We’re looking back to the Second Division promotion campaign of 2003/04 ahead of Saturday’s trip to Wrexham, and a QPR win at the Racecourse Ground that owed much to goalkeeper Chris Day and new signing Martin Rowlands.
Wrexham 0 Queens Park Rangers 2, Tuesday September 16, 2003, Second Division
A glorious injury time goal that announced Martin Rowlands as a QPR force to be reckoned with, and a genuinely world class save from goalkeeper Chris Day, were the highlights of a controversial and hard fought QPR victory at The Racecourse Ground back in 2003.
Having been beaten in the play-off final by another Welsh side, Cardiff, in May, QPR had started their third season in the Second Division hot to trot under Ian Holloway. Martin Rowlands and Gareth Ainsworth proved sparkling summer additions and the promotion push began with a 5-0 home win against Blackpool in fearsome temperatures on day one.
Home wins against Bournemouth and Chesterfield followed and QPR, who didn’t concede a goal at Loftus Road until the end of September, would remain unbeaten in W12 all season. Away from home, however, things had stuttered with points left on the table at Rushden and Colchester and a galling last minute televised loss down at Brighton.
Denis Smith’s newly promoted Wrexham side were destined for a season in midtable but had posted early wins against Notts County, Brentford and Sheff Wed and fancied their chances against Rangers on a Tuesday night in North Wales.
Marcus Bean’s close range finish settled the visitors nerves early on, but the R’s became embroiled in a real scrap with the home side and didn’t aid their chances when Kevin McLeod talked himself into a red card from referee Graham Laws with 20 minutes of time still remaining.
Talented wingers Carlos Edwards and Chris Llewlyn both went close to equalisers as the hosts laid siege to QPR’s goals through an excruciating end to a game which included an extended period of stoppage time. They thought they’d found their goal when striker Hector Sam put his foot through a seemingly unstoppable shot from close range at the death but Chris Day, tracking left to right with the flight of the cross, somehow adjusted his feet and body and pulled off an astounding save in the top corner to preserve the lead.
And with the entire home team committed forwards in stoppage time it was left to Martin Rowlands to steal possession on halfway and then go the length, twisting past the final forlourn challenges, before finishing past veteran keeper Andy Dibble to seal the win in front of a jubilant away end.
Rangers would go onto win automatic promotion on the final day at Sheff Wed while Wrexham landed in 13th.
Wrexham: A Dibble, S Pejic, B Carey (S Holmes, 79), D Lawrence, C Edwards, J Whitley, D Ferguson, P Edwards (C Morgan, 79), L Jones, A One (H Sam, 61), C Llewellyn
Subs not used: S Thomas, P Whitfield
Yellow Cards: Carey, Whitley, Edwards
QPR: C Day, M Rowlands, A Gnohere, D Shittu, G Padula, G Ainsworth (E Sabin, 69), M Bean, S Palmer, K McLeod, P Furlong (R Edghill, 45), K Gallen
Subs not used: R Pacquette, D Oli, N Culkin
Goals: Bean 7, Rowlands 90
Red Cards: McLeod 77
Yellow Cards: Gnohere, Sabin, McLeod, Furlong, Gallen
Attendance – 4,539
Queens Park Rangers 2 Wrexham 0, Tuesday March 16, 2004, Second Division
Rangers won the corresponding fixture that season by the same scoreline, but were again made to work hard by their Welsh visitors. With Bristol City breathing down QPR’s necks on an extraordinary run of 11 consecutive victories, things were tense under the lights at Loftus Road until Clarke Carlisle finally broke the deadlock with 20 minutes left. Kevin McLeod then atoned for his red card at The Racecourse Ground with a game sealer two minutes from time.
QPR: L Camp, T Forbes, C Carlisle, A Gnohere, M Rose (T Thorpe, 37), M Rowlands, M Bircham, R Johnson, K McLeod, K Gallen, P Furlong
Subs not used: J Cureton, R Pacquette, M Bean, S Palmer
Goals: Carlisle 67, McLeod 88
Wrexham: M Ingham, C Edwards, S Roberts, B Carey, D Lawrence, P Edwards, J Whitley (M Crowell, 84), D Ferguson, S Thomas, C Armstrong, C Llewellyn (L Jones, 76)
Subs Not Used: S Holmes, P Whitfield, S Pejic
Yellow Cards: Jones
Attendance – 13,363
QPR 2 Wrexham 1, Saturday February 16, 2002, Second Division
More late heartbreak for Wrexham at the hands of QPR on a bright February day in 2002. The game couldn’t have started better for the visitors when Steve Thomas curled a free kick past Fraser Digby and into the top corner after just 68 seconds of play. It looked like being the tale of two free kicks when, on the hour, Richard Langley gave his own reading from almost exactly the same spot and found the same corner of the Loft End net. But there was a late sting in the tale for a Wrexham side heading for relegation as a dodgy passback seized upon by Richard Pacquette caused defensive chaos amidst which Doudou crossed for Kevin Gallen to head a last minute winner.
QPR: F Digby, T Forbes (Doudou, 57), D Shittu, S Palmer, M Bignot, R Langley, M Rose, G Peacock, L Griffiths (R Pacquette, 57), K Gallen, K Connolly (A Bonnot, 78)
Subs not used; B Askar, R Evans
Goals: Langley 59, Gallen 89
Wrexham: M Rovde, J Whitley, D Lawrence, S Roberts (B Carey, 53), S Holmes, K Russell, S Thomas, W Phillips, L Trundle (M Blackwood, 86), C Faulconbridge, H Sam (A Morrell, 64)
Subs not used: K Rodgers, M Chalk
Goals: Thomas 2
Wrexham 1 QPR 0, Saturday October 13, 2001, Second Division
Despite their struggles, Wrexham did win the first meeting that season at The Racecourse Ground as financially stricken QPR struggled to get to grips with a first season in the third tier of English football since the 1960s. Michael Blackwood’s goal just before half time was enough for the hosts despite Steve Thomas being sent off on the hour and having to play the final third of the game a man light.
Wrexham: K Rodgers, J Whitley, K Hill, S Roberts, S Holmes, R Gibson, S Thomas, D Ferguson, M Blackwood, C Faulconbridge, L Trundle
Subs not used: K Russell, D Walsh, A Moody, C Edwards, H Sam
Goals: Blackwood 43
Red Cards: Thomas 63
QPR: C Day, T Forbes, B Askar, S Palmer, P Bruce, M Bignot (S Wardley, 76), M Rose, A Bonnot, K Connolly (M Perry, 76), A Thomson, L Griffiths (Doudou, 54)
Subs not used: F Digby, C Warren
Yellow Cards: Palmer, Bonnot
Attendance – 4,474
Head to Head >>> Wrexham wins 5 >>> Draws 4 >>> QPR wins 9
2003/04 QPR 2-0 Wrexham (Carlisle, McLeod)
2003/04 Wrexham 0-2 QPR (Bean, Rowlands)
2001/02 QPR 2-1 Wrexham (Langley, Gallen)
2001/02 Wrexham 1-0 QPR
1981/82 QPR 1-1 Wrexham (Stainrod)
1981/82 Wrexham 1-3 QPR (King, Allen 2)
1980/81 Wrexham 1-1 QPR (Waddock)
1980/81 QPR 0-1 Wrexham
1979/80 Wrexham 1-3 QPR (Currie, Hazell, Allen)
1979/80 QPR 2-2 Wrexham (Goddard 2)
1963/64 Wrexham 0-1 QPR (Collins)
1963/64 QPR 1-0 Wrexham (Collins)
1962/63 Wrexham 3-1 QPR (Lazarus)
1962/63 QPR 1-2 Wrexham (Lazarus)
1959/60 Wrexham 1-1 QPR (Woods)
1959/60 QPR 2-1 Wrexham (Angell 2)
1958/59 Wrexham 1-0 QPR
1958/59 QPR 5-0 Wrexham (Anderson 2, Whitelaw, Angell, Longbottom)
Karl Connolly >>> Wrexham 1991-2000 >>> QPR 2000-2003
There weren’t many hints of the storm to come at QPR when they finished the 1999/00 First Division season in tenth position, with just one defeat in the final half dozen games and a memorable 3-1 home victory against eventually promoted Ipswich into the bargain.
But behind the scenes the implosion at the end of the Chris Wright era was well underway. Relegation and administration awaited 12 months later as club legend Gerry Francis’ miracle rescue act of 1998-2000 ran out of steam.
Chris Kiwomya and Rob Steiner had formed an effective strike partnership for 1999/00 and their almost complete absence the following year had a dreadful effect on the team. A loan move for Paul Furlong also ended in injury, and the R’s infamously lost star England U21 duo Clarke Carlisle and Richard Langley to the same ACL blow out within half an hour of each other in a home game with Fulham.
Part of that summer’s intake had included Wrexham veteran Karl Connolly. With a mercurial left foot, and the pace of a district nurse in the outside lane of the A316, he was at times a peculiar watch, and a bit of a throwback. A scorer of great goals, rather than a great scorer of goals, he is perhaps best remembered at Rangers for a long range volley in a 3-1 pre-season victory over monied Chelsea at Loftus Road.
Initially spotted playing for Napoli (Liverpool local league version, not Serie A) he spent nearly a decade with Wrexham where he was far, far more prolific in front of goal. He scored 114 times for the Welsh side in 449 appearances. Signed initially as a left winger, he played much of his time at Wrexham as the main striker and the side he led from the front developed a giant killer reputation in cup competitions - including a 2–1 win against mighty Arsenal, another 2–1 victory against Ipswich, the magnificent cup run of 1996–97 which led them to a quarter final, and the 2–1 victory over Middlesbrough in 1999.
Connolly was one of the few who survived the mass cull at QPR in the summer of 2001 following relegation and financial collapse. He’d scored four times in the forlorn attempt to stay in the First Division, including an equaliser against Huddersfield on the day Kevin Gallen returned to Loftus Road, scored for the visitors, and then later missed a penalty. Our group from The Goldhawk were the match sponsors that day in memory of my father which meant the task of selecting a man of the match fell to us in the sponsors lounge. Everybody was under strict instruction to write Jude The Cat on the nomination form but when the club refused to ratify the decision Connolly was sent in instead to what was effectively my dad’s wake. A tough gig, which he dealt with with good grace.
Another four goals followed in the division below as Ian Holloway rebuilt the team, and club, in his own barmy image. Good times were just around the corner again in Shepherd’s Bush, but Connolly’s career was drawing to a close via brief spells with Swansea and Prescott Cables.
Others >>> Lee Camp, Wrexham 2022, QPR 2007-2009, (loan) 2004 >>> Rhys Taylor, Wrexham (loan) 2015-2016, QPR (loan) 2009-2010 >>> Gareth Taylor, Wrexham 2009-2011, QPR (loan) 2000 >>> John Curtis, Wrexham 2009, QPR 2007 >>> Aaron Brown, Wrexham 2010, QPR 2004-2006 >>> Jason Jarrett, QPR (loan) 2007-2008, Wrexham 1999-2000 >>> Anthony Williams, Wrexham (loan) 2007, QPR (loan) 1998 >>> Tommy Anderson, Wrexham 1962-1963, QPR 1958-1959 >>> Bernard Evans, QPR 1960-1962, Wrexham 1954-1960 >>> Chris Ferguson, Wrexham 1931-1932, QPR 1930-1931 >>> Jack Mustard, Wrexham 1930-1932, QPR 1926-1929
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