We're back to 1998 for the History this week, as a woeful and apparently relegation-bound QPR side suddenly coughed into life and stunned expensively assembled promotion chasers Middlesbrough at Loftus Road.

Memorable Match

QPR 5 Middlesbrough 0, Wednesday March 4, 1998, First Division

In the 2010/11 Championship winning season, Queens Park Rangers randomly lost an away match 4-1 at lowly Scunthorpe United, who finished the season relegated and never to return to this level. They were winning before that, and they picked up straight away again afterwards with a 1-0 at Barnsley that midweek. But for one afternoon at Glanford Park, couldn’t find their own arse with both hands.

Middlesbrough’s well financed, star-studded, First Division promotion winners of 1997/98 had their equivalent at Loftus Road. The top of the second tier that season was fiercely competitive, and riddled with quality sides. Nottingham Forest would win the league with Pierre Van Hooijdonk and Kevin Campbell up front, Kevin Phillips’ Sunderland were pipped in the greatest play-off final of all time by Clive Mendonca’s Charlton despite amassing 90 points in third, George Burley’s stylish Ipswich side were fifth. Boro went up second, three off Forest and one above Sunderland, with a team that included the division’s best player Paul Merson, Craig Hignett, Emerson and others.

In the weeks leading up to the trip to W12 they had cemented their credentials in two competitions with an unbeaten run of seven matches, six of them wins. Sunderland, most crucially, had been vanquished 3-1 at the Riverside, but the run also included a 2-0 home win against Liverpool in the second leg of the League Cup semi-final which set up a cup final at Wembley against Chelsea for later in the year — cup run breeding confidence for promotion push shocker. They had, however, been dicked 4-0 by Forest at the weekend, though I’m not sure that would have raised too many concerns about an evening in Shepherd’s Bush.

QPR’s class of 1997/98 was utterly dire. Relegated from the Premier League two years prior, they’d put their faith in Arsenal assistant Stuart Houston to return them to the big time, and spent millions of new owner Chris Wright’s money on John Spencer, Gavin Peacock, and a host of imports from Houston’s old stomping ground. A ridiculously talented Rangers team including the likes of Trevor Sinclair, Andy Impey, Alan McDonald, Paul Murray and Nigel Quashie had somehow contrived to miss the play-offs altogether in 1996/97, and they responded to that by spending a club-record fee on Mike Sheron from Stoke in the summer. Things started well, a 1-0 home win against Pompey in September put Rangers joint top on a run of six wins in seven (they, too, lost 4-0 in Nottingham during that period), but tailed off quickly, with a falling out between the previously miraculous and prolific Spencer and assistant manager Bruce Rioch not helping.

Rangers went on a run of two wins in 14 through the autumn. Houston was dismissed. Ray Harford, flying high at West Brom at the time, promised the QPR board you couldn’t fail to be promoted with a starting strike line of Gallen, Sheron and Spencer, and was poached in controversial circumstances. This proved to be disastrous for both team’s seasons. With it becoming increasingly clear that Rangers, and Wright, had overstretched themselves and financially mismanaged the club, purse strings were tightened at a crucial moment. Mark Kennedy, a magnificent loan from Liverpool, couldn’t be signed permanently, though his impact while here temporarily would eventually rescue the club from relegation.

Leading up to the Boro game Rangers had won one of 14 games, two of 19, and three of 24. Only their September results were keeping them above water. Kennedy won one of those, a 3-2 homer with fellow strugglers Crewe, essentially by himself. It was a prolonged run of drek that already included three failed attempts to beat Middlesbrough — Rangers soundly beaten 3-0 at the Riverside then drew them at home in the cup, fought back late through Kevin Gallen to force a 2-2 replay, and then fell in another 2-0 hole up in the North East. Nobody expected what came next, particularly with an already thin team damaged further by a seventh minute injury to Mark Perry which saw young Paul Bruce sent on from the bench.

With Kennedy irresistible, and Boro perhaps a little complacent, Steve Vickers got the ball rolling just after the half hour by miscuing a clearance horribly over Andy Dibble and into the net for the opening goal. Ten minutes later, by half time, with the floodgates blown apart, Rangers were 4-0 up. Bruce’s cross took such an outrageous deflection I’m surprised that didn’t go down as an own goal as well but there was no doubting the veracity of Gallen’s goal, scored after beating Dibble to a long ball forward and then finding the net from a tight angle in composed fashion, or Sheron’s opener on the stroke of half time as Boro stood off and allowed him to pick a spot from 20 yards.

Sheron steamed in on an immaculate Kennedy delivery early in the second half for 5-0 and if this wasn;t all hilarious enough then former Chelsea tosspot Andy Townsend was booked by referee Andy D’Urso and lost the plot over it to such an extent that he left a late, high one on George Kulscar not even 30 seconds later and was sent off in a hail of dissent and bile.

Boro calmly went about sealing their promotion regardless, though sadly did lose the League Cup final to Chelsea. QPR didn’t win again for the rest of the season. They lost the next three, abjectly, against Birmingham, Swindon and Stoke. With Vinnie Jones and Neil Ruddock added as emergency deadline day reinforcements they set about grinding their way to safety through a series of draws. There were 1-1s with Oxford, Bradford and Huddersfield, a 2-2 at Sunderland where Mike Sheron scored a late brace to at least pay Boro back a little bit by harming a rival, an excruciating 0-0 with Wolves, and then finally the 2-2 at Man City where Jamie Pollock scored the greatest own goal of all time to cement safety with a game to go. Rangers, after 45 games, somehow safe, with five wins from their final 38 league fixtures.

QPR: L Harper, D Bardsley, S Morrow, G Kulcsar, K Ready, S Yates, M Perry (P Bruce, 7), N Quashie (A Heinola, 89), M Sheron, K Gallen (S Slade, 83), M Kennedy

Goals: Vickers og 32, Bruce 37, Gallen 38, Sheron 45, 53

Bookings: Yates, Gallen

Boro: A Dibble, G Festa, C Fleming, S Vickers, N Pearson (N Maddison, 45), R Mustoe, C Hignett (A Armstrong, 45), A Townsend, M Branca, P Merson, M Thomas (M Beck, 45)

Red Cards: Townsend 64

Attendance — 11,580

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 Middlesbrough packages are embedded below, give him a subscribe on YouTube or follow @QPR_Memories on Twitter.

Recent Meetings

Middlesbrough 4 QPR 0, Sunday March 8, 2026, Championship

QPR were enduring one of their spring slumps with four defeats to nil and 14 goals conceded in the process. Kim Hellberg’s Boro were apparently taking on Coventry for the Championship title and destined for automatic promotion. A predictably one-sided game played out with Strelec scoring before half time and Hackney and Browne adding to this in the second half. Tylon Smith giving a penalty away with his first touch was less than ideal – Tommy Conway did the honours from the spot for the second time in as many meetings.

QPR: Walsh 5; Mbengue 5 (Smith 85, -), Dunne 4, Edwards 5, Norrington-Davies 4 (Esquerdinha 85, -); Vale 5, Varane 3 (Bennie 80, -), Hayden 3, Saito 3 (Clarke-Salter 80, -); Morgan 4 (Smyth 71, 5), Kone 4

Subs not used: Adamson, Hamer, Cook, Kolli

Boro: Brynn 6; Brittain 7, Ayling 8, Fry 7 (Malanda 31, 8), Targett 7; Morris 8; Whittaker 7 (Sarmiento 66, 7), Hackney 9 (Gilbert 83, -), Browne 8, McGree 8 (Castledine 83, -); Strelec 7 (Conway 66, 8)

Subs not used: Edmundson, Gilbert, Hansen, Sene, Wildsmith

Goals: Strelec 20 (assisted Whittaker), Browne 68 (assisted Hackney), Hackney 72 (assisted Conway), Conway 90 (penalty won Conway)

Middlesbrough 3 QPR 1, Saturday December 13, 2025, Championship

QPR wilted in the face of a fearsome Middlesbrough furnace when these sides met in early December. Kim Hellberg’s Boro ran white hot all afternoon, surging into a two-gaol half time lead that could have been twice as severe as the goals scored by Strelec and Whittaker inside six minutes. Tommy Conway’s penalty made it three and killed the game straight after the break before Nicolas Madsen pulled one back with a spot kick of his own. The scoreline flattered the visitors really, this wasn’t far off being another Coventry debacle.

Boro: Brynn 7; Brittain 8, Ayling 7, Jones 7, Targett 7; Browne 7, Hackney 9 (Hamilton 90+4, -); Whittaker 8 (Silvera 83, -), McGree 8 (Gilbert 64, 6); Strelec 7 (Sene 64, 6), Conway 7 (Burgzorg 65, 6)

Subs not used: Bangura, Edmundson, Nypan, McLaughlin

Goals: Strelec 30 (assisted Hackney), Whittaker 36 (assisted Brynn), Conway 50 (penalty, won Brittain)

Yellow cards: Mcgree 32 (foul)

QPR: Nardi 7; Mbengue 6 (Morgan 78, 5), Dunne 5, Clarke-Salter 5 (Cook 60, 5), Norrington-Davies 4 (Esquerdinha 61, 5); Smyth 5, Madsen 5, Varane 4, Saito 4 (Dembele 60, 5); Kone 5 (Frey 72, 4), Burrell 6

Subs not used: Poku, Hamer, Hayden, Bennie

Goals: Madsen 70 (penalty, won Smyth)

Middlesbrough 2 QPR 1, Tuesday March 11, 2025, Championship

QPR’s cratering form of the spring racked up another defeat away to a Middlesbrough side itself on a lousy run and missing its entire back four through injury. It didn’t really look like QPR wanted to know as Conway and Dijksteel cruised the home side into a two-goal lead by the hour. Just how easy it might have been to take a result from a side so low on confidence was shown when Steve Cook bundled in a goal ten from time and the home players completely collapsed, almost resulting in the R’s snatching a point with a Paul Nardi goal in injury time.

Boro: Travers 7; Dijksteel 7, Howson 6, Borges 7, Iling-Junior 6; Morris 6, Hackney 7; Burgzorg 6 (Barlaser 89, -), Conway 7 (Forss 77, 6), Azaz 7 (Giles 90+1, -); Iheanacho 5 (Whittaker 77, 6)

Subs not used: Glover, McCabe, McCormick, Palmer, Woolston

Goals: Conway 11 (assisted Azaz), Dijksteel 58 (assisted Morris)

QPR: Nardi 5; Dunne 5, Cook 5, Edwards 5, Paal 4; Morgan 4, Colback 4 (Andersen 66, 6); Min-Hyeok 4 (Smyth 46, 6), Chair 5 (Dembele 55, 5), Saito 5 (Madsen 78, 5); Frey 4 (Fox 66, 6)

Subs not used: Ashby, Dembele, Bennie, Walsh

Goals: Cook 80 (assisted Dunne)

QPR 1 Middlesbrough 4, Tuesday November 5, 2024, Championship

The low point of QPR’s season came at home to Michael Carrick’s Middlesbrough in November. With poor Hevertton Santos thrown to the wolves out of position at left back against Ben Doak and a paper thin midfield dominated all night it’s really a miracle it only finished 4-1. Doak was intrinsic to the quickfire first half double from McGree and Conway which put the visitors in a commanding position. Their weirdly paranoid attempts to try and hold what they have and shithouse the second half away eventually allowed QPR back into it with a Steve Cook effort forced into his own net by Dijksteel. This snapped Boro out of their lull, they started playing properly again, and immediately added two more through Latte Lath and Barlaser. An appalling display.

QPR: Nardi 5; Dunne 3, Cook 4, Field 4, Santos 1 (Andersen 46, 4); Varane 3 (Dixon-Bonner 90+1, -), Morgan 5 (Kolli 75, 4), Madsen 1 (Lloyd 85, -); Saito 5, Celar 3, Chair 4 (Smyth 46, 4)

Subs not used: Aoraha, Bennie, Morrison, Shepperd

Goals: Dijksteel og 69

Boro: Dieng 7; Ayling 7, Edmundson 6, Clarke 7, Borges 6 (Dijksteel 50, 6); Howson 7 (Barlaser 81, -), Morris 8; Doak 8 (Hamilton 89, -), Azaz 8, McGree 7; Conway 7 (Latte Lath 80, -)

Subs not used: Brynn, Burgzorg, Forss, Fry, Jones

Goals: McGree 31 (assisted Doak), Conway 35 (assisted Azaz), Latte Lath 87 (assisted McGree), Barlaser 90+5 (unassisted)

Yellow Cards: Doak 11 (foul), Conway 36 (dissent, we think), Borges 45+3 (foul)

QPR 0 Middlesbrough 2, Saturday March 9, 2024, Championship

On a hot streak of form that had included victories against Leicester, Bristol City and Rotherham, and a 2-2 draw against West Brom at Loftus Road in which the hosts played some breathtaking football, it seemed like QPR were in the mood to play themselves to safety. Unfortunately, cursed game three in the three-game week struck again with an insipid performance and deserved defeat to Michael Carrick’s vastly superior Middlesbrough. Emmanuel Latte Lath and Marcus Forss got the goals in ten second half minutes.

QPR: Begovic 3; Dunne 5, Cook 5, Clarke-Salter 6, Paal 5 (Larkeche 78, 5); Field 5 (Hayden 55, 4), Colback 5; Willock 5, Andersen 6 (Armstrong 78, 5), Chair 6 (Smyth 55, 6); Frey 5 (Dykes 55, 4)

Subs not used: Fox, Hodge, Cannon, Walsh

Yellow Cards: Hayden 64 (foul), Clarke-Salter 80 (fighting)

Boro: Dieng 7; McNair 6, van den Berg 8, Clarke 7; Ayling 7 (Dijksteel 90+4, -), Howson 7, O’Brien 7, Engel 6; Forss 6 (Silvera 78, 6), Latte Lath 6 (Greenwood 78, 6), McGree 6 (Azaz 90, -)

Subs not used: Barlaser, Jones, Gilbert, Glover, Thomas

Goals: Latte Lath 64 (assisted Clarke), Forss 76 (assisted Ayling)

Yellow Cards: Forss 39 (foul), Engel 66 (foul), Ayling 80 (fighting), Dieng 90+2 (time wasting), McNair 90+3 (time wasting)

Middlesbrough 0 QPR 2, Saturday September 2, 2023, Championship

One of the rare high spots of Gareth Ainsworth’s reign in charge came in quite unexpected circumstances at Middlesbrough in September. Andre Dozzell, who hadn’t scored a goal for QPR in two years of trying, calmly popped one in off the post from 30 yards in the first half on what was approaching his hundredth appearance. Jack Colback followed in on a scramble in the second to make it 2-0 and seal what was a surprisingly comfortable away win.

Boro: Dieng 5; McNair 4, Fry 5, Lenihan 5, Engel 3; Howson 5 (O’Brien 69, 6), Hackney 5; Silvera 5, Rogers 6 (Greenwood 58, 5), Jones 6 (McRee 58, 6); Lath 4 (Coburn 69, 5)

Subs not used: van den Berg, Barlaser, Gilbert, Glover, Bilongo

Bookings: Greenwood 77 (foul)

QPR: Begovic 8; Kakay 6, Fox 6 (Larkeche 85, -), Cook 7 (Clarke-Salter 45, 6); Smyth 8, Dozzell 8 (Duke-McKenna 85, -) Colback 8, Field 6, Paal 7; Chair 8 (Willock 85, -), Armstrong 6 (Kolli 72, 7)

Subs not used: Archer, Dixon-Bonner, Kelman, Adomah

Goals: Dozzell 43 (assisted Colback), Colback 71 (assisted Smyth)

Bookings: Colback 50 (foul), Chair 65 (foul)

Middlesbrough 3 QPR 1, Saturday February 18, 2023, Championship

In form Middlesbrough delivered the last rites on Neil Critchley’s brief reign as QPR manager with a comfortable 3-1 victory at the Riverside in February 2023. QPR, beset by injuries and in chronically poor form, actually held their own for an hour before the division’s leading marksman Chuba Akpom scored first from a cross and then on a rebound from his own saved penalty after Tim Iroegbunam’s ludicrous tackle in the penalty box. Ilias Chair’s stoppage time goal from out near the halfway line, aided and abetted by Boro’s woeful keeper Zach Steffen, looked like being a consolation until Rangers broke again straight from the kick off and Chris Martin’s volley from point blank range was one extraordinary block on the goalline away from the most unlikeliest of equalisers. Boro, stung, went straight up the other end and made it three through Riley McGree to make double sure of the points and Critchley was dismissed immediately afterwards after 12 games in charge and one win.

Boro: Steffen 4; Smith 6, McNair 6, Lenihan 6, Giles 7; Barlaser 8 (Mowatt 88, -), Hackney 6 (Bola 90+3, -); Ramsey 7 (Howson 78, 6), Akpom 8, McGree 8; Archer 7 (Crooks 78, 7)

Subs not used: Fry, Forss, Roberts

Goals: Akpom 64 (assisted Lazer Quest), 77 (rebound off missed penalty), McGree 90+3 (assisted Crooks)

Bookings: Akpom 64 (over celebrating — steady down mate, there’ll be another along in a minute or two)

QPR: Dieng 6; Kakay 5, Dickie 5, Dunne 6, Paal 6; Field 6, Dozzell 5 (Adomah 69, 5), Iroegbunam 4, Chair 6; Martin 6, Lowe 5

Subs not used: Johansen, Archer, Dicks and Boner, Gubbins, Drewe, Aoraha Borealis, Pugh, Pugh, Barney McGrew, Cuthbert, Dibble, Grubb, former culture and media secretary Tessa Jowell, Davis Love III etc.

Genuine goals, no make up: Chair 90 (assisted Steffen)

QPR 3 Middlesbrough 2, Saturday August 6, 2022, Championship

QPR continued an impressive run of results against Middlesbrough with a seventh unbeaten meeting at Loftus Road in August 2022. Chris Willock made it three for three against this opposition with a goal of the season contender after 12 minutes, and that was followed up with close range goals from Jimmy Dunne and Lyndon Dykes off set pieces before half time. Matt Crooks’ goal made it 3-1 just prior to the break and when Marcus Forss got it back to 3-2 with half an hour still to play there was a cliffhanger ending in store, but Rangers hung on grimly to post a first three points of the season.

QPR: Dieng 7; Kakay 6, Dickie 8, Dunne 7, Paal 6; Amos 7, Johansen 7 (Dozzell 82, -), Field 7; Willock 8 (Adomah 74, 7), Chair 6 (Travelman 88, -), Dykes 7 (Bonne 87, -)

Subs not used: Masterson, Shodipo, Walsh

Goals: Willock 13 (unassisted), Dunne 27 (assisted Chair), Dykes 38 (assisted Johansen)

Bookings: Johansen 77 (very fouly foul), Kakay 90+1 (time wasting)

Boro: Steffen 4; Dijksteel 4 (McNair 46, 7), Lenihan 6, Bola 5; Jones 6, Crooks 6, Howson 6, McGree 6, Giles 7; Forss 7 (Smith 68, 5), Watmore 4 (Akpom 46, 7)

Subs not used: Fry, Boyd-Munce, Roberts, Finch

Goals: Crooks 41 (assisted Giles), Forss 56 (assisted Crooks)

Reds: Lenihan 90+2 (denying an obvious goalscoring opp/serious foul play)

Mellow yellows: Forss 17 (naughty, naughty), Bola 73 (pointy finger foul)

QPR 2 Middlesbrough 2, Wednesday February 9, 2022, Championship

QPR’s play-off hopes were still well alive when Middlesbrough, one of the in-form chasers, came to town for a midweek match in February, 2022. Ilias Chair, fresh back from the African Cup of Nations, curled a brilliant opening goal around returning goalkeeper Joe Lumley midway through the first half to give Rangers the lead. But they couldn’t see that through to half time, with Jimmy Dunne’s error from a corner in stoppage time giving Boro a second bite at a delivery and Dael Fry equalised into the bottom corner. Lumley then treated his former club to a second goal straight after the restart when he dallied over a back pass long enough for Chris Willock to steal the ball and score. But amidst an onslaught from the visitors which really should have yielded an away win, Albert Adomah turned into his own net against his former club.

QPR: Marshall 8; Adomah 6, Dickie 6, Dunne 6, Barbet 6, Wallace 6 (Odubajo 78, 6); Field 7, Johansen 5 (Gray 68, 6), Chair 7 (Hendrick 60, 6); Willock 7, Dykes 7

Subs not used: Amos, Austin, Sanderson, Mahoney

Goals: Chair 29 (assisted Willock), Willock 46 (assisted Lumley)

Boro: Lumley 4; Jones 8, Dijksteel 6, Fry 8, McNair 6, Taylor 6; Crooks 7 (Payero 87, -), Tavernier 8, Howson 7; Sporar 6 (Connolly 81, -), Watmore 7 (Balogun 71, 6)

Subs not used: Peltier, Bamba, Daniels, McGree

Goals: Fry 45+2 (unassisted), Adomah og 60 (assisted Jones)

Bookings: Howson 84 (foul)

Middlesbrough 2 QPR 3, Wednesday August 18, 2021, Championship

Arguably QPR’s best performance of the whole 2021/22 season came in match three at the Riverside Stadium, with Rangers overcoming a one-man deficit for almost the entire second half to win 3-2 regardless. Boro flew out of the traps and subjected the visitors to an absolute barrage in the first quarter of an hour, with numerous near misses and sitters gone begging eventually made to pay with Uche Ikpeazu’s penalty after Lyndon Dykes was adjudged to have manhandled his opponent at the far post. But the pressure subsided and QPR worked their way back into the game, equalising straight after half time when Jonny Howson turned Lee Wallace’s low cross past his own goalkeeper. Any momentum that might have generated should have dissipated when Moses Odubajo then picked up a dumb second yellow to leave the R’s with ten men for the rest of the game, but Lyndon Dykes responded immediately with a second goal that Joe Lumley should have saved. Crowd stunned, Rangers might have been able to see that out had Dom Ball not dallied in possession having done the initial hardest part of the task — Matt Crooks smacked in an equaliser. Once again though the visitors stormed forward immediately, scoring a shock third through Willock, and almost adding an immediate fourth from the same source.

Boro: Lumley 4; Dijksteel 6, Hall 5, Fry 6, Bola 6; Howson 5, McNair 6; Spence 6 (Payero 86, -), Crooks 7, Jones 8; Ikpeazu 7 (Akpom 71, 5)

Subs not used: Morsy, Peltier, Bamba, Daniels. Coburn

Goals: Ikpeazu 7 (penalty, won Fry), Crooks 72 (assisted Jones)

Bookings: Jones 54 (foul), Payero 90+8 (foul)

QPR: Dieng 7; Odubajo 4, Dickie 7, De Wijs 7, Barbet 7, Wallace 7 (Dunne 86, 7*); Ball 6, Johansen 7, Chair 6 (Kakay 58, 7); Dykes 6 (Austin 68, 5), Willock 8

Subs not used: Archer, Thomas, Dozzell, Adomah

Goals: Howson og 48 (assisted Wallace), Dykes 56 (assisted Willock), Willock 76 (assisted Johansen)

Red Cards: Odubajo 50 (two yellows)

Bookings: Odubajo 38 (foul), Odubajo 50 (foul), Johansen 90+3 (time wasting)

Middlesbrough 1 QPR 2, Saturday April 15, 2021, Championship

QPR finished the season with a trio of away wins to surpass the previous season’s total of seven. One of those was at Middlesbrough where an initial blast stunned the home team, Rob Dickie scored from fully 30 yards, and Lee Wallace finished a flowing move with a back post header. A comfortable win became a nervous one when Bolasie pulled a goal back on the half hour and, having got away with a similar incident in the first half thanks to a great recovery save, Seny Dieng was sent off for chopping down an opponent outside the box. Joe Lumley’s cameo off the bench featured two outstanding saves as the R’s hung on to win 2-1.

Boro: Archer 6; Fisher 6 (Johnson 55, 6), Hall 6, McNair 6; Spence 5 (Coulson 63, 5), Saville 7, Howson 6, Bola 5; Kebano 6, Watmore 7, Bolasie 8 (Assombalonga 82, -)

Subs not used: Bettinelli, Akpom, Fletcher, Hackney, Coburn, Malley

Goals: Bolasie 28 (assisted Kebano)

QPR: Dieng 6; Kakay 5, Dickie 8, Barbet 6; Adomah 6 (Ball 74, 7), Thomas 6 (Lumley 60, 8), Johansen 6, Chair 6 (Duke-McKenna 86, -), Wallace 8; Willock 7 (Field 74, 6), Dykes 7

Subs not used: Kane, Bonne, Bettache, Hämäläinen, Kelman

Goals: Dickie 15 (assisted Dykes), Wallace 18 (assisted Dykes)

Red Cards: Dieng 58 (denying obvious goalscoring opp)

Yellow Cards: Kakay 31 (foul)

QPR 1 Middlesbrough 1, Saturday September 26, 2020, Championship

QPR and Middlesbrough fought out a 1-1 draw in a run-of-the-mill Championship fixture at Loftus Road back in September 2020. QPR’s set piece hangover from 2019/20 continued early on as Chuba Akpom stole in at the near post to head home a nineteenth minute corner, but Bright Osayi-Samuel was soon on hand to convert from close range after Bettinelli spilled a routine shot. Luke Amos and Britt Assombalonga both missed great chances to score and Tom Carroll’s shot somehow hit the inside of the post, rolled all the way along the line and eluded a host of would-be scorers to ensure the scores finished deadlocked.

QPR: Dieng 6; Kakay 7, Dickie 6, Barbet 5, Wallace 5; Cameron 5, Amos 6; Osayi-Samuel 7, Thomas 6 (Carroll 60, 6), Chair 6 (Smyth 73, 6); Dykes 6

Subs not used: Kane, Ball, Oteh, Masterson, Kelly

Goals: Osayi-Samuel 28 (assisted Amos)

Boro: Bettinelli 5; McNair 7, Hall 6 (Fry 55, 6), Dijksteel 5; Tavernier 5, Howson 6, Johnson 5, Saville 6, Spence 5 (Morsy 64, 6); Assombalonga 5, Akpom 6

Subs not used: Wing, Browne, Bola, Coulson, Pears

Goals: Akpom 19 (assisted McNair)

Bookings: Dijksteel 85 (foul)

Previous Results

Head to Head >>> QPR wins 23 >>> Draws 18 >>> Boro wins 24

2025/26 QPR 0 Middlesbrough 4

2025/26 Middlesbrough 3 QPR 1 (Madsen)

2024/25 Middlesbrough 2 QPR 1 (Cook)

2024/25 QPR 1 Boro 4 (Dijksteel og)

2023/24 QPR 0 Boro 2

2023/24 Middlesbrough 0 QPR 2 (Dozzell, Colback)

2022/23 Middlesbrough 3 QPR 1 (Chair)

2022/23 QPR 3 Middlesbrough 2 (Willock, Dunne, Dykes)

2021/22 QPR 2 Middlesbrough 2 (Chair, Willock)

2021/22 Middlesbrough 2 QPR 3 (Howson og, Dykes, Willock)

2020/21 Middlesbrough 1 QPR 2 (Dickie, Wallace)

2020/21 QPR 1 Middlesbrough 1 (Osayi-Samuel)

2019/20 Middlesbrough 0 QPR 1 (Hugill)

2019/20 QPR 2 Middlesbrough 2 (Wells, Howson og)

2018/19 Middlesbrough 2 QPR 0

2018/19 QPR 2 Middlesbrough 1 (Wszolek, Wells)

2017/18 QPR 0 Middlesbrough 3

2017/18 Middlesbrough 3 QPR 2 (Wheeler, Mackie)

2015/16 QPR 2 Middlesbrough 3 (Mackie, Chery)

2015/16 Middlesbrough 1 QPR 0

2013/14 Middlesbrough 1 QPR 3 (Benayoun, Zamora, Morrison)

2013/14 QPR 2 Middlesbrough 0 (Barton, Austin)

2010/11 Middlesbrough 0 QPR 3 (Helguson 2, Taarabt (pen))

2010/11 QPR 3 Middlesbrough 0 (Helguson pen, Ephraim, Mackie)

2009/10 Middlesbrough 2 QPR 0

2009/10 QPR 1 Middlesbrough 5 (Agyemang)

1997/98 QPR 5 Middlesbrough 0 (Sheron 2, Gallen, Bruce, Vickers og)

1997/98 Middlesbrough 2 QPR 0 (FA Cup replay)

1997/98 QPR 2 Middlesbrough 2 (FA Cup - Gallen, Spencer)

1997/98 Middlesbrough 3 QPR 0

1995/96 QPR 1 Middlesbrough 1 (McDonald)

1995/96 Middlesbrough 1 QPR 0

1992/93 Middlesbrough 0 QPR 1 (Ferdinand)

1992/93 QPR 3 Middlesbrough 3 (Ferdinand, Penrice, Sinton)

1988/89 QPR 0 Middlesbrough 0

1988/89 Middlesbrough 1 QPR 0

1982/83 QPR 6 Middlesbrough 1 (Allen 3, Mickelwhite, Flanagan, Gregory)

1982/83 Middlesbrough 2 QPR 1 (Allen)

1981/82 QPR 1 Middlesbrough 1** (Stainrod)

1981/82 Middlesbrough 2 QPR 3** (Stainrod 2, Neill)

1978/79 QPR 1 Middlesbrough 1 (Goddard)

1978/79 Middlesbrough 0 QPR 2 (Harkouk, Eastoe)

1977/78 QPR 1 Middlesbrough 0 (Busby)

1977/78 Middlesbrough 1 QPR 1 (Busby)

1976/77 Middlesbrough 0 QPR 2 (Masson, Abbott)

1976/77 QPR 3 Middlesbrough 0 (Givens (pen), Masson, Bowles)

1975/76 QPR 4 Middlesbrough 2 (Francis 2 (1pen), Givens, Bowles)

1975/76 Middlesbrough 0 QPR 0

1974/75 QPR 0 Middlesbrough 0

1974/75 Middlesbrough 1 QPR 3 (Bowles, Givens, Rogers)

1972/73 Middlesbrough 0 QPR 0

1972/73 QPR 2 Middlesbrough 2 (Givens, O’Rourke)

1971/72 QPR 1 Middlesbrough 0 (Clement)

1971/72 Middlesbrough 3 QPR 2 (McCulloch, Marsh)

1970/71 QPR 1 Middlesbrough 1 (Francis)

1970/71 Middlesbrough 6 QPR 2 (Clement, Marsh)

1969/70 Middlesbrough 1 QPR 0

1969/70 QPR 4 Middlesbrough 0 (Bridges 2, Clark, Clement)

1967/68 Middlesbrough 3 QPR 1 (L Allen)

1967/68 QPR 1 Middlesbrough 1 (Marsh)

1966/67 Middlesbrough 2 QPR 2 (Marsh, Lazarus)

1966/67 QPR 4 Middlesbrough 0 (Marsh 3, L Allen)

1946/47 Middlesbrough 3 QPR 1** (Boxshall)

1946/47 QPR 1 Middlesbrough 1** (Pattison)

1912/13 Middlesbrough 3 QPR 2**

** - FA Cup

Connections

Don Masson >>> Boro 1964-1968 >>> QPR 1974-1977

Don Masson was born near Aberdeen and supported the Dons as a youngster but was moved from there to Middlesbrough at age 12 so his father could pursue a life-long dream of becoming a bus driver. Having initially been taught to play football as a young boy by his mum, Masson caught the eye of then Second Division Boro and made his debut there as an 18-year-old in a League Cup game at Charlton.

Masson played more than 50 games for Boro and scored six times as they were relegated from the Second Division, but then bounced straight back from the Third as runners up behind the all conquering QPR team led by Rodney Marsh which secured a historic Third Division title and League Cup double win that season. Masson was known as a fierce trainer who demanded similarly high standards of his team mates, and he pissed the rest of the Boro squad off to such an extent that a ‘round robin’ letter was circulated and signed by the team demanding he be sold.

Having impressed in a reserve game against Bradford Park Avenue earlier in the week, Masson felt sure that’s where he was heading when he was summoned to Ayresome Park for transfer talks. Instead, Notts County manager Billy Gray was waiting there to do a £7,000 double deal for Masson and Bob Worthington. County were two divisions lower, and winless in their first seven matches at that level, but Masson jumped at the chance to move and it proved to be the making of him.

Between his arrival in 1968 and departure in 1974, County enjoyed something of a golden era. Former Celtic charge Jimmy Sirrel replaced Gray in 1969 and made his fellow Scot Masson the club captain at age 22. The pair won the Fourth Division in 1971, remaining unbeaten at Meadow Lane all season, and then won promotion from the Third Division in 1972/73. Sirrel was poached by Sheff Utd, and Masson by QPR, but both returned to Meadow Lane to complete the job with a third promotion in 1981 taking the Magpies from the bottom division to the top inside a decade. Masson has since been voted Notts County’s greatest ever player by the club’s supporters. He is the only player in the club’s history to win its Player of the Year trophy outright on three separate occasions.

Masson was rated as the best player outside the top division in England, and finally got his chance at the highest level aged 29 when Dave Sexton took him to QPR in 1974 for £100,000. Widely said to be the ‘final piece in the puzzle’ of that brilliant QPR side, he claimed a runners up medal when the R’s finished second to Liverpool in 1975/76. His performances across 144 games for the R’s were enough to belatedly bring him his first international honours for Scotland aged 30, and although he is widely remembered for missing a crucial penalty kick against Peru in the 1978 World Cup, he also scored for Scotland against England in a 2-1 win in 1976 to clinch the first of two Home International Championships during his career.

He moved from Loftus Road first to Derby in exchange for Leighton James before a second successful stint at Notts County, had a spell with Minnesota in the fledgling MLS, and was player manager at Kettering Town for a time before retiring to run a guest house in Nottingham and then later in Elton — which he’s still doing to this day.

You can hear our in depth interview with Don via our Patreon.

Others >>> Rumarn Burrell, QPR 2025-present, Middlesbrough 2019-2022 >>> Seny Dieng, Boro 2023-2026, QPR 2016-2023 >>> Jordan Archer, QPR 2021-2024, Boro 2021 >>> Joe Lumley, Boro 2021-2023, QPR 2013-2021 >>> John Eustace, QPR (assistant) 2018-2022, Boro (loan) 2003 >>> Neil Warnock, Boro (manager) 2020-2021, QPR (manager) 2010-2012 >>> Albert Adomah, QPR 2020-2024, Boro 2013-2016 >>> Grant Hall, Boro 2020-2022, QPR 2015-2020 >>> Ravel Morrison, Boro (loan) 2020, QPR (loan) 2017, QPR (loan) 2014 >>> Jordan Hugill, QPR (loan) 2019-2020, Boro (loan) 2018-2019 >>> Alex Baptiste, QPR 2017-2019, Boro 2015-2017 >>> Steve McClaren, QPR (manager) 2018-2019, Boro (manager) 2001-2006 >>> Martin Cranie, Boro 2018, QPR (loan) 2007 >>> Fabio Da Silva, Boro 2016-2018, QPR (loan) 2012-2013 >>> Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, QPR (manager) 2015-2016, Boro 2004-2006 >>> Gary O’Neil, QPR 2013-2014, Boro 2007-2011 >>> Luke Young, QPR 2011-2014, Boro 2007-2008 >>> Emmanuel Ledesma, Boro 2012-2015, QPR 2008-2009 >>> Kieron Dyer, Boro 2013, QPR 2011-2013 >>> Ishmael Miller, Boro (loan) 2012-2013, QPR (loan) 2011 >>> Carl Ikeme, Boro (loan) 2011, QPR (loan) 2010 >>> Marcus Bent, QPR (loan) 2010, Boro 2009-2010 >>> Andrew Davies, Boro 2002-2008, QPR (loan) 2005 >>> Mikkel Beck QPR (loan) 2000, Boro 1996-1999 >>> Jamie Pollock, QPR 1998, Boro 1990-1996 >>> Bruce Rioch, QPR (assistant) 1996-1997, Boro (manager) 1986-1990 >>> Dave Thomas, Boro 1982, QPR 1972-1977 >>> John O’Rourke, QPR 1971-1974, Boro 1966-1968

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Pictures - Reuters Connect

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