End net.

QPR: Cerny 6, Delaney 4 (Hall 80, 6), Stewart 7, Ramage 7 (Blackstock 80, 8), Gorkss 7, Ephraim 7, Rowlands 7, Mahon 4 (Leigertwood 62, 6), Cook 8, Agyemang 7, Helguson 8

Subs Not Used: Ledesma, Di Carmine

Booked: Delaney (foul)

Goals: Helguson 16 (assisted Cook), 34 (assisted Stewart), Blackstock 86 (assisted Rowlands)

Preston: Lonergan 6, Davidson 7, Mawene 5, St. Ledger 5, Nolan 7, Nicholson 6, Sedgwick 7 (Whaley 90, -), McKenna 7, Wallace 8, Parkin 7, Chris Brown 7

Subs Not Used: Neal, Hawley, Carter, Jones

Booked: Sedgwick (foul)

Goals: Sedgwick 28 (assisted McKenna), Davidson 60 (penalty)

Classic encounters

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 three recent meetings with Preston are embedded below, give him a subscribe on YouTube or follow @QPR_Memories on Twitter.

Recent Meetings:

Preston 1 QPR 2, Friday April 18, 2025, Championship

QPR delivered a second last minute heartbreak to Preston in the 2024/25 season, and won for the final time under Marti Cifuentes, at Deepdale on Good Friday. It certainly didn’t look on the cards when Liam Lindsay gave the hosts the lead just before half time but Cifuentes’ second half subs swung the game in his team’s favour. One of them, Michi Frey, smashed in a forceful equaliser with ten minutes remaining. Then, when Frokjaer-Jensen inexplicably passed him the ball on the edge of the Preston box, Lucas Andersen launched a fierce shot into the top corner to win the game with virtually the last kick right in front of the jubilant Rangers following.

PNE: Cornell 6; Storey 5, Lindsay 6, Hughes 5; Whiteman 5; Kesler-Hayden 5, Greenwood 4 (Riis 75, 4), Thordarson 6 (Keane 85, -), Brady 5; Osmajic 5, Frokjaer-Jensen 4

Subs not used: Evans, Carroll, Gibson, Mawene, Meghoma, Porteous, Stowell

Goals: Lindsay 45+5 (assisted Brady)

Yellow Cards: Whiteman 52 (foul)

QPR: Nardi 6; Dunne 6, Morrison 6, Edwards 7, Ashby 6 (Frey 74, 7); Varane 7, Colback 7; Dembele 5 (Smyth 46, 6), Madsen 6 (Andersen 75, 7), Saito 6 (Kolli 40, 7); Min-Hyeok 6 (Paal 66, 6)

Subs not used: Fox, Bennie, Morgan, Walsh

Goals: Frey 80 (unassisted), Andersen 90+3 (unassisted)

Yellow Cards: Kolli 48 (not much), Ashby 70 (dissent)

QPR 2 Preston 1, Saturday December 20, 2024, Championship

QPR recovered from the first half double whammy of losing captain Steve Cook and conceding the opening goal in the same incident to win their final home game before Christmas in the first meeting that season. Steve Cook’s exploding foot let Osmajic in for an empty net first goal that looked terminal for the R’s with in form Cook carried from the field. Rayan Kolli smashed in an equaliser after half time to bring the crowd into it. Jimmy Dunne, at the apex of the peak of his winter form, got on the end of a back post cross with a full-length diving header to win the game at the Loft End.

QPR: Nardi 6; Dunne 8, Cook 6 (Fox 24, 6), Morrison 7, Paal 6 (Clake-Salter 90+1, -); Field 6, Varane 7, Morgan 7; Smyth 7 (Bennie 90+1, -), Kolli 6 (Frey 62, 6), Saito 6 (Chair 63, 6)

Subs not used: Dixon-Bonner, Madsen, Andersen, Walsh

Goals: Kolli 50 (assisted Smyth), Dunne 90 (assisted Chair)

Yellow Cards; Dunne 90 (over celebrating)

PNE: Woodman 7; Storey 6, Whatmough 5 (Holmes 55, 5), Lindsay 4; Potts 5 (Brady 46, 4), McCann 5, Thordarson 5, Kesler-Hayden 6; Greenwood 5 (Keane 64, 5), Osmajic 6 (Riis 64, 5), Frokjaer-Jensen 5 (Okkels 75, 5)

Subs not used; Bauer, Cornell, Ledson, Whiteman

Goals: Osmajic 21 (assisted Lindsay)

Red Cards: Lindsay 82 (two bookings)

Yellow Cards: Lindsay 32 (foul), Lindsay 82 (foul)

QPR 1 Preston 0, Saturday April 20, 2024, Championship

QPR took a giant leap towards securing their Championship status for another year with a 1-0 home win against Preston in late April 2024. The televised Saturday evening clash as settled by a rare Lyndon Dykes goal, scored into an empty net after visiting goalkeeper Freddie Woodman dropped a cross into his path. Jake Clarke-Salter was outstanding in the rearguard action which followed and there was a 4-0 win against Leeds to come later in the week which sealed Marti Cifuentes’ survival mission.

QPR: Begovic 7; Dunne 7, Cook 7, Clarke-Salter 9, Paal 5 (Fox 84, -); Field 7, Colback 7; Chair 6 (Hayden 90+1, -), Andersen 5 (Smyth 68, 6), Willock 7; Dykes 7 (Armstrong 90+1, -)

Subs Not Used: Hodge, Dixon-Bonner, Cannon, Larkeche, Walsh

Goals: Dykes 20 (assisted Willock)

Yellow Cards: Colback 36 (delaying restart), Dykes 87 (fighting)

PNE: Woodman 3; Storey 5, Linday 6, Hughes 6; Millar 7, Browne 6, Ledson 6, Brady 6 (Holmes 79, 5); Woodburn 5 (Frokjaer 67, 6), Riis 6 (Stewart 67, 5), Keane 5 (Osmajic 79, 6)

Subs not used: Cunningham, Evans, Whatmough, Mawene

Yellow Cards: Brady 58 (repetitive fouling), Ledson 68 (foul), Hughes 76 (foul), Storey 87 (fighting)

Preston 0 QPR 2, Friday December 1, 2023, Championship

QPR made it two wins in a week after two in the previous six months on a frozen Friday night at Deepdale. On a pitch that almost certainly would have been judged unplayable had Sky Sports not been in town, an uneventful first half no doubt thrilled the viewers at home. The surprise decision to leave Ilias Chair out of the starting 11 paid dividends, with Chair introduced after half time with a point to prove. He pulled all the strings coming in off the left and supplied two goals – first for Paul Smyth, bundling in from close range, and then right at the death for Chris Willock closing in at the back post on a low cross.

PNE: Woodman 6; Ramsay 3 (Stewart 87, -), Storey 5, Lindsay 5, Hughes 4; Whiteman 6 (McCann 73, 5), Browne 5; Holmes 3, Keane 4 (Millar 46, 5), Frokjaer 5 (Woodburn 73, 4); Evans 4

Subs not used: Cunningham, Brady, Ledson, Cornell, Best

Bookings: Woodburn 90+3 (foul)

QPR: Begovic 6; Cannon 6 (Kakay 65, 6), Dunne 6, Clarke-Salter 7, Paal 7; Colback 5 (Chair 46, 8), Field 6, Dozzell 7 (Larkeche 79, 7); Willock 7 (Kelman 90+2, -), Dykes 7, Smyth 7 (Dixon-Bonner 65, 7)

Subs not used: Cook, Archer, Duke-McKenna, Drewe

Goals: Smyth 55 (assisted Chair), Willock 87 (assisted Chair)

Bookings: Dykes 22 (foul)

QPR 0 Preston 2, Friday April 7, 2023, Championship

Things turned toxic at Loftus Road as QPR’s unprecedented 22/23 tank from top to bottom of the Championship started to really feel like it could end in relegation for the first time on Good Friday. Ilias Chair’s horrible miss when through on goal in the first half set up a second in which a variety of defensive calamities, often involving the returning Leon Balogun, set Everton loanee Tommy Cannon away for an embarrassingly easy double. In fairness, Troy Parrott should really have scored in the first half when Balogun put him clean through by falling over the ball in the centre circle. Balogun had summoned a group of critics from the support base to the training ground to explain his actions after the defeat at Wigan the week before and deny their assertions that he was just marking time before going back to Rangers with Mick Beale. Oh how we laughed.

QPR: Dieng 5; Laird 3 (Adomah 67, 3), Dickie 3, Balogun 2, Dunne 2, Paal 3 (Lowe 67, 3); Johansen 2 (Amos 74, 3), Field 3; Chair 3, Willock 3, Dykes 4 (Martin 80, -)

Subs not used: Archer, Dozzell, somebody called Richards it says here

PNE: Woodman N/A, Storey 6, Lindsay 6, Hughes 6; Potts 6, Browne 7 (Onomah 45+2, 7), Johnson 7 (Ledson 88, -), Whiteman 8, Brady 7 (Fernandez 80, -); Cannon 8, Parrott 6 (Woodburn 80, -)

Subs not used: Diaby, Cornell, Slater

Goals: Cannon 59 (assisted Brady), 63 (assisted Onomah)

Preston 0 QPR 1, Saturday December 17, 2022, Championship

QPR won for the first, and as it would turn out only, time in the Neil Critchley era at Deepdale in December 2022. Rangers were oddly impressive in the first half, with three midfielders pressing high and hard behind lone striker Lyndon Dykes, and the stand out player on the day Tim Iroegbunam went closest to scoring with a long range shot off the inside of the post. He, Andre Dozzell, Sam Field and Dykes all could/should have scored in a very positive first half. That pressure paid off when Jimmy Dunne headed the game’s only goal from a second half corner, and although the hosts fought back hard and forced, going close on several occasions and drawing a brilliant late save from Seny Dieng, the R’s held on for what felt like a direction-changing victory.

PNE: Woodman 6; Storey 5, Lindsay 5, Cunningham 5 (O’Neill 86, -); Potts 4 (Diaby 90, -), Whiteman 6, Ledson 5 (Cross-Adair 68, 5), Fernandez 7; Johnson 6, Woodburn 5, Evans 6

Subs not used: Bauer, Cornell University, Slater, Mawene

Bookings: Lindsay 74 (handball)

QPR: Dieng 7; Laird 7, Dunne 7, Clarke-Salter 7, Paal 7; Dozzell 6 (Dickie 90+2, -), Field 7, Iroegbunam 7; Adomah 7, Dykes 7, Willock 6 (Shodipo 78, 6)

Subs not used: Kakay, Thomas, Archer, Richards, Armstrong

Goals: Dunne 58 (assisted Paal)

Bookings: Dozzell 2 (foul), Dykes 27 (repetitive fouling), Dieng 77 (time wasting)

Preston 2 QPR 1, Saturday April 9, 2022, Championship

QPR’s 2021/22 collapse continued in early April at Preston despite an improved performance. The R’s lost their fourth senior goalkeeper in as many months when Keiren Westwood pulled out in the warmup using young Murphy Mahoney facing a first team debut with no notice. He did himself proud, but unfortunately Daniel Iversen was in flying form at the other end to keep QPR’s efforts at bay. The R’s then conceded immediately before and after half time with defensively limp efforts allowing the home front pairing Riis and Archer to net game killing goals. Andre Gray pulled back a consolation in stoppage time from the penalty spot.

PNE: Iversen 8; McCann 6, van den Berg 7, Bauer 6, Hughes 6, Cunningham 6 (Murphy 70, 6); Whiteman 7, Browne 6, Johnson 6; Archer 7 (O’Neill 90, -), Riis 6 (Maguire 45+1, 6)

Subs not used: Rafferty, Ripley, Sinclair, Diaby

Goals: Riis 42 (assisted Hughes), Archer 50 (assisted Johnson)

QPR: Mahoney 7; Odubajo 6, Dunne 5, Sanderson 6, McCallum 5; Field 6, Dozzell 5, Amos 5 (Thomas 57, 5), Johansen 5; Chair 6 (Gray 69, 5), Dykes 5 (Austin 68, 5)

Subs not used: Kakay, Ball, Adomah

Goals: Gray 90+3 (penalty, won Field)

Bookings: Field 85 (foul)

QPR 3 Preston 2, Saturday October 2, 2021, Championship

Preston’s annual attempt to shithouse a result out of Queens Park Rangers came unstuck at Loftus Road in early October, 2021. Rangers cleared the first hurdle by taking the lead in the game when Seny Dieng’s quick release set Ilias Chair away for an 80-yard dash that finished with Lyndon Dykes poking home an opener. They then, however, committed the cardinal sin of falling behind to North End with Riis making the most of some shambolic defending to equalise before half time and Earl making it 2-1 within seconds of the restart. And so began the usual farcical theatrics and referee baiting from Maguire and co to try and see the game out. Lyndon Dykes had an equaliser of his own harshly disallowed for offside before Jimmy Dunne bundled in a leveller from an Ilias Chair free kick. With the visitors reeling and appealing for all sorts of nonsense, referee Jeremy Simpson allowed Dykes to hassle Cunningham running back towards his own goal and although Charlie Austin’s shot was blocked Chair followed up with a memorable winner.

QPR: Dieng 5; Odubajo 5, Dickie 7, Dunne 7, Barbet 6, Willock 6 (De Wijs 80, 6); Ball 6, Johansen 6 (Amos 69, 7), Chair 8; Dykes 8, Gray 5 (Austin 69, 7)

Subs not used: Kakay, Archer, Dozzell, Adomah

Goals: Dykes 17 (assisted Gray), Dunne 71 (assisted Chair), Chair 74 (assisted Dykes)

Bookings: Amos 90+5 (foul)

PNE: Iversen 6; van den Berg 6, Storey 6, Bauer 6 (Lindsay 45, 4), Cunningham 5, Earl 7; McCann 5 (Browne 25, 6), Ledson 7, Johnson 7; Riis 6, Maguire 7 (Potts 73, 4)

Subs not used: Rudd, Whiteman, Sinclair, Murphy

Goals: Riis 27 (assisted Maguire), Earl 46 (assisted Maguire)

Preston 0 QPR 0, Wednesday February 24, 2021, Championship

Anthony Gordon’s twentieth birthday.

PNE: Iversen 7; van den Berg 7, Storey 6, Hughes 6, Cunningham 0; Browne 6, Whiteman 7; Sinclair 5, Potts 6 (Johnson 87, -), Gordon 20 (Barkhuizen 80, -); Evans 6 (Jakobsen 87, -)

Subs not used: Bayliss, Rafferty, Molumby, Huntington, Ripley, Rodwell-Grant

QPR: Dieng 7; Dickie 6, Cameron 6, Barbet 6; Kane 5, Ball 7, Johansen 6 (Field 78, 6), Chair 6, Wallace 6; Dykes 5 (Willock 67, 6), Austin 6 (Bonne 78, 6)

Subs not used: Lumley, Kakay, Hämäläinen, Kelman, Adomah

Bookings: Johansen 70 (foul), Dickie 72 (foul)

QPR 0 Preston 2, Wednesday October 21, 2020, Championship

Rangers were soundly beaten by Preston in the first meeting between the sides at Loftus Road back in October, 2020 - one of the R’s worst performances of the season. Both goals were penalties, both conceded by Lee Wallace, the first for a trip on Scott Sinclair coolly converted by Daniel Johnson, the second for a clumsy foul on Jakobsen which Sinclair took the responsibility for himself.

QPR: Dieng 6; Kakay 5, Dickie 5, Barbet 4, Wallace 3; Cameron 4, Ball 4 (Adomah 57, 6); Osayi-Samuel 5, Chair 5 (Willock 71, 6), Carroll 5; Bonne 5

Subs not used: Kane, Masterson, Hamalainen, Bettache, Kelly

PNE: Rudd 6; Rafferty 6, Bauer 7, Storey 7, Hughes 7; Browne 7, Ledson 8; Sinclair 7 (Stockley 90+1, -), Johnson 8 (Barkhuizen 73, 6), Potts 7; Jakobsen 8 (Maguire 84, -)

Subs not used: Harrup, Gallagher, Huntington, Ripley

Goals: Johnson 24 (penalty, won Sinclair), Sinclair 60 (penalty, won Jakobsen)

Bookings: Ledson 15 (foul)

Preston 1 QPR 3, Saturday March 7, 2020, Championship

QPR won the final match played before the Covid-19 lockdown on a traditionally unhappy hunting ground at Deepdale. A poor first half performance saw them go in one behind at the break thanks to Marc Pugh’s lazy tackle on Darnell Fisher which wrought a nineteenth minute penalty converted by Daniel Johnson. The second half was a different story however, quickly levelled up by Grant Hall with his final act for the club and then won with spectacular goals by Ryan Manning and Ebere Eze despite Geoff Cameron being sent off with the score still at 1-1.

PNE: Rudd 6; Fisher 5, Davies 6, Bauer 6, Hughes 5; Gallagher 5 (Stockley 73, 5), Harrop 5 (Ledson 81, -), Johnson 5, Barkhuizen 5 (Sinclair 81, -); Maguire 7.

Subs not used: Rafferty, Huntington, Ripley, Nugent

Goals: Johnson 19 (penalty, won Fisher)

Bookings: Gallagher 44 (foul), Davies 61 (foul)

QPR: Kelly 6; Rangel 7, Hall 8, Barbet 7, Manning 6; Ball 6 (Amos 46, 7), Cameron 6; Pugh 4 (Chair 46, 7), Eze 8, Osayi-Samuel 8; Hugill 7

Subs not used: Lumley, Clarke, Kane, Shodipo, Oteh

Red Cards: Cameron 67 (two yellows)

Bookings: Cameron 56 (foul), Cameron 67 (foul), Amos 83 (foul)

QPR 2 Preston 0, Saturday December 7, 2019, Championship

QPR secured their first clean sheet of the season, and a rare win against Preston, when these sides met at Loftus Road at the start of December 2019. Ebere Eze got the ball rolling with an emphatic finish at the second attempt down at the School End after Geoff Cameron had chipped him in. He made it two from the spot in the second half after Marc Pugh was adjudged to have been taken out by visiting keeper Declan Rudd — a decision PNE protested vehemently.

QPR: Lumley 7; Kane 7, Leistner 8, Hall 7, Manning 7; Cameron 7; Osayi-Samuel 8, Eze 8 (Amos 87, -), Pugh 7; Hugill 7, Wells 7 (Scowen 68, 6)

Subs not used: Wallace, Barnes, Smith, Ball, Chair

Goals: Eze 17 (assisted Cameron), 67 (penalty, won Pugh)

Bookings: Scowen 79 (foul), Osayi-Samuel 90 (foul)

Preston: Rudd 6; Rafferty 5, Huntington 6, Storey 6, Hughes 5; Pearson 5, Browne 6; Barkhuizen 6 (Nugent 62, 4), Potts 5 (Harrop 66, 5), Maguire 6; Stockley 6 (Bodin 57, 5)

Bookings: Rudd 65 (foul, penalty concession), Bodin 90+2 (foul)

QPR 1 Preston 4, Saturday January 19, 2019, Championship

QPR’s 2018/19 campaign really started to unravel in earnest when Preston came to Loftus Road in January. Joe Lumley and Josh Scowen’s doomed play-out-from-the back routine created a first half goal for Jayden Stockley and the defence folded altogether in the second period, caught out by two set pieces flicked on at the near post for first Storey and then Browne to make it 2-0 and 3-0. Matt Smith got a consolation goal at the Loft End with time running down but there was a further kick in the teeth to come as Potts returned a Joe Lumley parry into the far corner for a 4-1 away win.

QPR: Lumley 4; Furlong 5, Leistner 5, Lynch 5, Bidwell 5; Scowen 4, Cousins 4 (Smith 46, 5); Wszolek 5 (Osayi-Samuel 76, 5), Eze 5 (Smyth 85, -), Freeman 5; Wells 5

Subs not used: Ingram, Hall, Manning, Oteh

Goals: Smith 84 (assisted Bidwell)

Bookings: Scowen 9 (foul), Furlong 90+2 (foul), Lynch 90+3 (foul)

Preston: Rudd 6; Fisher 7, Storey 8, Davies 7, Hughes 7; Pearson 8; Gallagher 7, Browne 8, Maguire 8 (Barkhuizen 68, 7), Potts 8; Stockley 7 (Nmecha 77, 6)

Subs not used: Johnson, Woods, Ledson, Huntington, Ripley

Goals: Stockley 14 (assisted Browne), Storey 68 (assisted Davies), Browne 82 (assisted Storey), Potts 87 (assisted Nmecha)

Bookings: Maguire 23 (foul), Fisher 90+5 (foul)

Preston 1 QPR 0, Saturday August 4, 2018, Championship

QPR got their annual niggly, frustrating, irritating single goal defeat at Deepdale in early that season, losing 1-0 in Lancashire in the opening day of the season. Alan Browne’s looping header catching Matt Ingram out five minutes after half time was enough to settle a dire game, though substitute Idrissa Sylla drew a brilliant save from Declan Rudd in front of the away fans in injury time.

PNE: Rudd 7; Fisher 6, Clarke 6, Davies 6, Hughes 6; Pearson 8, Browne 7; Barkhuizen 7 (Horgan 71, 6), Harrop 6 (Ledson 83, -), Robinson 7; Moult 6 (Gallagher 77, 6)

Subs not used: Woods, Burke, Maxwell, Huntington

Goals: Browne 50 (assisted Harrop)

QPR: Ingram 5; Kakay 6, Leistner 7, Lynch 6, Bidwell 5; Scowen 6, Luongo 6 (Smyth 66, 6); Osayi-Samuel 5 (Manning 46, 6), Eze 6, Freeman 5; Smith 4 (Sylla 77, 5)

Subs not used: Cousins, Washington, Lumley, Baptiste

Yellow Cards: Manning 66 (foul), Scowen 73 (foul)

Previous Results

Head to Head >>> QPR wins 18 >>> Draws 17 >>> Preston wins 20

2024/25 Preston 1 QPR 2 (Frey, Andersen)

2024/25 QPR 2 Preston 1 (Kolli, Dunne)

2023/24 QPR 1 Preston 0 (Dykes)

2023/24 Preston 0 QPR 2 (Smyth, Willock)

2022/23 QPR 0 Preston 2

2022/23 Preston 0 QPR 1 (Dunne)

2021/22 Preston 2 QPR 1 (Gray)

2021/22 QPR 3 Preston 2 (Dykes, Dunne, Chair)

2020/21 Preston 0 QPR 0

2020/21 QPR 0 Preston 2

2019/20 Preston 1 QPR 3 (Hall, Manning, Eze)

2019/20 QPR 2 Preston 0 (Eze 2)

2018/19 QPR 1 Preston 4 (Smith)

2018/19 Preston 1 QPR 0

2017/18 QPR 1 Preston 2 (Smith)

2017/18 Preston 1 QPR 0

2016/17 Preston 2 QPR 1 (LuaLua)

2016/17 QPR 0 Preston 2

2015/16 Preston 1 QPR 1 (Polter)

2015/16 QPR 0 Preston 0

2010/11 Preston 1 QPR 1 (Helguson)

2010/11 QPR 3 Preston 1 (Taarabt 2, Hulse)

2009/10 Preston 2 QPR 2 (Priskin, Ramage)

2009/10 QPR 4 Preston 0 (Taarabt, Buzsaky, Simpson, Routledge)

2008/09 Preston 2 QPR 1 (Agyemang)

2008/09 QPR 3 Preston 2 (Helguson 2, Blackstock)

2007/08 QPR 2 Preston 2 (Blackstock, Ainsworth)

2007/08 Preston 0 QPR 0

2006/07 QPR 1 Preston 0 (Blackstock)

2006/07 Preston 1 QPR 1 (Ainsworth)

2005/06 QPR 0 Preston 2

2005/06 Preston 1 QPR 1 (Shittu)

2004/05 QPR 1 Preston 2 (Furlong)

2004/05 Preston 2 QPR 1 (Santos)

2000/01 Preston 5 QPR 0

2000/01 QPR 0 Preston 0

1980/81 QPR 1 Preston 1 (Stainrod)

1980/81 Preston 3 QPR 2 (Roeder, Neal)

1979/80 Preston 0 QPR 3 (Allen, Roeder, Goddard)

1979/80 QPR 1 Preston 1 (Goddard)

1978/79 Preston 1 QPR 3* (Eastoe 2, Baxter og)

1972/73 QPR 3 Preston 0 (Givens 2, Francis)

1972/73 Preston 1 QPR 1 (O’Rourke)

1971/72 Preston 1 QPR 1 (O’Rourke)

1971/72 QPR 2 Preston 1 (McCulloch, Saul)

1969/70 QPR 0 Preston 0

1969/70 Preston 0 QPR 0

1967/68 QPR 1 Preston 3** (Keen)

1967/68 QPR 2 Preston 0 (Marsh 2)

1967/68 Preston 0 QPR 2 (R Morgan, Leach)

1962/63 QPR 1 Preston 2* (Collins)

1950/51 Preston 1 QPR 0

1950/51 QPR 1 Preston 4 (Waugh)

1949/50 Preston 3 QPR 2 (Addinall, Robertson og)

1949/50 QPR 0 Preston 0

* - League Cup

** - FA Cup

Connections

Patrick Agyemang >>> QPR 2008-2012 >>> Preston 2004-2008

Walthamstow-born Patrick Agyemang was a product of the academy at Wimbledon when the club was still based at Selhurst Park. He scored a respectable 22 goals for the Dons in 79 starts and 57 sub appearances between 1998 and 2004. Then-First Division Gillingham paid £150k for him in January 2004 and he scored eight times for the Gills in 30 starts and four sub apps before departing for Preston in November for £350k.

At Deepdale he was mostly used as an impact substitute. He came on, along with another shared charge Danny Dichio, to join David Nugent and Michael Ricketts in an enormous, physical attack to chase the 1-0 deficit at Loftus Road in the aforementioned Dexter Blackstock game. There were occasional moments of brilliance — a bicycle kick goal against West Brom manager Paul Simpson said “only Patrick would have believed that possible” — mixed with a lot of drudge. His season total goals across his time with the Lilywhites read more like a central midfield player — four in 04/05, six in 05/06, seven in 06/07, four in 07/08 — and certainly didn’t make him an immediately obvious candidate to lead the attack at newly minted QPR.

The Flavio Briatore takeover at Loftus Road had injected some much needed investment into a club on the bones of its arse with a team surely destined for relegation to League One. A side including the likes of John Curtis, Ben Sahar, Danny Nardiello won none of its first nine games and manager John Gregory was quickly jettisoned by the new owners. The deal was done right at the end of the summer transfer window, with just enough time to squeeze Mikele Leigertwood through for £1m from Sheff Utd. Loans, such as the imperious Akos Buzsaky, followed in the autumn but the first big intake of talent occurred as soon as the window opened in January — Matt Connolly, Fitz Hall, permanent deals for loanees Rowan Vine, Hogan Ephraim and Buzsaky, and, of course, Patrick Agyemang.

Now, here’s where it starts to get strange. Agyemang, out of contract at Preston at the end of the season, only required a nominal transfer fee, but also walked out of Loftus Road with a four-and-a-half-year deal worth a rumoured £12k a week, when he’d apparently come in looking for two years at half that. He quickly took to arriving at games in a large Bentley, with a P AGYE number plate. Not many people complaining initially though as he scored on his debut in a 2-1 loss at Sheff Utd, again in a 2-0 home win against Barnsley, and once more in a 3-1 loss at Cardiff. The goals, remarkably, kept coming: two, in a three nil demolition of Bristol City at Loftus Road; two more, in a brilliant and memorable 3-2 win away to Southampton. Another gave Rangers the lead at home to Burnley before Andy Cole decided to turn up and play for the second half. It was a career-best hot streak. We found ourselves living in a world where Patrick Agyemang and Rowan Vine were the best strike force outside the Premier League.

On the LFW message board, a debate was convened on a nickname — Big Pat already taken at that time by youth team centre back Pat Kanyuka. The natives settled on “Dave”, and Agyemang would then get out of his Bentley and walk to the stadium with fans walking past saying “hi Dave” and “can we get an autograph Dave”. His Wikipedia entry was edited to suggest this was a nickname that had followed him from Preston because of his love of Only Fools and Horses. Either way, Dave didn’t like it. He told somebody outside the ground one day to pack that shit in. Returned to his previous identity as Patrick, he also regressed to his previous status as a distinctly mediocre Championship forward. From eight in his first six games, Agyemang scored only once more in the final dozen games, and that in a home gimme against lowly Scunthorpe.

As with Mike Sheron, QPR really shouldn’t have been surprised given his career record to this point, but Agyemang’s scoring record for the club thereafter was little short of shocking. In 2008/09 he scored twice in 23 appearances. The following season he got three in 21. He spent some time on loan at Bristol City (no goals in seven apps) and Millwall (no goals in two apps). It’s only right and proper that we do pay tribute to a pair of crucial goals he contributed to the 2010/11 promotion season under Neil Warnock — setting up the injury time comeback from 2-0 down at Derby with a cleverly taken first, and grabbing another point with a close range finish in a televised 1-1 at Bristol City. But, soon, the Bentley was taking a trip up the A1 to Stevenage for another loan (one goal in 15 apps) and he moved there permanently when his contract finally expired in 2012. He ended with 16 goals in 43 starts and 40 sub outings for QPR, eight of those goals coming in his first six games — a run that was later attributed to a tear in the fabric of reality.

The rest of his career followed pretty much this path. Two separate spells with Portsmouth delivered eight goals in two years and 69 games. He retired with a knee injury but did put in scoreless appearances for Dagenham and Redbridge, Baffins Milton Rovers (yes really) in a 4-1 FA Vase defeat to Horley Town, and Cray Valley Paper Mills (shut up). He’s now a personal trainer.

Others >>> Will Keane, Preston 2023-present, (loan) 2015, QPR (loan) 2014 >>> Gareth Ainsworth, QPR (manager) 2023, 2003-2010, Preston 1993-1995, 1992 >>> Scott Sinclair, Preston 2020-2022, QPR (loan) 2007 >>> Todd Kane, QPR 2019-2021, Preston (loan) 2012-2013 >>> Jordan Hugill, QPR (loan) 2019-2020, Preston 2014-2018 >>> Alex Baptiste, QPR 2017-2019, Preston (loan) 2016-2017 >>> Max Ehmer, QPR 2009-2015, Preston (loan) 2011 >>> Clarke Carlisle, Preston (loan) 2011-2012, QPR 2000-2004 >>> Leon Clarke, Preston (Loan) 2011, QPR 2010-2011, (loan) 2006 >>> Tamas Priskin, QPR (loan) 2010, Preston (loan) 2008 >>> Matt Hill, QPR (loan) 2010, Preston 2005-2008 >>> Jason Jarrett, QPR (loan) 2007-2008, Preston 2006-2009 >>> Danny Dichio, Preston 2005-2007, QPR 1993-1997 >>> John Curtis, QPR 2007, Preston (loan) 2004 >>> Marlon Broomes, Preston 2002-2005, QPR (loan) 2000 >>> Chris Day, QPR 2001-2005, Preston (loan) 2005 >>> Brett Angell, QPR 2002-2003, Preston (loan) 2000 >>> Michael Robinson, QPR 1984-1986, Preston 1974-1979 >>> Paul McGee, Preston 1984, 1979-1981, QPR 1977-1979 >>> Clive Clark, Preston 1970-1973, QPR 1969-1970, 1958-1960

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