QPR: NOT A Decade Ago, Today....A Year Ago Today...

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I was in the process of noting that today marked a decade that QPR manager, Ray Harford, accomplished a rare victory (one of only four during his QPR Managerial tenure) as QPR smashed League Leaders Middlesbrough 5-0 at Loftus Road.
Then looking again, noted, hey English date system: 4-3-1998 is March 4th 1998 not April 3rd 1998. Still given that it's a nice memory, so even if it's not exactly a decade ago, let's recall!
That victory was largely due to one person: QPR's departing loan player, Mark Kennedy who played his last game for QPR were desperately trying to sign on a permanent signing. (On loan from Liverpool, Kennedy played 8 times for QPR and scored twice.)
QPR's team that night: Harper, Bardsley, Morrow, Kulcsar, Ready, Yates, Perry (Bruce 7), Quashie (Heinola 89), Sheron, Gallen (Slade 83), Kennedy.
Goals: Vickers 32 og, Bruce 37, Gallen 38, Sheron 45, 53.
[[Match Video for QPR World Subscribers]

March 4, 1998 - Sporting Life - QPR 5 Middlesbrough 0
Middlesbrough's hopes of automatic promotion were dealt another blow at Loftus Road as they were simply blown away by QPR.
Bryan Robson's boys were determined to bounce back against lowly QPR after their 4-0 thrashing at Nottingham Forest on Sunday but a devastating spell of four goals in 13 first-half minutes sent them packing.
On 32 minutes Rangers snatched the lead with a freak goal. Mark Kennedy's cross looked like being easily cleared by defender Steve Vickers but his swipe at the ball saw it hook behind him and over Andy Dibble's head into the net.
That seemed to spur Rangers and five minutes later it was two in equally bizarre circumstances. Early substitute Paul Bruce hit a ball in from the left touchline which took a slight deflection and flew into the top corner.
There was no fluke about the third a minute later. Kennedy's superb 30-yard pass found Kevin Gallen who rounded the keeper before expertly shooting through a crowd of players.
Mike Sheron grabbed the fourth right on half time when Gallen nipped the ball through for him to curl a shot past Dibble from 20 yards.
Robson took off Michael Thomas, Nigel Pearson and Craig Hignett at half-time, bringing on Mikkel Beck and Alun Armstrong to form a four-man attack.
It was a bold move and it almost paid off a minute into the second half when Paul Merson's corner was headed on by Beck only for David Bardsley to head it against the crossbar and away.
They soon paid for their adventure though when Rangers grabbed a fifth on 53 minutes. Kennedy got down the left and his cross was perfect for Sheron to head home his second goal. The frustration was setting in for Boro and on 64 minutes Andy Townsend paid the price.
Just 20 seconds after being booked for a tussle with Gallen he tripped Nigel Quashie and the referee gave him his second yellow card.
Rangers threatened to run riot and man of the match Kennedy, as well as Bruce and Sheron, had shots well saved while all Boro had to offer were long-range efforts from Beck and Merson which flew over the bar.
It was the first time this season that Boro have lost two games on the trot in the league and the Coca-Cola Cup finalists will now be looking over their shoulders at the chasing pack.
Teams: QPR: Harper, Bardsley, Morrow, Kulcsar, Ready, Yates, Perry (Bruce 7), Quashie (Heinola 89), Sheron, Gallen (Slade 83), Kennedy.
Booked: Yates, Gallen.
Goals: Vickers 32 og, Bruce 37, Gallen 38, Sheron 45, 53.
Middlesbrough: Dibble, Festa, Fleming, Vickers, Pearson (Maddison 45), Mustoe, Hignett (Armstrong 45), Townsend, Branca, Merson, Thomas (Beck 45).
Sent Off: Townsend (64).
Booked: Townsend.
Att: 11,580
Ref: A P D'Urso (Billericay). Sporting Life

One Year Ago:
And something that really did happen on this date, last year: QPR picked up a crucial
1-0 victory over Pateixk Agyemang's Preston, with another goal by Dexter Blackstock, to give themselves a chance of staying up!
QPR: Camp, Bignot, Cullip, Bolder, Ainsworth, Lomas, Cook (Ricketts 46) (Smith 82), Stewart, Nygaard, Blackstock, Mancienne (Kanyuka 46). Subs: Cole, Furlong.

Table After QPR's Preston Win
Leicester 39 46
Burnley 39 45
Hull 40 44
QPR 40 43
Barnsley 40 41
Southend 40 39
Leeds 40 39
Luton 40 37

QPR OFFICIAL SITE - QPR 1 Preston 0
Dexter Blackstock lit up Loftus Road with a goal fit to grace any stadium in the land.
The R's top-scorer bagged a late contender for goal of the season four minutes into the second half, as the R's returned to winning ways in style against promotion-hopefuls Preston North End.
Arriving on to Marc Nygaard's neat through ball, the striker took one touch to cushion the ball beyond Sean St Ledger, before letting fly with a stunning 25-yard half-volley that nestled into the roof of the net.
Victory was no less than the R's deserved, on a night when Adam Bolder and Danny Cullip epitomised the never-say-die spirit which has become a trademark of John Gregory's side in recent weeks.
Blackstock returned to the starting XI at the expense of Paul Furlong, while Steve Lomas slotted in alongside Adam Bolder in the heart of the R's midfield, with Inigo Idiakez sidelined with a hamstring strain.
England hot-shot David Nugent led the line for Preston, alongside former Bolton Wanderers front-man Michael Ricketts.
And it was the England man who squandered the visitors' first opportunity of the half inside the opening 60 seconds.
Nugent seemed to have an eternity as the ball dropped to him inside the 18-yard box, but instead of taking a touch to control, the international hit-man side-footed his right footed volley wide of Lee Camp's right hand post.
Play soon switched to the other end, with Marc Nygaard nodding on to Blackstock at the second attempt. The former Southampton striker wasn't about to pass up the effort to fire a shot on goal, volleying a yard over the bar from the edge of the six-yard box.
Buoyed by that opportunity, Lee Cook's ninth minute in-swinging was met by Gareth Ainsworth, whose deft header flew a yard wide.
There was a brief scare for the R's on 14 minutes, when Cook required lengthy treatment from the Rangers physiotherapy team. Thankfully, the winger was okay and while he was waiting to be waved back on by referee Mr Stroud, Blackstock met Michael Mancienne's up-and-under, only to head wide of the near post.
Neither the R's nor Preston failed to build on their positive start though, with misplaced passes in the final third proving both sides' downfall.
Nugent's class was clear for all to see and when he pick-pocketed Mancienne in the 26th minute, the ball eventually reached Simon Whaley, whose back post header was superbly palmed to safety by Camp.
Whaley was enjoying a productive evening from the left flank and when he cut inside yet again a minute later, Camp had to dive full stretch to deny the roaming midfielder.
But despite the visitors' decent spell, it was Rangers who should've taken the lead ten minutes before the break.
Ainsworth was again at the heart of the move, firing a shot on goal, which was deflected into the path of Nygaard.
The Danish front-man reacted first to the loose ball, only to get his effort horribly wrong from just inside the six-yard box, miscuing his volley high and wide.
Rangers were often guilty of over-playing in the final third, with first Ainsworth, and then Blackstock, passing up the opportunity to pull the trigger when in sight of goal.
Bolder's efforts could not be faulted, with the former Derby midfielder orchestrating proceedings superbly from the middle of the park as the half reached its conclusion.
Rangers were forced into a double change at the break.
Mancienne - who received a hefty boot in the face from Michael Ricketts midway through the first half - made way for Pat Kanyuka, while Rohan Ricketts replaced Cook, whose knee injury appeared to cut his evening short.
The double change breathed fresh life into the R's and when Nygaard flighted an inch-perfect ball into the path of Blackstock 30-yards from goal, the outcome was quite sensational.
Having taken one touch to cushion the ball, the R's top-scorer smashed an unstoppable 25-yard left footed volley into the roof of the net, beyond the despairing dive of Lonergan.
The celebrations told their own story, as the nervous tension around the ground was suddenly replaced by a crescendo of noise.
Undeterred, Preston responded superbly and when Danny Cullip was penalised for a foul on Nugent on the edge of the penalty box, Ricketts' curling free-kick flew inches wide, with Camp seemingly beaten all ends up.
Long range shooting was certainly the order of the day for the R's, with Nygaard firing an ambitious 30-yard strike a yard over on 68 minutes.
Paul Simpson's last throw of the dice appeared to be the introduction of Daniele Dichio 15 minutes from time, as the Lillywhites switched to a four-pronged front-line.
However, it was another Preston sub - Patrick Agyemang - who tested Camp a minute later, with the Derby loanee on hand to dive full stretch to tip the strikers' goal-bound glancing header to safety.
The R's almost grabbed a second in the second of five added minutes, but Lonergan was on hand to produce a stunning save after sub Jimmy Smith slid in Blackstock following a sensational Rangers counter-attack.
QPR: Camp, Bignot, Cullip, Bolder, Ainsworth, Lomas, Cook (Ricketts 46) (Smith 82), Stewart, Nygaard, Blackstock, Mancienne (Kanyuka 46). Subs: Cole, Furlong.
Scorers: Blackstock 49
Bookings: Blackstock 50, Cullip 54, Bolder 73
Preston North End: Lonergan, Alexander, Pugh, Sedgwick, Ricketts, Nugent, St Ledger, Chilvers, Whaley (Dichio 75), Hill (Wilson 77), Songo'o (Agyemang 61).
Subs: Henderson, Nowland.
Scorers:
Bookings: St Ledger 8 Referee: K P Stroud QPR


PRESTON OFFICIAL SITE Preston

GREGORY MANAGERIAL COMMENTS - QPR OFFICIAL SITE
JG Speaks WHAT A FEELING!

John Gregory failed to hide his delight after the R's stunning victory against play-off hopefuls Preston North End.

Speaking exclusively to www.qpr.co.uk after Dexter Blackstock dented Preston's promotion push with a match-winning wonder-goal, Gregory said: "I'll let you know how big the result is in a couple of week's time. Tonight is a night to remember, but we're far from over the finishing line.

"The match-winning goal was worthy of a better match, but there's so much at stake at this stage of the season.

"The lads were magnificent. It wasn't pretty, but we got the job done. We've played better than that and had nothing to show for our efforts.

"The atmosphere in the dressing room afterwards was fantastic, but there's still a long way to go. The passion and the attitude was first class. They just kept running and kept going and got the result they fully deserved.''

Gregory heaped praise on Blackstock, whose stunning 54th minute strike proved to be the match-winner.

"Dexter's first touch was immaculate and the second was incredible. It was a worthy match-winning goal.

"His all-round display was magnificent.''

Gregory added: "It's given us a little bit of breathing space. We're four points clear and with our goal difference being superior to others at the bottom, http://www.qpr.premiumtv.co.uk/page/Match/ManagersComments/0,,10373~1006202,00.html really five.''

BBC - QPR 1-0 Preston
Dexter Blackstock's brilliant volley lifted QPR's survival hopes and dented Preston's bid for promotion.
Blackstock broke the deadlock after 51 minutes, controlling Marc Nygaard's pass on his chest before firing in his 11th goal of the season.
England striker David Nugent wasted an early chance to put Preston in front when he shot wide from eight yards.
QPR keeper Lee Camp denied Danny Dichio, while Blackstock saw a late effort saved by Andy Lonergan.
QPR manager John Gregory:
"Dexter's goal was probably worthy of a slightly better setting and a slightly better game.
"His goal was truly outstanding, and his first touch was sublime. To score 11 goals in a struggling team is a very commendable effort.
"The hardest thing is to settle everyone down, because there is still a lot of work to be done.
"Saturday's defeat by West Brom was a massive punch on the nose, but it shows the character that we have in the dressing room." BBC