Lloydy reports from Colchester
"After that it was time for the players to come back and both teams did a lap of honour and each team were warmly applauded by both sets of fans"
Redaktionens Englandskorre, alltid på plats, rapporterar exklusivt från lördagens match!
The last game of the season can often be seen as an anti-climax as in the recent history of QPR there hasn’t been a lot to play for. Last season we played Oldham (lets hope they are not the last team we play this season!!) and we lost 1-0 in what was little more than a training match. It was however more than made up for by a very good night out in Manchester afterwards.
So it was off to Colchester this season. Whilst a win was not required it would be useful as most agree that it is best to play the second match of a two-legged semi-final at home and therefore as high a finish as possible in the league was required.
Therefore it was with a sense of anticipation that I made my way to Colchester. Another new ground for me and as I felt like having a few beers I though I would go by train as it is near London and well served by the rail companies. Beers – an early start was therefore required and I got a train into London not long after 9am. It was therefore almost 11am once I had got into London and made my way across town on the tube to Liverpool Street Station. I wondered if there may be others I knew on the train and I had hardly left the tube when I saw Coley and friends waiting for the 11am non-stop train to Colchester.
So we all piled on, my bottle opener came in handy and it took about 45 minutes to arrive in Colchester. We then decided to get a cab to the Drury Arms that was the pub for pre-match drinks. Unfortunately they had decided that it would be banned for away fans so we were sent down the road about 400 metres to the Salisbury Hotel. It was all QPR, all blue and white and a great atmosphere.
After a few pints and a good chat with various fans it was time to wander off and find the ground. A small ground in a small town is the best I can say about the ground. We provided their highest attendance for a few years and that was only just over 5000!! The sort of attendance teams from the Allsvenskan would be unhappy with. Also another slightly odd feature was the fact that although we had the whole of one end it was blocked off in the middle and we could not mix with our own fans!! I spoke with a steward who explained it was some sort of safety regulation. I won’t miss such stadia next season but it is nice to be able to stand every now and again.
The side was much the same as last week though Carlisle who is suspended next Saturday was replaced by Rose who whilst he started slowly clearly got better as the game went on and needed that 90 minutes to get match practice.
The first half was mostly Colchester and both sides had a few chances. There was some good banter with Tony Roberts before the game who was warming up with Chris Day and spent a while in the goal taking shots from our forwards. Roberts is our goalkeeping coach and I and many others wish him well for the Conference play-off final that he helped Dagenham and Redbridge help to reach by saving two penalties in their play-off semi-final.
There is not a great deal to report about the game as it was relatively quiet but it was great to see Chris Plummer come on with about 10 minutes left, a very good defender but so unlucky with injuries. Also Richard Pacquette was given about 20 minutes and forced a number of good saves from the opposition goalkeeper. Paul Furlong scored our goal after putting away the rebound from his initial effort. What was especially nice is that his name was sung after he scored and he acknowledged the fans. Congratulations too to him and his wife after the birth of their 3rd child on Friday.
After that it was time for the players to come back and both teams did a lap of honour and each team were warmly applauded by both sets of fans. Following the match it was back into town where we stopped for a swift pint before making our way to the train station for the trip home.
And as a final point of good news I can confirm I have my tickets for both legs of the semi-finals…stay tuned on svenskafans for all the latest.
See you all in Cardiff…not that I am getting carried away at all, Oldham will be tough.
U Rsss
