QPR return to action on Saturday with the final London derby of the season against Crystal Palace. Ash takes his usual look back at the playing connections and a memorable match.

With all my excitement over the new kit yesterday, I almost forgot there was a game on a Saturday. It may also be because it’s the first game of six before the end of the season, where to be honest we haven’t anything left to play for. Paulo Sousa can bark on about still being in touch with the play-offs all he likes, but we all know that everyone at QPR is now looking towards next season, shiny new kit and all. But before we look forward to that it’s a London derby this weekend when Crystal Palace and everyone’s favourite manager Neil Warnock visit Loftus Road . I’m not normally one to start chants purposely aimed at certain individuals (just in case another Andy Cole moment happens) but the whole Tevez affair has wound me up so much that if we are a couple of goals to the good on Saturday, which is pretty unlikely anyway, I think a round of ‘One Carlos Tevez’ would be brilliant just to see the look on Warnock's face. Even if Mikele Leigertwood doesn’t agree.

Palace, having exceeded expectations with a play-off push last season, are sitting pretty much where everyone thought they would this year – in mid-table, one place and five points below the R’s. With their last three results summing up their form this season which hasn’t been too dissimilar from our own. A win away at Swansea was followed by a 3-1 defeat to Barnsley and a goalless draw with Reading . Seeing as their away record is pretty average and even Charlton have beaten them this season, Rangers should be looking to come out on top on this one especially after our last two excellent results.

Palace first travelled to W21 for a Third Division game in December 1920 with the R’s victorious in a 3-0 win. Last season the Eagles had the advantage cancelling out a Damion Stewart goal before the obligatory Clinton Morrison goal gave Palace the win. So let’s take a walk down the blue and white hooped path of memory lane to recall a thumping last day win and a QPR legend who has also turned out for the Eagles.

Memorable Match
QPR 6-0 Crystal Palace
9th May 1999
First Division
The 1998/99 season had been a disappointing one for QPR. Manager Ray Harford was sacked halfway through and replaced by the returning Gerry Francis in his second spell at the club. Going into the last game of the season, although under Francis results had improved, Rangers were still in big trouble at the foot of the First Division table. On a sweltering hot day in May QPR entertained Crystal Palace knowing that all they had to do was match or better Bury who were on the same points as the R’s but with a worse goal difference.

A nervous Loftus Road crowed packed out the ground and generated an amazing atmosphere pre-kick off with balloons, banners and songs welcoming the R’s team onto the pitch. With radios firmly fixed to ears to keep up to date with Bury’s match at home to Port Vale, Rangers got off to the perfect start just eight minutes in. Great work on the left flank from Keith Rowland and Chris Kiwomya led to a Kiwomya cross avoiding the masses of balloons before being cleared to the edge of the box to George Kulscar. The R’s midfielder hit an unstoppable volley into the top corner past Kevin Miller, who didn’t even move a muscle. A great way to calm the nerves but the R’s faithful had to wait till minutes before the break to double their lead. A long punt down field from Ludek Miklosko fell in-between two defenders and Kiwomya was on hand to nick the ball past Miller and score at the second attempt with a header.

Rangers were further boosted just minutes into the second half when Palace went down to ten men after Zeng Zhiyi was given a straight red because of a push to ref Peter Reja. Two goals and a man up the R’s were now in confident mood and extend their lead on 56. A Tony Scully free-kick caused panic in the Palace box and Kiwomya managed to turn and net his second and Rangers third.

Tony Scully then got in on the act himself, when Gavin Peacock’s cross was cleared to Kulscar who headed to Scully on the right hand side of the box and the smashed a volley into the far corner of the net - Rangers were rampant. Palace then went down to nine men as David Woozley fouled Scully in the box and was given a red card and Kiwomya stepped up to take the penalty. Miller saved the striker’s effort but was unable to keep right-back Tim Breaker following in to make it 5-0 Rangers with his first goal for the club.

To round a memorable afternoon off Kiwomya completed his hat-trick. Another Scully cross found him in aches of room and although his initial header was saved, Kiwomya bundled the rebound in to round off an amazing great escape for Gerry Francis’ Queens Park Rangers.

QPR: Miklosko, Breacker, Baraclough, Kulcsar, Linighan, Maddix, Scully, Peacock, Rowland (Gallen 86) Slade, Kiwomya (Murray 86)

C Palace: Miller, Frampton, Woozley, Austin, Thomson, Foster (Burton) Fan Zhiyi, Martin (Carlisle) Morrison, Mullins

Postscript: At the final whistle, Rangers fans invaded the pitch and celebrated avoiding relegation on goal difference and seeing Bury, Oxford and Bristol City go down. Palace finished the season in 14th place.

Connections
Gerry Franics
QPR 1968-79, 1981-82, 1991-94 (manager), 1998-01 (manager)
Crystal Palace 1978-81
One of the Superhoops’ favourite sons, Gerry Francis’ involvement with the club spans more then three decades as player and manager. If anyone is close to having the name Mr QPR then Francis is one of main contenders.

A product of Rangers’ successful youth team the clever midfielder made his debut for QPR as a 17 year old during a 2-1 defeat to Liverpool in 1968 and a year later made his first start in a 3-1 win over Portsmouth - marking the occasion with his first senior goal for the club. Manager Les Allen had tried to ease the youngster into the first-team but by the time Gordon Jago took over, Francis was too good to leave out and was given the number eight shirt. From then on he became a regular fixture in the first team as the main creative spark in midfield, striking up almost telepathic understandings with Stan Bowles and Don Givens. By the 1975/76 season Francis was a pivotal part of Dave Sexton’s free flowing attractive Rangers side. That season Francis and Rangers pushed mighty Liverpool all the way in the title race but agonisingly missed out on the championship by one point to finish second. By now Francis was an established England international too, earning 12 caps and captaining his country on eight occasions.

A back injury the following season then robbed Rangers of their midfield maestro and would only play 24 of Rangers next 84 games, and struggled to discover the kind of form that had made him a Loftus Road hero. In 1979 Francis ended a decade in W12 by moving across London to Crystal Palace . However he never settled at Selhurst Park, and despite making over fifty appearances for the Eagles he soon moved back to QPR. But the back injury was still taking his toll, and he soon moved on again to enjoy spells at Coventry, Exeter, Swansea and Bristol Rovers before moving into management.

Cutting his managerial teeth at Exeter after just a season at St James Park, Francis took over at Bristol Rovers and took a struggling Third Division side into a respected passing side a division above. It wasn’t before long the lure of Loftus Road was too much to ignore and he returned to QPR as manager in 1992 succeeding Don Howe. Having inherited a squad with talent such as Alan McDonald, Andy Sinton and Les Ferdinand, Francis got the best out of Rangers and brought the likes of Gary Penrice, Ian Holloway and Darren Peacock with him to mark his own stamp on the team. All of which paid benefit when he led the R’s to a fifth place finish in the newly created Premier League - their best position for 20 years and as London’s top club. Successive mid-table finishes followed and Francis un-earthed gems like Trevor Sinclair and Bradley Allen and made Ferdinand a Premier League star. Unfortunately a clash with the board over a possible appointment of Rodney Marsh above him led to him leaving Loftus Road in 1994 for Tottenham. At Tottenham he helped the club to seventh spot and an FA Cup semi-final but mid-table finished the following two campaigns saw the Spurs unconvinced as he resigned in November 1997.

A year later though he was back at QPR, who had slumped since his departure and were now in a relegation battle at the bottom of Division One. The Francis effect was enough for Rangers to pull off the great escape that season, sealing it with a 6-0 win over Palace on the last day. But with no money to spend and an ever decreasing quality of squad, he resigned from his post in February 2001 with relegation to the third tier imminent. Some had suggested his heart was no longer in the game and didn’t want to be responsible for relegating his beloved side - even his successor Ian Holloway couldn’t prevent it.

A further spell at Bristol Rovers before Gerry took a long break of seven years from the game. Now currently on the coaching staff at Stoke City and occasionally appearing as a pundit on Sky Sports.
Magic R Moment: His goal of the season for Rangers against Liverpool in August 1975.

Others:
Joe Millbank Crystal Palace 1939-48, QPR 1948-49. Now unknown
Dave Nelson QPR 1950-52, Crystal Palace 1952. Now unknown
Cecil Andrews Crystal Palace 1952-56, QPR 1956-59. Now unknown
Pat Kerrins QPR 1953-60, Crystal Palace 1960-61. Now unknown
George Petchy QPR 1953-60, Crystal Palace 1960. Now retired
Mark Lazarus QPR 1960-61, 19620-64, 1965-67, Crystal Palace 1967-69. Now runs a transport business
Ian Evans QPR 1970-74, Crystal Palace 1974-79. Now out of work
Don Rodgers Crystal Palace 1972-74, QPR 1974-76. Now runs a Sports Shop in Swindon
Kenny Samson Crystal Palace 1975-80, QPR 1989-91. Now a TV pundit
Terry Fenwick Crystal Palace 1976-80, QPR 1980-87. Now manager of San Juan Jabloteh in Trinidad
Rachid Harkouk Crystal Palace 1976-78, QPR 1978-80. Now a businessman in Algeria
John Burridge Crystal Palace 1978-80, QPR 1980-82. Now goalkeeper coach for the Oman national team.
Mike Flanagan Crystal Palace 1979-80, QPR 1980-84. Now retired
Tony Sealy Crystal Palace 1979-81, QPR 1981-83. Now manager of Hong Kong FC
Steve Wicks QPR 1979-81, 1982-86, Crystal Palace 1981-82. Now works behind the scenes at Chelsea
Tommy Langley QPR 1980-81, Crystal Palace 1981-83. Now retired
Paul Barron Crystal Palace 1980-82, QPR 1985-1988.. Now goalkeeping coach at Newcastle
Jimmy Carter Crystal Palace 1983-85, QPR 1985-87. Now unknown
Dennis Bailey Crystal Palace 1987-89, QPR 1991-95. Now retired
Mark Dennis QPR 1987-88, Crystal Palace 1989-90. Now assistant manager of Eastleigh
Andy Gray QPR 1989, Crystal Palace 1989-92. Now manager of Sierra Leone
Ray Wilkins QPR 1989-1994, 1994-96 (manager), Crystal Palace 1994. Now assistant coach at Chelsea
Simon Osborne Crystal Palace 1989-1994, QPR 1995-96. Now at Croydon
Bobby Bowry QPR 1990-91, Crystal Palace 1991-95.. Now player/coach at Bromley FC
Garry Thompson Crystal Palace 1990-91, QPR 1991-93. Now unknown
Iain Dowie Crystal Palace 1995, 2003-06 (manager), QPR 1998-01, 2008 (manager). Now assistant manager at Newcastle
Gareth Taylor Crystal Palace 1995-96, QPR 2000 (loan). Now at Barnsley
Chris Day Crystal Palace 1996-97, QPR 2001-05. Now at Stevenage
Tony Scully Crystal Palace 1996-97, QPR 1998-01. Now unattached
Andy Linighan Crystal Palace 1997-2000, QPR (loan) 1998-89. Now a plumber
Fraser Digby Crystal Palace 1998-2000, QPR 2001-03. Now part of the Man Utd legends team
Mark Kennedy QPR 1998 (loan), Crystal Palace 2006-08. Now at Cardiff
Neil Ruddock QPR 1998 (loan), Crystal Palace 2000-01. Now a TV personality and after-dinner speaker
Gary Borrowdale Crystal Palace 2002-07, QPR (loan) 2008
Fitz Hall Crystal Palace 2004-06, QPR 2008-present
Mikele Leigertwood Crystal Palace 2004-06, QPR 2007-present
Scott Sinclair QPR 2007 (loan), Crystal Palace 2008 (loan). Now on loan at Birmingham

Fans’ Memories
2-0 win first game of the 89-90 season, two goals from Paul Wright, losing 2-1 in 1990 the day after i had a knee op and getting a chorus of "are you Wegerle in disguise" from the Palace fans on the way out as I hobbled on my crutches. Winning 4-2 a few seasons back with Jimmy Smith scoring a scorcher. And an obscure game in the Simod Cup circa 1992 when we lost 3-2 after being 3-0 down. -loftboy

The 6 nil was great but my favourite memory is of the 6th Round game in 82 and that goal celebration. -zranger

1982 1-0 clive allen,was great fun seeing there fans cop the right hump.Was going off everywhere after.Serves the bstds right for running on our pitch. -QPR1882

6-0 was one of my best ever and most favourite games at Loftus Road, not far behind the Oldham game, it had it all, penalties, red cards, pitch invaisons and a thumping win over a London Rival... oh and Leon whatsit got sent off -TGGGRRRS

That for me was as good or better than Oldham -WelwynRanger

Bloody sweltering hot day, I was sweating stella all afternnon.-DaiHoop

For me it even tops the Oldham game, but then I'm slightly biased as all of my friends are Palace fans and had been telling me all week how they were going to send us down. If I remember rightly there were a load of balloons on the pitch at the start and it was difficult to see what was actually being kicked! -Match82

Seem to remember them invdaing the pitch in quite high numbers before legging it back to thier own end when a comparatively small number of Rangers ran them LMFAO I did -RrsPricey

The 6-0 was certainly among the best atmosphere's I have seen at LR, so much tension and then an explosion of joy and relief as the game unfolded. The reaction to the first goal especially was incredible. I remember the FA Cup game in 82 well. Me and my Dad were sat in the paddock quite close to the away end. They were giving Clive Allen constant abuse all afternoon and then he scored the winner at the Loft end with only around 3 mins to go. Not content with that young Clive ran the full length of the pitch to celebrate in front of the seething Palace fans. The last few minutes were played out to Palace fans being rugby tackled by stewards and police as they tried to get on the pitch. The whole away end was singing "you're gonna get your f**king heads kicked in" and they meant it! Our position in the paddock seats meant we were able to get away quickly before all hell broke loose. I distinctly recall listening to LBC in the car on the way home and the reporter saying something like "both sets of supporters invaded the pitch at the end and were quite happy to kick the hell out of each other". Those were the days! -SydneyRs

I was in Tokyo that weekend, before internet access was widely available. I rang the wife when I woke up the Monday morning (9 hours ahead) and she didn't know the score! Turned on CNN, and shamefully it wasn't the lead story. My first meeting was in a Japanese bank, and I got there early and asked if I could check some "prices" on their (one) Bloomberg terminal. When you see investment banks on TV, it's all traders holding two phones and shouting at each other. While every bank has a floor like this, they also have seven or eight where hordes of people work away in silence. This was one of those. I was led to the terminal in the middle of the floor. While I was working my way through the screens - General News-Sport-Football-English Football-Results-Division 1 - I was thinking composure, dignity. When I saw the score at last, I let out the sound our dog makes when you stand on his tail, doubled over a few times like John Cleese in Fawlty Towers, then got it together and walked quietly away. Needless to say, the hundreds of Japanese there pretended they hadn't seen a thing. -Mr Sheen

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