25 Years Ago Today: QPR's Cup Final/"Plastic Pitch" Season Begins ...with 3-1 Win at Wrexham!

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August 29th 1981: QPR win their season opener with a 3-1 at Wrexham.
Two goals from Clive Allen; one from Andy King.

With Terry Venables starting his first full season as QPR Manager; QPR being the first team in England to have put in an artificial playing surface (what became known as "QPR's controversial plastic pitch"; Clive Allen having returned to QPR, in partial exachange for Steve Wicks to Crystal Palace) and John Gregory seeming an expensive 300,000 pound signings from Brighton - QPR were pretty optimistic about their promotion hopes.

QPR's Team for that opening game at Wrexham:
Burridge
Fenwick Hazell Roeder Gregory
Waddock Francis King
Allen Stainrod Flanagan

By the time the Cup Final came around...Burridge, not liking the plastic pitch, had been replaced by Hucker; Andy King, after scoring in the opening 3 games was then sold to WBA (and played against QPR in the FA Cup Semi Final); Gerry Francis was sold to Coventry...and Gregory switched to midfield, where he was a scoring dynamo...While Currie returned from injury!
By the time of the replay, Allen was injured; Roeder was suspended (and the returned Wicks was cup tied)