As QPR and Cardiff prepare to meet as out-of-form, relegation-haunted Championship sides on Saturday, we look back to November 2010 when this was a top two clash populated by the brilliance of Kyle Walker, Adel Taarabt, Peter Whittingham and Craig Bellamy on both sides.

Memorable Match

Queens Park Rangers 2 Cardiff City 1, Saturday November 27, 2010, Championship

Few had tipped QPR for Championship glory in the 2010/11 season.

Rangers had rattled through three managers in each of the previous two seasons under megalomaniac owner Flavio Briatore, and it needed the third of those – Neil Warnock – to save them from relegation out of the division altogether in 2009/10. When Warnock then spent the summer populating the squad with aging old favourites of his like Shaun Derry, Clint Hill and Paddy Kenny fresh from a drugs ban it was difficult to envisage the new campaign being anything other than more of the same.

Who knows, had Barnsley taken any of their numerous chances at 0-0 in the first game before succumbing to a 4-0 loss, or Derby seen out the 2-0 lead they held deep into stoppage time in match four, perhaps things might have been different. But Patrick Agyemang and Jamie Mackie both scored long after time at Pride Park and Warnock’s side eventually built up a record breaking unbeaten start of 19 matches to put them in clear poll position to win the division outright.

Perhaps more by accident than design, but certainly using all of Warnock’s Championship nouse and guile, Rangers had put together the perfect side for this level in the 4-2-3-1 formation topped off with the sublime, impossible brilliance of Adel Taarabt who was clearly the division’s outstanding talent.

Paddy Kenny was superb in goal, though beating Taarabt to the club’s Player of the Year award was typical QPR contrariness. Bradley Orr was steady at right back, Kyle Walker absolutely out of control. Kaspars Gorkss and Matt Connolly a perfect mix of brains and brawn at the back, soon to be complimented by the returning Danny Shittu. Hill, far from over the hill, was a revelation at left back. The deep lying midfield two of Shaun Derry and Ale Faurlin was again a beautifully weighted combination, and it rather fell into place when Akos Buzsaky got injured before game one promoting Derry from bench to beginner. Still, Buzsaky was one of a collection of brilliant players who joined Taarabt behind the lone striker – Jamie Mackie, Wayner Routledge, Tommy Smith, Hogan Ephraim and Buzsaky all enjoying some of the best football of their careers t one point or another that year. Heidar Helguson was the target man par excellence, covered by Rob Hulse and, later, Ismael Miller.

One of stand out games from a memorable season came at the end of November at home to fellow title challengers Cardiff City.

The two clubs had plenty of history and beef having competed over several seasons for promotion from the Second Division just a few years before, eventually culminating in Rangers losing the play-off final to Cardiff in Cardiff in the last seconds of extra time. Now managed by the ver cheerful Dave Jones, and with a Championship great of their own in Peter Whittingham wandering around the place, Cardiff had pushed the boat out on a £40k+ weekly wage for Craig Bellamy and were going all out for the Premier League. Jones rarely mentioned this when regularly taking to television to bemoan QPR’s “false league position” which “they would never be in if they didn’t have Taarabt”. Yeh, well, we do, so ner.

The main match on the BBC highlights programme, Tony Gubba on commentary, first v second in the Championship, full house. It would turn out to be one of those great days at Loftus Road.

Whittingham, who’d scored 25 from midfield the previous year, and Mackie, who’d scored eight in his first seven games for Rangers but then gone 12 without one, both exchanged shots narrowly over the bar from range in the first ten minutes.

The deadlock was then broken by Bellamy when Kaspars Gorkss slipped horribly on the turf when last man allowing Jay Bothroyd to run clear and put Bellamy in, suspiciously offside, for the first goal, just about squeezed beneath the legs of the onrushing Kenny.

Rangers were level immediately as Gorkss atoned for that mistake. Faurlin’s swept cross from Taarabt’s flick was just out of the reach of Hulse, retrieved and returned with class and accuracy by Tommy Smith, and bulleted into the far corner by the Latvian centre back for 1-1. God we played some good football that year.

The game then settled into pot shots and probes. Taarabt humiliated Olofinjana before shooting wide from the edge of the box. Bothroyd stripped Gorkss for pace and was denied by a brilliant on-on-one Kenny save.

Rangers started the second half strongly. Kyle Walker’s long ball up to Hulse allowed the striker to turn and duff a shot wide – this easily Hulse’s best game for the club. Lovely intricate football between Walker, Derry and Faurlin then fed a ball into Hulse and touched off for Mackie to bend around a screen and towards the top corner but for Tom Heaton’s best save of the game.

That meant a corner though and although Cardiff dealt with Taarabt’s first delivery the ball was immediately returned out to the Moroccan by Derry. What happened next was mesmeric. Taarabt first of all came through a strong tackle from Naylor with the ball. Now with a clear path into the penalty box he set the ball in motion, and then never touched it again. Dancing around it as it rolled, throwing his hips this way and that, to move defenders and goalkeeper into the position he wanted, before putting a boot right through the back of the ball and sending it fizzing in an arcing motion into the far corner. Ninth of the season. Technical brilliance. Taarabt magic.

Chris Burke cut in from the left and Kenny improvised a save with his face. Koumas attacked next, and Kenny saved with his legs.

A chaotic period of stoppage time saw subs Agyemang and Leon Clarke combine to send the latter trundling into the penalty box where he was pretty obviously fouled. Referee Kevin Frienbd showed no interest in a penalty. The ball broke free to the edge where Hulse’s low drive was cleared from the line. Agyemang returned the ball to the box but a back post header sailed over. Frantic stuff. And, in the end, a QPR victory.

The unbeaten run was soon ended by Watford, and QPR wobbled slightly over Christmas. There was the Ale Faurlin controversy to come, but by the time the sides met again on Good Friday the title was well within Rangers’ grasp. Taarabt’s insane display in South Wales brought two goals and the draw Warnock’s side needed. They would claim the trophy in the penultimate game with a 2-0 away win at Watford.

Cardiff, Jones and Bellamy blew out. Beaten to the second automatic promotion spot by Paul Lambert’s Norwich, they were then knocked out of the play-offs in the semi-final by Reading and, to add insult to injury, bitter rivals Swansea won the Wembley final to go to the Premier League in their stead.

QPR: Kenny 8, Walker 7, Gorkss 6, Connolly 6, Hill 6, Derry 7, Faurlin 7, Mackie 7 (Agyemang 90, -), Taarabt 8 (Clarke 87, -), Smith 7 (Hall 90, -), Hulse 8

Subs Not Used: Cerny, Orr, Helguson, Ephraim

Booked: Hill (foul), Clarke (foul)

Goals: Gorkss 18 (assisted Smith), Taarabt 68 (assisted Derry/Smith)

Cardiff: Heaton 7, McNaughton 7, Hudson 5, Blake 6, Naylor 6, Drinkwater 7 (Koumas 57, 5), Whittingham 6, Olofinjana 7, Burke 7 (Chopra 80, -), Bellamy 8, Bothroyd 8

Subs Not Used: Marshall, Gyepes, McPhail, Keogh, Matthews

Booked: Koumas (foul), Whittingham (foul), Bellamy (dissent)

Goals: Bellamy 13 (assisted Bothroyd)

Classic encounters

LFW regular and AKUTR’s columnist Dave Barton has set up a QPR Memories YouTube channel, with a mixture of clips, classic games, and old highlights packages. His Cardiff packages are embedded below, give him a subscribe on YouTube or follow @QPR_Memories on Twitter.

Recent Meetings:

Cardiff City 0 QPR 2, Wednesday November 27, 2024, Championship

QPR ended a 13-match winless run and began a winter journey up the Championship table from dead last by scraping together a win against a dire Cardiff side in South Wales. Paul Nardi was brilliant in goal as Rangers ceded almost all of the possession and field position and hoped to plunder something on the break. When the hitherto totally out of form Zan Celar spun on Paul Smyth’s long throw and found the top corner five before half time the plan appeared to be working – to a moment of stunned silence in the away end. The second half dragged on interminably until Celar ran clear in stoppage time drew Alnwick ion the home goal and chipped in a game sealing second.

Cardiff: Alnwick 5; Ng 4, Goutas 5 (Meite 82, -), Chambers 5, Bagan 4; Robertson 4, Ralls 4 (Turnbull 76, 4); Tanner 4 (Willock 62, 4), Colwill 5, O’Dowda 4; Robinson 4

Subs not used: Daland, Fish, Horvath, Reindorf, Rinomhota, Siopis

QPR: Nardi 8; Dunne 6, Cook 6, Morrison 6 (Fox 81, -), Ashby 5; Varane 6, Field 6; Smyth 5 (Paal 67, 4), Madsen 5 (Andersen 81, -), Saito 7 (Morgan 90+5, -); Celar 7 (Kolli 90+5, -)

Subs Not Used: Santos, Dixon-Bonner, Bennie, Walsh

Goals: Celar 40 (assisted Dunne), 90+1 (assisted Ashby)

Bookings: Dunne 85 (foul)

QPR 1 Cardiff City 2, Monday January 1, 2024, Championship

QPR’s long, hard winter of 23/24 continued with a bleak defeat at home to Cardiff on New Year’s Day. Paul Smyth’s goal from Rayan Kolli’s outstanding cross was a rare bright spot on a day when Rangers’ set up, marking and defending from opposition corners was absolute amateur hour against the division’s best corner takers. Defenders Goutas and Ng were both able to score in that manner to give the Welsh side the win.

QPR: Begovic 5; Cannon 4, Dunne 3, Clarke-Salter 4 (Fox 81, -), Paal 4; Dixon-Bonner 5 (Adomah 67, 3), Field 4, Dozzell 3; Smyth 6, Dykes 4, Larkeche 4 (Kolli 46, 7 (Armstrong 81, -))

Subs not used: Kakay, Archer, Talla, Drewe, Pedder

Goals: Smyth 51 (assisted Kolli)

Bookings: Fox 85 (foul), Dykes 90+2 (foul)

Cardiff: Alnwick 6; Ng 7, Goutas 7, McGuinness 6, Collins 5 (Panzo 87, -); Wintle 6, Siopis 7 (Adams 87, -), Ralls 6; Meite 5, Etete 5 (Bowler 60, 6), Colwill 7 (Tanner 74, 6)

Subs not used: Ugbo, Evans, Turner, Robinson

Goals: Goutas 16 (assisted Ralls), Ng 74 (assisted Wintle)

Bookings: McGuinness 58 (foul), Collins 63 (foul), Ng 89 (time wasting),Adams 90+1 (foul) Panzo 90+6 (foul)

Cardiff 1 QPR 2, Saturday August 12, 2023, Championship

After a dire pre-season and 4-0 opening day defeat at Watford, expectations were pretty low for the second game of the 23/24 season at Cardiff. QPR, though, caught Cardiff entirely by surprise with a total change of formation, style and system from what they’d been doing before. That was enough to build up a two goal lead thanks to Sinclair Armstrong’s first goal for the club off a Paul Smyth cross, and Kenneth Paal blast after Armstrong’s unusually diligent approach work. Cardiff soon got wise, and rallied with a goal from Ugbo, but ran out of time in their press for an equaliser.

Cardiff: Alnwick 5; Big Dick Ng 5, McGuinness 6, Goutas 4, O’Dowda 4; Wintle 5, Adams 6 (Robinson 54, 6); Bowler 5 (Collins 84, -), Ramsey 5 (Colwill 84, -), Grant 5 (Tanner 73, 7); Ugbo 6 (Etete 84, -)

Subs not used: Romeo, Simpson, Luthra, Rinomhota

Goals: Ugbo 78 (assisted O’Dowda)

Bookings: Adams 25 (foul), Bowler 83 (dissent)

QPR: Begovic 7; Kakay 6, Cook 7, Fox 7, Paal 7; Smyth 8 (Adomah 77, 3), Field 7, Dozzell 6, Chair 7 (Richards 88, -); Dykes 7, Armstrong 8 (Dixon-Bonner 73, 5)

Subs not used: Archer, Larkeche, Gubbins, Duke-McKenna, Aoraha, Kolli

Goals: Armstrong 34 (assisted Smyth), Paal 65 (assisted Armstrong)

Bookings: Armstrong 27 (standing next to the goalkeeper), Adomah 90 (foul)

Cardiff 0 QPR 0, Monday December 26, 2022, Championship

One of the worst football matches ever played. QPR should have had a penalty, but Keith Stroud was refereeing.

Cardiff: Allsop 5; Romeo 5, Ng 5, Kipre 5, O’Dowda 5; Wintle 5, Ralls 5, Philogene 4 (Harris 67, 5); Robinson 6, Colwill 4 (Whyte 83, -), Etete 4

Subs not used: Sang, Simpson, Luhtra, Rinomhota, Nkounkou

Bookings: Wintle 32 (foul), Romeo 84 (kicking ball away)

QPR: Dieng 5; Laird 5, Dickie 5, Dunne 6, Paal 5; Dozzell 5, Field 6, Iroegbunam 6 (Amos 80, -); Adomah 5 (Chair 73, 5), Dykes 4 (Roberts 73, 3), Willock 4 (Shodipo 73, 4)

Subs not used: Kakay, Archer, Masterson

Bookings: Iroegbunam 4 (foul), Laird 59 (kicking ball away), Roberts 86 (assault)

QPR 3 Cardiff 0, Wednesday October 19, 2022, Championship

What felt on the night like the end of Mick Beale’s brief reign at QPR, in fact turned out to be its peak. With their manager linked heavily with the Wolves job, Rangers turned on the style to thrash a woeful Cardiff side and reach the summit of the Championship. They were aided and abetted by a dreadful refereeing decision which saw Sinclair Armstrong, on his first full start for the club, not only awarded a penalty for little more than a shoulder barge, and Simpson sent off into the bargain. Dykes converted that, and again soon after from an Ilias Chair assist, before Kenneth Paal iced the cake with his first goal for the club in the second half. Beale subsequently turned the job down and there was some deal of euphoria about how Rangers might kick on from there, but they won only one of the next seven matches and the manager did then leave after all for Glasgow.

QPR: Dieng 7; Laird 7 (Kakay 76, 6), Balogun 7, Clarke-Salter 7, Paal 7; Iroegbunam 7 (Amos 71, 6), Field 8, Johansen 7; Chair 8 (Bonne 76, 6), Dykes 8, Armstrong 7 (Dozzell 59, 6)

Subs not used: Archer, Dickie

Goals: Dykes 19 (penalty won by Armstrong), 33 (assisted Chair), Paal 74 (assisted Field)

Bookings: Johansen 26 (foul), Paal 79 (foul)

Cardiff City: Allsop 5; O’Dowda 5 (Ralls 76, 6), Ng 5 (Sang 45, 5), Simpson 4; Nkounkou 6, Sawyers 5 (Nelson 21, 5), Wintle 5 (Philogene-Bidance 76, 5), Rinomhota 5, Ojo 6; Robinson 4 (Harris 61, 5).

Subs not used: Alnwick, Etete

Red Cards: Simpson 19 (professional foul, I mean, not fair though really is it?)

Bookings: Ng (consonant neglect), Nelson (foul), Wintle (foul), Harris (foul)

QPR 1 Cardiff 2, Saturday March 5, 2022, Championship

QPR’s end of season collapse from play-off contention continued apace in this fixture in March, as Cardiff came from behind to win at Loftus Road. Andre Gray’s firm opener should have settled the nerves, but he horribly fluffed a chance put on a plate for him by Chris Willock at the start of the second half and the R’s then let Cardiff roar back to win 2-1 with a quickfire double from Davies and Colwill.

QPR: Marshall 4; Oduabjo 6, Dickie 4, Dunne 5, Barbet 4, Wallace 5 (Adomah 81, -); Field 6 (Dozzell 84, -), Hendrick 5, Chair 5; Willock 6 (Amos 81, -), Gray 5

Subs not used: Kakay, Ball, McCallum, Mahoney

Goals: Gray 38 (unassisted)

Bookings: Dickie 73 (foul)

Cardiff: Smithies 6; Drameh 6, Ng 6, Flint 7, McGuinness 7, Doughty 6 (Bagan 57, 7); Vaulks 6 (Davies 56, 7), Wintle 7, Ralls 6; Colwill 8, Hugill 5 (Ikpeazu 82, -)

Subs not used: Phillips, Pack, King, Davies

Goals: Davies 70 (assisted Bagan), Colwill 74 (free kick won Davies)

Cardiff 0 QPR 1, Tuesday November 3, 2021, Championship

QPR won 1-0 at Cardiff for the second season in a row thanks to Andre Dozzell’s immaculate assist and Andre Gray’s precise finish. The stylish combination between the Dres just after the half hour was a rare moment of quality in an attritional game, painfully short of incident, played in a silent, half-empty stadium , and was enough to win the game for the visitors.

Cardiff: Smithies 6; Ng 6, McGuinness 5, Morrison 5, Nelson 5, Giles 6; Vaulks 6 (Ralls 80, -), Pack 5, Evans 5 (Harris 63, 5); Colwill 6, Moore 6

Subs not used: Phillips, Flint, Bacuna, Zimba

QPR: Dieng 6; Adomah 6, Dickie 7, Dunne 7, Barbet 5, Odubajo 7; Johansen 6, Dozzell 7 (Amos 83, -), Chair 6 (Ball 78, 6); Dykes 6, Gray 6 (Austin 54, 6)

Subs not used: Kakay, Archer, Thomas, Duke-Mckenna

Goals: Gray 37 (assisted Dozzell)

Bookings: Dickie 47 (foul), Adomah 85 (foul)

Cardiff 0 QPR 1, Wednesday January 20, 2021, Championship

Seny Dieng produced a goalkeeping masterclass as QPR completed a double over Cardiff City and got Neil Harris the sack for the second time in as many seasons. Chris Willock scored the only goal, forcing home from close range when Alex Smithies should really have done better. No such problems at the other end where Dieng made half a dozen brilliant stops to preserve a clean sheet and hard-fought 1-0 win.

Cardiff: Smithies 5; Ng 6 (Glatzel 76, 5), Morrison 6, Nelson 6, Bennett 5; Bacuna 6, Vaulks 6 (Ojo 76, 6), Ralls 6; Wilson 4 (Murphy 85, -), Moore 6, Watters 5 (Harris 55, 6)

Subs not used: Phillips, Sang, Bagan, Hoilett, Patten

QPR: Dieng 8; Dickie 8, Cameron 6, Barbet 6; Kane 6, Ball 7, Chair 6, Willock 6 (Kakay 83, -),
Hämäläinen 5; Austin 6 (Bonne 70, 7), Dykes 6

Subs not used: Lumley, Thomas, Bettache, Kelman, Adomah, Duke-McKenna

Goals: Willock 71 (assisted Bonne)

Bookings: Barbet 36 (foul), Cameron 48 (foul), Chair 89 (time wasting)

QPR 3 Cardiff 2, Saturday October 31, 2020, Championship

QPR won, lost, and won again at the death when these sides met in the game of the season at Loftus Road in October, 2020. Mark Warburton’s side dominated through the first half, moving into a commanding 2-0 lead before the break with star man Ilias Chair volleying in the first from Albert Adomah’s cross, then taking a turn to set a second up for Todd Kane who finished with serious aplomb. Sadly, they turned the second half into a real ordeal. Conceding immediately when Yoann Barbet, of course, smashed through Kieffer Moore for a penalty converted by Joe Ralls. They dragged the agony out to five minutes from time when Conor Masterson inexplicably thrust an arm in the air for a second penalty, which Seny Dieng saved but could only parry back to Ralls for an equaliser. That looked to be that until Dom Ball let rip with a 25 yarder on his left foot in injury time and found the top corner for a dramatic 3-2 win.

QPR: Dieng 6; Kane 7, Masterson 5, Barbet 5, Hamalainen 6; Cameron 6, Carroll 6; Adomah 7 (Willock 63, 6), Chair 8, (Ball 81, 7), Osayi-Samuel 7 (Bonne 90+5, -); Dykes 6

Subs not used: Kakay, Bettache, Kelman, Kelly

Goals: Chair 15 (assisted Adomah), Kane 27 (assisted Chair), Ball 90+1 (assisted Dykes)

Yellow Cards: Chair 15 (over celebrating), Cameron 31 (foul), Kane 45+3 (foul), Barbet 48 (foul, penalty concession)

Cardiff: Smithies 6; Bacuna 5 (Harris 90+5, -), Morrison 5, Nelson 5, Bennett 5; Pack 6, Vaulks 5 (Hoilett 46, 7); Ojo 6, Ralls 6, Murphy 6 (Tomlin 68, 7); Moore 6

Yellow Cards: Ralls 22 (foul), Bacuna 38 (foul), Tomlin 75 (foul)

Goals: Phillips, Whyte, Bamba, Bagan

Goals: Ralls 49 (penalty, won Moore, conceded Barbet), 85 (penalty rebound, won Moore, conceded Masterson)

QPR 6 Cardiff 1, Tuesday January 1, 2020, Championship

The pinnacle of the Mark Warburton era came at Loftus Road in the first week of January 2020, against first Cardiff and then Swansea. Eleven goals were scored against the South Wales pair, six of them against Cardiff on New Year’s Day. Bright Osayi-Samuel’s torturing of the hapless Jazz Richards was a performance for the ages. Ebere Eze’s crossfield ball that took half the Cardiff team out of the game and allowed Wells to head home without breaking his stride after starting in a different time zone to the rest of the people involved in the move. Osayi-Samuel lashed in a second, then received a Joe Lumley clearance and danced his way through for a third before half time. There was a scrambled fourth from Wells immediately after half time, a goal for Eze to reward all his sublime approach work, and a hat trick completion for Wells via a glaring Aden Flint error. Cardiff scored in injury time, because we’re not allowed clean sheets, but it was one of the genuinely great days at Loftus Road.

QPR: Lumley 6; Cameron 7, Hall 7, Leistner 6, Wallace 7; Ball 8, Amos 8; Osayi-Samuel 9 (Smith 76, 6), Chair 8 (Pugh 66, 6), Eze 8; Wells 9 (Hugill 67, 6)

Subs not used: Kane, Manning, Mlakar, Kelly

Goals: Wells 9 (assisted Eze), 48 (assisted Eze, pre-assist Osayi-Samuel), 64 (assisted Flint), Osayi-Samuel 27 (assisted Wells), 41 (assisted Lumley), Eze 57 (assisted Chair)

Bookings: Leistner 39 (foul), Amos 86 (foul)

Cardiff: Etheridge 2; Nelson 2, Flint 3, Bamba 2 (Peltier 45, 2); Bacuna 3 (Ward 46, 4), Richards 1; Vaulks 5, Pack 4, Tomlin 4; Hoilett 5, Glatzel 4 (Whyte 69, 5)

Subs not used: Morrison, Smithies, Paterson, Madine

Goals: Vaulks 90+1 (unassisted)

Bookings: Tomlin 32 (foul)

Cardiff 3 QPR 0, Wednesday October 2, 2019, Championship

QPR produced the first in what has turned out to be a series of performances in which they held all of the possession and chances but still don’t win the game at Cardiff in October 2019. Rangers had 72% of the ball, forced numerous saves from Alex Smithies, hit the post, and missed numerous chances while losing 3-0 to three defensively shambolic goals in three of Cardiff’s four attacks in the game. Sean Morrison, Marlon Pack and Callum Paterson were the beneficiaries on a charitable night from the R’s.

Cardiff: Smithies 7; Peltier 6, Morrison 7, Flint 7, Bennett 5; Bacuna 5, Pack 6; Whyte 5 (Hoilett 87, -), Tomlin 6 (Paterson 65, 6), Murphy 5; Glatzel 5 (Ward 81, -)

Subs not used: Etheridge, Nelson, Mendez-Laing, Coxe

Goals: Morrison 11 (assisted Flint), Pack 45+1 (assisted Whyte), Paterson 72 (assisted Bacuna)

Bookings: Whyte 87 (foul), Paterson 80 (unsporting)

QPR: Kelly 5; Rangel 5 (Kane 66, 6), Cameron 4, Leistner 5, Manning 6; Ball 5 (Wells 63, 5), Scowen 6; Osayi-Samuel 6, Chair 6 (Pugh 80, -), Eze 7; Hugill 5

Subs not used: Lumley, Wallace, Mlakar, Masterson

Bookings: Manning 80 (unsporting)

QPR 2 Cardiff City 1, Monday January 1, 2018, Championship

A star was born on New Year’s Day when these sides met at Loftus Road early in 2018. High flying Cardiff looked to be on course for an away win when Joe Ralls converted a very generously awarded penalty after half time but Rangers subsequently plundered an equaliser when Matt Smith headed straight in from a Jack Robinson long throw. That set the scene for a spectacular winner on debut from young Paul Smyth, who skinned Manga for pace and then fired into the roof of the net over the top of Murphy in goal.

QPR: Smithies 7; Baptiste 8, Onuoha 6, Robinson 7; Cousins 7, Bidwell 6 (Lynch 84, -); Scowen 6, Luongo 6, Freeman 7; Smyth 8 (Oteh 77, 7), Smith 6

Subs not used: Wszolek, Lumley, Chair, Oseyi-Samuel, Sylla

Goals: Smith 62 (assisted Robinson), Smyth 72 (assisted Smith)

Yellows: Smyth 70 (repetitive fouling), Freeman 90+3 (foul)

Cardiff: Murphy 5; Manga 6, Bamba 6, Connolly 5; Peltier 6 (Damour 58, 6), Paterson 6, Ralls 7, Bennett 6; Healey 6 (Mendez-Laing 67, 6), Hoilett 7, Zohore 6

Subs not used: Richards, Tomlin, Pilkington, Halford, Etheridge

Goals: Ralls 54 (penalty — won Paterson)

Yellows: Connolly 18 (foul), Peltier 50 (foul)

Cardiff 2 QPR 1, Saturday August 26, 2017, Championship

QPR lost the first meeting between these sides that season despite surrendering their place in the League Cup to rest players for it back in August. Supposedly refreshed, Rangers took the lead after a quarter of an hour when Matt Smith headed in Luke Freeman’s cross. But two defensive catastrophies, the first from Steven Caulker and Nedum Onuoha letting Junior Hoilett in, the second from an injury time corner that Sol Bamba converted, let Neil Warnock’s side in for the winner.

Cardiff: Etheridge; Peltier, Morrison, Bamba, Bennett; Gunnarsson, Ralls; Mendez-Laing, Damour (Ward 82), Hoilett (Manga 82); Zohore

Subs not used: Richards, Tomlin, Halford, Murphy, Bogle

Goals: Hoilett 22 (unassisted), Bamba 45+1 (assisted Hoilett)

QPR: Smithies 7, Furlong 7, Caulker 3 (Wszolek 72, 6), Onuoha 5, Bidwell 6, Mackie 6 (Sylla 61, 6), Luongo 7. Scowen 7, Freeman 8, Smith 6, Washington 5 (Ngbakoto 70, 5)

Subs not used: Lua Lua, Baptiste, Robinson, Ingram

Goals: Smith 15 (assisted Freeman)

Bookings: Furlong 38 (foul)

Previous Results

Head to Head >>> QPR wins 42 >>> Draws 15 >>> Cardiff wins 29

2024/25 Cardiff 0 QPR 2 (Celar 2)

2023/24 Q{R 1 Cardiff 2 (Smyth)

2023/24 Cardiff 1 QPR 2 (Armstrong, Paal)

2022/23 Cardiff 0 QPR 0

2022/23 QPR 3 Cardiff 0 (Dykes 2, Paal)

2021/22 QPR 1 Cardiff 2 (Gray)

2021/22 Cardiff 0 QPR 1 (Gray)

2020/21 Cardiff 0 QPR 1 (Willock)

2020/21 QPR 3 Cardiff 2 (Chair, Kane, Ball)

2019/20 QPR 6 Cardiff 1 (Wells 3, Osayi Samuel 2, Eze)

2019/20 Cardiff 3 QPR 0

2017/18 QPR 2 Cardiff 1 (Smith, Smyth)

2017/18 Cardiff 2 QPR 1 (Smith)

2016/17 QPR 2 Cardiff 1 (Smith, Ngbakoto)

2016/17 Cardiff 0 QPR 2 (Caulker, Chery)

2015/16 Cardiff 0 QPR 0

2015/16 QPR 2 Cardiff 2 (Hill, Austin)

2010/11 Cardiff 2 QPR 2 (Taarabt 2)

2010/11 QPR 2 Cardiff 1 (Gorkss, Taarabt)

2009/10 QPR 0 Cardiff 1

2009/10 Cardiff 0 QPR 2 (Simpson 2)

2008/09 Cardiff 0 QPR 0

2008/09 QPR 1 Cardiff 0 (Mahon)

2007/08 Cardiff 3 QPR 1 (Agyemang)

2007/08 QPR 0 Cardiff 2

2006/07 QPR 1 Cardiff 0 (Blackstock)

2006/07 Cardiff 0 QPR 1 (Jones)

2005/06 Cardiff 0 QPR 0

2005/06 QPR 1 Cardiff 0 (Nygaard)

2004/05 Cardiff 1 QPR 0

2004/05 QPR 1 Cardiff 0 (Shittu)

2002/03 Cardiff 1 QPR 0 (Play Off Final)

2002/03 Cardiff 1 QPR 2 (Furlong, Langley)

2002/03 QPR 0 Cardiff 4

2001/02 Cardiff 1 QPR 1 (Pacquette)

2001/02 QPR 2 Cardiff 1 (Thomson 2)

1999/00 QPR 1 Cardiff 2** (Peacock)

1999/00 Cardiff 1 QPR 2** (Langley, Fowler og)

1989/90 QPR 2 Cardiff 0* (Wilkins, Wegerle)

1989/90 Cardiff 0 QPR 0*

1988/89 Cardiff 1 QPR 4** (Falco 2, Maddix, Stein)

1988/89 QPR 3 Cardiff 0** (Francis, Fereday, Allen)

1981/82 Cardiff 1 QPR 2 (Allen, Mickelwhite)

1981/82 QPR 2 Cardiff 0 (Stainrod)

1980/81 QPR 2 Cardiff 0 (Fenwick, Langley)

1980/81 Cardiff 1 QPR 0

1979/80 QPR 3 Cardiff 0 (Allen 2, Roeder)

1979/80 Cardiff 1 QPR 0

1976/77 Cardiff 1 QPR 3** (Bowles, Thomas, Clement)

1972/73 Cardiff 0 QPR 0

1972/73 QPR 3 Cardiff 0 (Givens 2, Bowles)

1971/72 QPR 3 Cardiff 0 (Ferguson, O’Rourke, Leach)

1971/72 Cardiff 0 QPR 0

1970/71 Cardiff 1 QPR 0

1970/71 QPR 4 Cardiff 0** (Bridges, Saul, Marsh, Venables)

1970/71 QPR 0 Cardiff 1

1969/70 QPR 2 Cardiff 1 (Gillard, Marsh)

1969/70 Cardiff 4 QPR 2 (Venables, Bridges)

1967/68 Cardiff 1 QPR 0

1967/68 QPR 1 Cardiff 0 (I Morgan)

1951/52 QPR 1 Cardiff 1 (Smith)

1951/52 Cardiff 3 QPR 1 (Gilberg)

1950/51 Cardiff 4 QPR 2 (Shepherd 2)

1950/51 QPR 3 Cardiff 2 (Hatton, Heath, Wardle)

1949/50 Cardiff 4 QPR 0

1949/50 QPR 0 Cardiff 1

1948/49 Cardiff 3 QPR 0

1948/49 QPR 0 Cardiff 0

1946/47 QPR 2 Cardiff 3 (Wardle og, Pattison)

1946/47 Cardiff 2 QPR 2 (Durrant, Hatton)

1938/39 QPR 5 Cardiff 0 (Cheetham 2, Devine, McCarthy, Cape)

1938/39 Cardiff 1 QPR 0

1937/38 Cardiff 2 QPR 2 (Fitzgerald)

1937/38 QPR 2 Cardiff 1 (Cape, Lowe)

1936/37 QPR 6 Cardiff 0 (Charlton 3, Fitzgerald 3)

1936/37 Cardiff 2 QPR 0

1935/36 Cardiff 3 QPR 2 (Crawford, Lowe)

1935/36 QPR 5 Cardiff 1 (Lumsden 3, Cheetham 2)

1934/35 QPR 2 Cardiff 2 (Blackman, Dutton)

1934/35 Cardiff 2 QPR 1 (Farquarson og)

1933/34 Cardiff 3 QPR 1 (Brown)

1933/34 QPR 4 Cardiff 0 (Blake 2, Emmerson, Blackman)

1932/33 QPR 5 Cardiff 1 (Goddard 2, Rounce 2, Collins)

1932/33 Cardiff 2 QPR 5 (Marcroft 3, Goddard, Blackman)

1931/32 QPR 2 Cardiff 3 (Rounce, Haley)

1931/32 Cardiff 0 QPR 4 (Cribb 2, Goddard, Roberts og)

** - League Cup

* - FA Cup

Connections

Richard Langley >>> QPR 1996-2003, 2006-2006 >>> Cardiff 2003-2005

Richard Langley was the last QPR youth team player to graduate from the academy set up and establish himself as a regular first team player.

Viewed by many QPR fans as a superb midfield ball player capable of scoring world class goals and producing killer passes, he was nevertheless somebody whose career never progressed as it threatened to do having suffered two horrendous knee injuries.

Langley made his first team debut for QPR as a sub during a 3-1 defeat to Swindon in October 1998, at only 18 years old. A month later Langley got his first goal for the club in only his second appearance, opening the scoring in a 2-1 win over Barnsley at Loftus Road. Manager Gerry Francis has since said he had tried to get the groundsman to deliberately waterlog the Loftus Road pitch that night to try and get the game off such was his shortage of options but a lack of established first team players gave Langley his chance and he grabbed it with both hands. Langley looked like a great prospect and under Francis and formed an eye catching partnership the following campaign with Gavin Peacock and Stuart Wardley in the centre of the park, in a season where he only missed two league games for the Super Hoops.

Unfortunately the following season was a disappointing one for both Langley and Rangers as the team was relegated to the third tier for the first time since the 1970s. Langley missed the second half of that campaign and the start of the new season after suffering a serious knee injury in a home match against Fulham. While undoubtedly a tragedy for the player, and his team mate and close friend Clarke Carlisle who remarkably suffered the same injury in the same match, it actually did Rangers a favour as the club descended into administration, released the majority of the squad and sold anybody worth selling that summer. Undoubtedly had they been fit Langley and Carlisle would both have been flogged. When they returned to the team Ian Holloway was in charge but he still saw the midfielder as a key part of his Rangers side.

The 2002-03 season was arguably Langley’s best in a QPR shirt. Playing on the right-wing he helped Rangers finish in the top six and make the play-offs, scoring a hat trick in a memorable 3-1 win at Blackpool towards the end of the season. His goal in the semi-final first leg against Oldham vital in seeing Rangers make the final, but a sending off, and another red card earlier in the season in an LDV Vans game with Bristol City, in the same game meant that a gutted Langley would miss the final which the R’s went on to lose 1-0 to Cardiff.

That summer there was plenty of speculation about his future in W12 and although he started the 2003/04 season for Rangers, scoring in the first two games against Blackpool and Cheltenham, the club then accepted an offer just shy of a quarter of a million pounds from Cardiff who had been promoted in our stead. He spent two uneventful seasons in Wales, where the fans never really warmed to him, and won caps for Jamaica before returning to Rangers, now back in the Championship, on deadline day 2005, signing a one-year deal. He played 33 times that season and Rangers finished in the top half but was released that summer and joined Luton Town.

His career curtailed somewhat after that with further horrific knee injuries all but retiring him early. His time at Bristol Rovers was cut short and a subsequent move to Mansfield fell through. Played briefly in Thailand but can now be found summarising QPR games for local radio among other things.

Others >>> Chris Willock, Cardiff 2024-present, QPR 2020-2024 >>> Josh Bowler, Cardiff 2023-2024, QPR 2013-2017 >>> Alex Smithies, 2018-2022, QPR 2015-2018 >>> Neil Warnock, Cardiff (manager) 2016-2019, QPR (manager) 2010-2012 >>> Junior Hoilett, Cardiff 2016-2021, QPR 2012-2016 >>> Steven Caulker, QPR 2014-2017, Cardiff 2013-2014 >>> Matt Connolly, Cardiff 2012-2020, QPR 2008-2012 >>> Fabio, Cardiff 2014-2016, QPR 2013-2014 >>> Federicho Macheda, Cardiff 2014-2016, QPR (loan) 2012 >>> Jordon Mutch, QPR 2013-2014, Cardiff 2012-2014 >>> Heidar Helguson, Cardiff 2012/13, QPR 2008-2012 >>> Jay Bothroyd, QPR 2011-2013, Cardiff 2008-2011 >>> Wayne Routledge, QPR (loan) 2011, 2009-2010, Cardiff (loan) 2008-2009 >>> Chris Barker, QPR 2007-2008, Cardiff 2002-2007 >>> Leon Jeanne, Cardiff 2000-2001, QPR 1998-2000 >>> Matt Brazier, Cardiff 1999-2002, QPR 1994-1998 >>> Robbie James, Cardiff 1992-1993, QPR 1984-1987 >>> Wayne Fereday, Cardiff 1994-1995, QPR 1980-1989 >>> Andy McCulloch, Cardiff 1972-1974, QPR 1970-1972

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