The Final Month...The Final Game

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A month from today, it will be all over! Hopefully by the time QPR play Stoke at Loftus Road, May 6, the club will have already assured its safety. To have to go through another final day pressures, will be tough. But certainly let's hope that QPR's fate will remain in its own hands rather than have to rely on how other clubs do.

A season (and pre-season) that began with Gary Waddock and Gianni Paladini "guiding" the team, having a "strange" arrivals and departures and pre-season activities; and various newspaper storie. The season ends with Paladini still as Chairman but with John Gregory running the team and having made a number of on the field arrivals and departures.

This is not the occasion to "reminisce' or recapitulate some of these developments or statements made by Chairman Paladini. There will be time enough for that.

QPR's six remaining games:
April 7 -Coventry A
April 9 -Luton H
April 14 - Sunderland A
April 21- Cardiff H
April 28 - Wolves A
June 6 - Stoke H

Certain irony that QPR's First game back in what used to be called The "Third" Division was against Stoke. (August 8, 2001). Now almost six years later, QPR's final game of the season (but hopefully NOT in this Division, is against Stoke)

Reminder of that "opening" game

BBC - August 11, 2001 - QPR 1-0 Stoke

Andy Thomson's 23rd-minute strike was enough to give QPR a 1-0 win over promotion candidates Stoke City on their return to Division Two.

Rangers - in their first game in the third tier of the league since 1967 - got off to the start manager Ian Holloway would have wanted.

Thomson struck a sweet shot from the edge of the penalty area following Stuart Wardley's pass, to leave Gavin Ward helpless in the Stoke goal.

Rangers dominated the game and could well have added to their tally against a Stoke side who had four players booked.

Thomson, Marcus Bignot and Steve Palmer all went close but in the end Holloway had to settle for the 1-0 victory.

QPR: Day, Forbes, Ben Askar, Palmer, Bruce, Perry, Bignot, Bonnot, Connolly, Thomson, Wardley. Subs: Bull, Rose, Griffiths, Warren, Koejoe.

Stoke: Ward, Thomas, Handyside, Shtaniuk, Clarke, Gudjonsson, Vandeurzen, O'Connor, Hoekstra, Thorne, Cooke. Subs: Cutler, Iwelumo, Thordarson, Rowson, Henry.

Referee: E Wolstenholme (Blackburn)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_2/1482542.stm