John Byrne developed a reputation as a perennial slayer of Chelsea during his time with QPR and Sunderland. He’s the featured player in our history column this week as the R’s and Mackems prepare for Saturday’s showdown.
QPR 2 Sunderland 3, Wednesday December 22, 2011, Premiership
QPR suffered a heartbreaking late loss in the first meeting between these two sides this season just before Christmas, although in truth they were lucky to still be in the game when Wes Brown rose unmarked at the near post to head in a last minute winner from a corner kick. Sunderland , under the new management of Martin O'Neill, made a fast start and profited from slack marking by Matt Connolly to take the lead after 20 minutes when Nicklas Bendtner headed in from another set piece. The back four didn't improve much thereafter and allowed Stephane Sessegnon a free run on the Loft End goal after half time for 2-0. The game appeared well and truly up for Neil Warnock's side but turned on its head in a bizarre four minute spell in which Ale Faurlin set up Heidar Helguson for the first and then Jamie Mackie dived full length at close range to head home an unlikely equaliser. Suddenly the home side seemed like the like winner but more slack marking at corners cost them at the death.
QPR: Kenny 7, Young 6, Gabbidon 4, Connolly 5 (Bothroyd 90, -), Traore 7 (Hall 80, -), Barton 5, Faurlin 6, Derry 6, Wright-Phillips 6 (Taarabt 46, 7), Mackie 6, Helguson 7
Subs Not Used: Cerny, Hill, Campbell, Smith
Booked: Faurlin (foul), Young (foul)
Goals: Helguson 63 (assisted Faurlin), Mackie 67 (assisted Helguson)
Sunderland: Westwood 6, O'Shea 6, Bramble 6, Brown 7, Bardsley 6, Larsson 7 (Gardner 75, 7), Cattermole 6, Vaughan 5 (Colback 71, 6), Richardson 7, Sessegnon 8, Bendtner 8
Subs Not Used: Carson, Kilgallon, Ji, McClean, Elmohamady
Booked: Sessegnon (foul), Cattermole (repetitive fouling)
Goals: Bendtner 19 (assisted Richardson), Sessegnon 53 (unassisted), Brown 89 (assisted Richardson)
Sunderland 2 QPR 1, Saturday April 14, 2007, Championship
The last time these sides met at the Stadium of Light they were heading in opposite directions. Sunderland , in their first season under Roy Keane, had recovered from a desperately bad start to the campaign and topped the table heading into our April trip to the north. QPR had spent most of the season struggling against the drop but had put together a run of form at just the right time under John Gregory and were just about safe going into this game. You could tell as well, with Sunderland looking nervous and QPR much more relaxed the visitors fought back to equalise Dean Whitehead’s early goal for the hosts with a Martin Rowlands penalty midway through the first half. In the end, as he had done at Loftus Road earlier in the season. Grant Leadbitter struck the killer goal with 13 minutes left to play. Sunderland won the title and have been in the Premiership ever since, QPR avoided relegation and were bought out by Flavio Briatore and Bernie Ecclestone in August that year.
Sunderland: Ward 6, Simpson 6, Evans 7, Edwards 7, Whitehead 8, Murphy 6 (Stokes 77, -), Nosworthy 7, Collins 7, Connolly 8, Wallace 7 (John 46, 5), Yorke 6 (Leadbitter 61, 8)
Subs not used: Fulop, Elliott.
Scorers: Whitehead 7, Leadbitter 76
Bookings: Simpson 80 (foul)
QPR: Camp 6, Bignot 5, Cullip 5 (Kanyuka 43, 4), Stewart 6, Timoska 6, Rowlands 7, Bolder 6, Lomas 6 (Idiakez 83, -), Smith 6, Moore 5 (Furlong 69, 5), Blackstock 6
Subs: Cole, Nygaard.
Scorers: Rowlands 22 (pen)
Bookings: Cullip 41 (foul), Bolder 42 (foul), Furlong 76 (foul)
2011/12 QPR 2 Sunderland 3 (Mackie, Helguson)
2006/07 Sunderland 2 QPR 1 (Rowlands)
2006/07 QPR 1 Sunderland 2 (Jones)
2004/05 QPR 1 Sunderland 3 (Shittu)
2004/05 Sunderland 2 QPR 2 (Furlong, Rowlands)
1998/99 QPR 2 Sunderland 2 (Maddix, Gallen)
1998/99 Sunderland 1 QPR 0
1997/98 Sunderland 2 QPR 2 (Sheron 2)
1997/98 QPR 0 Sunderland 1
1990/91 Sunderland 0 QPR 1 (Tilson)
1990/91 QPR 3 Sunderland 2 (Maddix, Wegerle, Falco)
1984/85 QPR 1 Sunderland 0 (Byrne)
1984/85 Sunderland 3 QPR 0
1983/84 Sunderland 1 QPR 0
1983/84 QPR 3 Sunderland 0 (Fenwick, Stainrod, C Allen)
1979/80 QPR 0 Sunderland 0
1979/80 Sunderland 3 QPR 0
1976/77 Sunderland 1 QPR 0
1976/77 QPR 2 Sunderland 0 (Bowles, McLintock)
1972/73 Sunderland 0 QPR 3 (Bowles 2, Thomas)
1972/73 QPR 3 Sunderland 2 (Bowles 2, Givens)
1971/72 Sunderland 0 QPR 1 (Busby)
1971/72 QPR 2 Sunderland 1 (Marsh, O’Rourke)
1970/71 QPR 2 Sunderland 0 (Leach, Venables)
1970/71 Sunderland 3 QPR 1 (Leach)
1968/69 Sunderland 0 QPR 0
1968/69 QPR 2 Sunderland 2 (L Allen, Clarke)
1956/57 Sunderland 4 QPR 0*
* - FA Cup
Irish international forward John Byrne became something of a modern day legend among QPR fans thanks to a dynamite striking partnership with Gary Bannister during the 1980s, and a fondness for scoring goals against Chelsea.
Born in Manchester, Byrne initially came to QPR's attention playing against them in the League Cup for York City in 1984, a two legged tie that Rangers won 8-3 overall. Rangers won the first leg at Bootham Crescent 4-2, but Byrne had set up an equaliser for Keith Houchen and scored 55 goals in 175 appearances for the Minstermen besides. York had won the Fourth Division the season before with 101 points, and would go on to beat Arsenal in the FA Cup in January 1985, but Byrne had left by then when QPR offered £115,000 for his services a month after he'd played against them – it was one of the few positive things Alan Mullery did in his spell as QPR manager.
Byrne scored twice, one a wonderful effort, in the 6-0 demolition of Chelsea on Easter Monday 1986 – two of four goals he got against our West London neighbours during his four years at Loftus Road.
Speaking to the BBC about that famous win Byrne said: "We tore them to shreds. Doug Rougvie, who was playing at centre-back for Chelsea , was a fearsome player and he was absolutely furious. By the end, Doug was looking for blood. We had the Milk Cup final coming up a couple of weeks later. Banno and me didn't want to get injured so having destroyed Chelsea , we spent the last part of the match avoiding Doug, who was an angry man. We stayed away from him. Banno went to play on one wing and I went and played on the other It was an unbelievable game to play in. We just played so, so well and everything we did came off. They couldn't handle us that day."
Byrne had also scored in the Milk Cup quarter final win against Chelsea but sadly that run ended in failure. Rangers beat Liverpool in the semi before crashing to an abject 3-0 defeat in the final against Oxford United.
"The biggest disappointment was losing 3-0 in the Milk Cup Final against Oxford ," he said. "We just so under performed at Wembley that day. It was such a bad display that I still can't get my head around it. It came after we had a great run to reach the Final. I scored a cracker at Watford, then we beat Forest, Chelsea and Liverpool along the way. So I reflect on the Final with tinges of regret. If we had played anything like our best then we would have lifted the cup."
Byrne also scored a couple of goals against Manchester United for the R's. He told the club's official website recently: " Another of my favourite memories is scoring in two home games against Manchester United. The most satisfying match was when we defeated them 1-0 in March 1986. I remember lobbing the ball over two defenders' heads in the box. Then I flicked it back before shooting past Chris Turner in goal at the Loft End. It was great for me - especially being a Manchester lad as well. United are my team and it is weird to say that I scored a goal that beat them."
He left QPR in 19988 to join French side Le Havre for £175,000 along with fellow Irish international Frank Stappleton who moved there from Ajax . He finished his QPR career with 36 goals in 149 appearances and cult status secured. Having returned from France after two seasons he had three spells with Brighton as well as time with Millwall and Oxford but it was at Roker Park with Sunderland where he got himself on the cup trail again.
Byrne moved there in October 1991 for £225,000 and scored in every round of the 1992 FA Cup as Sunderland went all the way to the final as a First Division team. Byrne exacted some revenge on Oxford, scoring in a 3-2 win in round four after a third round win against Port Vale, and he was up to his old tricks against Chelsea in round six as Sunderland won through after a replay and then beat Norwich in the semi final with Bynre scoring the only goal. Sadly they lost at Wembley in the final, 2-0 against Liverpool . Byrne was given a winner's medal in the presentation ceremony by mistake. In all he played 44 times for the Mackems and scored 15 goals, seven of them in nine FA Cup appearances.
Byrne won 23 caps for the Republic of Ireland and scored four times, making his international debut in February 1985 just four months after moving to Loftus Road . He was part of the Irish squad at Euro 88 and Italia 90 but played no part in either tournament. Two of his goals came against Turkey in a qualifier for the European Championships in 1992. He now commentates on Brighton matches for BBC Radio Sussex and works on the NHS as a podiatrist.
Others >>> Djirbil Cisse, Sunderland (loan) 2008-2009, QPR 2012-present >>> Nedum Onuoha, Sunderland (loan) 2010-2011, QPR 2012-present >>> Anton Ferdinand, Sunderland 2008-2011, QPR 2011-present >>> Tommy Smith, Sunderland 2003-2004, QPR 2010-present >>> Pascal Chimbonda, Sunderland 2008-2009, QPR 2010 >>> Liam Miller, Sunderland 2006-2009, QPR 2009 >>> Richard Ord, Sunderland 1987-1998, QPR 1998-2000 >>> Danny Dichio, QPR 1993-1997, Sunderland 1998-2001 >>> Peter Reid, QPR 1989-1990, Sunderland (manager) 1995-2002 >>> Clive Walker, Sunderland 1984-1986, QPR 1986-1987 >>> Chris Woods, QPR 1979-1981, Sunderland 1997 >>> Leighton James, QPR 1977-1978, Sunderland 1983-1984
Sunderland 2 QPR 2, Friday April 10, 1998, First Division
Desperate for points to avoid relegation and facing a long journey north at this time of year to play an in form Sunderland team at the Stadium of Light? I've read this book before. To be honest if it ends as it did in April 1998 I can't imagine many Rangers fans will be complaining, despite the need for three point hauls rather than single ones.
QPR were in a similar position then to the one they find themselves in now, but a division lower. They'd won just two of 21 games since Boxing Day, although that bizarrely included a 5-0 home win against promotion chasing Middlesbrough . They travelled to the Stadium of Light without a win in five attempts and very firmly in the First Division relegation zone.
These were still the days when you could extract performances and results from football players by shouting at them and throwing tea cups around so Peter Reid was doing particularly well as manager of Sunderland who came into this game looking good for automatic promotion. Having been relegated from the Premiership the season before Middlesbrough, Nottingham Forest and Sunderland were now locked in a three way battle to bounce straight back up.
It's a tremendously stereotypical thing to say about a trip to the North East for football, but good God the weather was awful that night. The game was televised in the early evening on Good Friday but despite the April date the conditions were unforgiving. The QPR fans huddled together for warmth on their first visit to the brand new Stadium of Light as a sharp, biting wind brought hard sleet in over the roof of the opposite stand and directly into our faces. I can remember being close to tears through the pain of little shards of ice cutting into my face during the second half and many Rangers fans spent the majority of the second period below decks watching the match on the television screens on the concourse.
Sunderland had already won 1-0 at Loftus Road earlier in the season thanks to a late goal from Niall Quinn and that partnership up front of the giant Irishman in his prime alongside a young Kevin Phillips was far too much for the better teams in the Championship to cope with, never mind Ray Harford's hapless QPR team. Quinn scored the first goal of the evening on the half hour and then intelligently hooked home a second after half time to set Sunderland on their way to what seemed like a comfortable and inevitable victory.
But Harford's final role of the dice that season had been the signings of Vinnie Jones from Wimbledon and Neil Ruddock on loan from Liverpool in the hope it would inject some fighting spirit and grit into a limp wristed and often half committed QPR team. Harford got the job at Loftus Road after taking West Brom to the top of the First Division table. After a defeat at Loftus Road he told chairman Chris Wright he'd have QPR in the Premiership in no time at all given the chance to work with a forward line of John Spencer, Kevin Gallen and Mike Sheron. That assertion seemed laughable as the club and team continued to fall apart around his ears after he arrived but on this night at least the latter player came good for him.
With nothing to lose and nerves starting to effect the title chasing Sunderland players Sheron ran through on goalkeeper Lionel Perez twice in the final 15 minutes and finished well on both occasions to snatch an unlikely points from a 2-2 draw. The result was costly for Sunderland who subsequently drew 3-3 with West Brom in their next game and then lost at Ipswich which meant despite accruing 90 points over the course of the season they missed out on automatic promotion altogether with Forest and Boro going up in first and second. They were hot favourites to win through the play offs anyway and beat Sheffield United in a two legged semi before losing on penalties to Charlton at Wembley after an epic 4-4 draw.
QPR meanwhile completed an unlikely escape from relegation. The stalemate at Sunderland was one of six consecutive draws secured after the arrival of Jones and Ruddock culminating in another memorable 2-2 at Manchester City where the losing team faced relegation, but a point would be good enough to keep QPR up at City's expense. Despite falling behind in the first minute Rangers fought back thanks to the classic Jamie Pollock own goal. A draw meant the R's were safe and City were down, despite Bury's 1-0 win at Loftus Road on the final day of the campaign.
Sunderland: L Perez, C Makin, M Gray, L Clark, D Holloway, D Williams, N Summerbee, K Ball, N Quinn, K Phillips, A Johnston
Subs not used: A Rae, J Craddock
Goals: Quinn 28, 55
QPR: L Harper, D Bardsley, K Ready , N Ruddock, I Baraclough, V Jones (S Slade, 71), G Kulcsar, N Quashie , M Sheron, K Gallen (M Rose, 88), T Scully Subs not used: D Dichio, S Morrow
Goals: Sheron 75, 83
Highlights >>> Paul Furlong compilation, featuring amazing goal at Sunderland >>> QPR 3 Sunderland 2 1990/91 >>> QPR 2 Sunderland 0 75/76
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