25 Years Ago Today: QPR's Cup Final/"Plastic Pitch"
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By the time the Cup Final came around...Burridge, not liking the plastic pitch, had been replaced by Hucker; Andy King, after scoring in the opening 3 games was then sold to WBA (and played against QPR in the FA Cup Semi Final); Gerry Francis was sold to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)
simon stainrod eh, blast from the past :o
What it doesn't tell you is we lost our first home game on the Omniturf against Luton!!....I should know I was there! stewarding the away end!!
with Keith Langford by any chance ???
No keith became a steward about 2 years later...blimey I wonder how he is?? :shock:
not seen him for donkey's year's, bumped into his stepson about a year ago, i'll make some enquirie's :)
that would be excellent !!maybe you could direct him to here:wink:
c what i can sort , going for a shower then home at 5.40 , knackered
