Snippets: Shimmin Trialing With St. Mirren...No Ward for China...QPR Reserves/U-21 Win at Windsor ....Iran and Nygaard Flashbacks

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Dominic Shimmin Trialing at St. Mirren -St. Mirren Unofficial Site "Black and White Army" "...Dumbarton 2 Saints 2 -Tuesday, 22 July 2008 "....[St. Mirren[ handed a debut to trialist centre half Dominic Shimmin. The towering defender apparently is a Londoner who started out with Arsenal and has since played with QPR. The player was also on trial at Morton last week so there is a fair chance he'll be playing at Cappeilow this Saturday either way..." St Mirren Also from last week: Greenock Telegraph


Nick Ward talks about Not being included in Australia's China Olympics squad.
SBA - Ward vows to bounce back
A devastated Nick Ward has revealed how the hammer blow of being left out of Graham Arnold’s Olympic squad almost wrecked his desire to play football again.
Still coming to terms with failing to make the 18-man cut for Beijing, the Melbourne Victory midfielder has vowed to prove Arnold wrong by having a stand-out season for the A-League’s best supported club, winning his way into the Socceroos reckoning and eventually returning to Europe to show his failure to make the grade with Queens Park Rangers was merely an aberration.
Ward, who played a pivotal role in the Olyroos’ long march to Beijing with a gallery of influential displays, was so distraught at missing the main event that he couldn’t even bare thought of returning to training with his club.
"I was there for the entire qualification campaign and it was gutting not to be picked after a three-year process," said the 23-year-old who first sprung to prominence with Perth Glory.
"It took a while to pull myself back together - I didn’t even want to go to training, the motivation to play just wasn’t there."
"It was a massive down for me. For four or five days I just kept to myself, turned my phone off and only really talked to my family."
"I felt I played a part in getting us there and it was tough not be recognised for that."
"I think the boss (Arnold) dragged out the selection process big time. He knows all of us and a decision could have been made a lot sooner."
"I missed a couple of camps (through injury first and then Asian Champions League commitments) and when I returned to join the squad (for camps in the Central Coast and then Darwin) I felt on the outer. I’d gone from being a starting player to being a bit on the fringes."
"But I was still confident I would make the side. I’d got on top of a groin injury, passed all the beep tests but it just wasn’t good enough. I'm now going to make sure I gave a good season and show Graham Arnold he was wrong not to pick me."
Ward, whose arrival at the back end of last season from QPR coincided with a late - but ultimately unsuccessful bid to reach the playoffs - is convinced Ernie Merrick’s renovated line up will invoke comparisons with 2007’s title-winning year when the season kicks off next month.
"I think we’re in for a really good year this year," predicted Ward.
"We nearly sneaked into the finals last time and had we I think we’d have gone on to win it."
He puts Victory’s failure to progress beyond the group stage of the Asian Champions League down to the loss through injury of the club’s master of ceremonies Archie Thompson and Costa Rican star Carlos Hernandez.
"They are both big players and it was always going to be tough after that."
Last weekend’s 2-1 Pre-Season Cup loss to Adelaide in Launceston was, in his words, 'down to a lapse in concentration’.
"We’ll put things right," he added.
Starting, he hopes, in the second Pre-Season Cup clash - away to former club Perth on Saturday.
With a knack for scoring important goals, Ward has set a target of at least six this season.
"I think that’s achievable. I plan to shake things up this year. I’m also after that elusive Socceroos cap."
The closest he has come thus far was a place on the bench against Bahrain in last year’s Asian Cup qualifier.
"I’ve been involved in some Socceroos camps under Pim Verbeek but my injury (groin) went against me. But I haven’t given up. Being a Socceroo is still a big goal for me."
He also believes redemption man Mark Bosnich, a teammate briefly at QPR earlier this year, can make an impact with the Mariners.
"He’s one of the best shot stoppers out there. I don’t see why anybody wouldn’t want to sign him. We used to hang out together in London and he’s one of the greatest characters football has known. The game has given him something to live for again. He was in bad shape and now his love for football has brought him back." Report


BBC Gossip: No Martin Taylor to QPR: "Birmingham have told QPR to forget about signing Martin Taylor after assuring the defender he will play a key role in their bid for promotion. (Daily Mirror)" - BBC


QPR Reserves/U-21 won 2-1 at Windsor. QPR's team: QPR: Reece Crowther, Joe Ostler, Zesh Rehman (Lee Brown, 60), Josh Ford (Ryan Myers, 65), Chris Barker, Romone Rose, Danny Maguire, Matt O'Brien, Chris Arthur (Christian Nanetti, 80), Chris Flood, Danny Nardiello.

Windsor and Eton Official Site - ROYALISTS SO CLOSE TO UPSET
Windsor & Eton came so close to causing a major upset in their latest pre-season friendly narrowly losing 2-1 at home to QPR.
Martin Williams equalised following Chris Flood's opener with Lee Brown grabbing a second half winner.
As expected, the visitors started the stronger of the two sides and were soon to take the lead.
A long ball over the home defence allowed Chris Flood to run through and lob Kieron Drake.
That lead was almost doubled a minute later when Ramon Rose's cross was headed against the post by Chris Arthur before being cleared by Dave Tilbury.
Windsor regrouped and it wasn't long before they pulled the scores level.
Ryan Parsons sent a long ball towards the QPR area where Michael Chennells set up Martin Williams to sensationally beat Reece Crowther.
Windsor should have taken control of the match as they kept themselves on top for the remainder of the half.
Jake Parsons hit an effort wide of goal with the keeper beaten and then a second effort went the same way soon after.
Chennells also came close on the stroke of half time when he hit over the bar after Matt Seedel's effort was blocked.
The start of the second half saw Windsor manager Keith Scott make changes, taking off Drake, Williams and Mark Cooper replacing them with Sam Mazurek, Simon Goodrham and Chris Cahill.
Rangers coach Gareth Ainsworth then started to make changes of his own with Lee Brown replacing Zesh Rehman and Ryan Myers on for Josh Ford.
The first of these changes would prove to be the winning move when Brown managed to lose Jake Parsons before slotting the ball under the body of Mazurek.
Windsor had a perfect opportunity to level the scores for a second time when Seedel was put clean through but his effort went over the bar...." Windsor and Eton

QPR Official Site WINDSOR & ETON 1-2 QPR
A second-half strike from substitute Lee Brown saw a QPR Under-21 and Reserve side emerge victorious from this evening's match at Windsor & Eton.
With Player / Coach Gareth Ainsworth taking the team, it was the visitors who started stronger at Stag Meadow, and their superiority was rewarded inside the opening ten minutes when trialist Chris Flood coolly finished after a clever through ball from midfielder Matt O'Brien.
As the first-half wore on, however, the hosts came more and more into the game, and on 20 minutes they made the breakthrough with a stunning volley from 25 yards, which gave R's custodian Reece Crowther no chance.
After the break, there were chances at both ends as the two sides searched for a winner. The effort of Ainsworth's men was plain to see, and on 70 minutes left-back Brown came off the bench to slam home what proved to be the winner - with his right foot!
In a match which saw Danny Maguire and O'Brien both impress, it was also great to see youngster Ryan Myers make his first return to action following a lengthy spell on the sidelines following a cruciate ligament injury.
Following the game, Ainsworth told www.qpr.co.uk: "I was really pleased with the effort the lads put in for me tonight. I can't fault any of them for that.
"Our passing could have been better, but it wasn't a great pitch so it was harder to get the ball down and play as we would have liked."
Since Iain Dowie's arrival as First Team Coach, midfielder Ainsworth has found himself more and more involved in the coaching side of the game - and it's something he is relishing.
"It's totally different when you're in the dug-out, that's for sure," he added, "but I am really enjoying it.
"The gaffer was here this evening, and he gave me a few pointers afterwards, which was really useful. It's fantastic to be able to get tips from someone like him.
"And it was great to see young Ryan make his return after being out for so long. Everyone was really pleased for him, none more so than me."
QPR: Reece Crowther, Joe Ostler, Zesh Rehman (Lee Brown, 60), Josh Ford (Ryan Myers, 65), Chris Barker, Romone Rose, Danny Maguire, Matt O'Brien, Chris Arthur (Christian Nanetti, 80), Chris Flood, Danny Nardiello. QPR


Three years ago today, QPR crushed Iran at Loftus Road. Trialist, Wayne Henderson in goal for QPR. Scorers: Furlong, Ainsworth and Santos
July 23, 2005 - QPR 3 Iran 0 - Sunday Times Match Report - July 24, 2005
QPR 3 Iran 0: Iran go under in away day to forgetBrian Glanville at Loftus Road
WAS their journey really necessary? Was it really worth the Iranians bringing a reserve team all the way to Shepherd’s Bush while five of their stars were in pre-season training with their Bundesliga clubs? At full strength, Iran, who have already qualified for the 2006 World Cup finals, are thought to have their best team ever. ..
Half-time was approaching when Lee Cook took a corner from the left, Dan Shittu knocked it back and Paul Furlong squeezed his back-header inside the right-hand post.
Earlier on the Iranians had looked the more likely to score. QPR’s trialist goalkeeper, Wayne Henderson, made a resilient double save from first Yahia Golmohammadi, then Arash Borhani. But Iran faded in the second half. Gareth Ainsworth headed in another corner by Cook and himself took the corner from which Georges Santos headed a third. Times -
Other QPR vs Iran Match Reports QPR vs Iran - Match Reports See Also: Reports compilation


Also: Three Years Ago QPR sign Nygaard BBC - July 23, 2005: Holloway lands giant Danish star
QPR boss Ian Holloway has signed giant Danish international striker Marc Nygaard on a two-year deal.
Nygaard, 28, joins for an undisclosed fee from Italian side Brecsia.
The 6ft 5in tall forward told the club website: "The first game I attended was Arsenal v QPR and I was standing by all the QPR fans so I followed the club.
"Many of my friends said England would suit my style. I am a very physical player and look forward to playing in the Championship." BBC


While Two Years ago, today: The squad set off for Italy - Italy Tour Begins