1982 and QPR remained best known for the plastic pitch that was installed at Loftus Road. However, with Terry Venables at the helm, we were playing some very neat passing football ( a necessity due to the awful bounce on said pitch) with the elegant strides of Glenn Roeder and the creativity of John Gregory, Tony Currie in midfield supplying a blossoming partnership of Flanagan and Allen with Simon Stainrod banging goals in regularly
Promotion from Division Two was going to be sadly out of our grasp that season. After a 1-1 draw at Loftus Road in the third round of the FA Cup against Middlesbrough it didn't exactly look as if any great memories would be made in the cup either. However, the replay went our way at Ayresome Park, with the R's beating a Boro side containing Jim Platt, Tony McAndrew & Terry Cochrane, eventually running out as 3-2 winners.
A trip to Bloomfield Road was up next and I really don't recall much about the game other than half the ground seemed derelict & the 0-0 draw really isn't etched on my mind! Three days later the Superhoops ran out 5-1 victors in the Replay at Loftus Road with Clive Allen scoring four.
Round 5 and a home tie against Grimsby Town saw Venables' men through to the sixth round, heady heights for the R's!
The draw was kind to us again, with a home advantage in a London derby with Crystal Palace....1-0 to the R's and we are through to the FA Cup semi-final!!
We get First Division West Brom, with the tie to be played at Highbury. Two tickets (£3 each) for the North Bank Terrace secured to see the R's in their first ever FA Cup Semi Final.
I headed down on the train to London and on to Highbury with my older brother and take our places right behind the goal. Rangers were wearing red and John Gregory was suspended. A tight game, which saw Bob Hazell do a great job in keeping Cyrille Regis quiet was decided by one goal and it went to the R's. After some good work down the right by Terry Fenwick the ball pinged around the box a few times, Gary Micklewhite punted the ball back in and next minute an attempted clearance was pounced on by Clive Allen and the ball is in the back of the net! Absolute mayhem behind the goal on the North Bank Terrace as we celebrate.
The final whistle blows and QPR are in the FA Cup final...
A magical day.
Tony Jameson-Allen
Memory added on December 27, 2013
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