Stats mad from the BBC

Last updated : 23 May 2003 By Michael Morris
Cardiff v QPR
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff - Sunday, 25 May, 2003
Nationwide Football League - Division Two Play Off Final
Kick Off: 1500 BST

MOST SIGNIFICANT STATS

  • Sunday's Division Two Play Off Final at the Millennium Stadium promises to be a hotly contested affair between Cardiff City and Queen's Park Rangers, in front of a passionate crowd.
  • The Welsh club are hoping to go one better than last season when they failed in the Second Division Play Off semi-finals. Cardiff were last in England's second highest division in 1985. Rangers have their sights set on a return to Division One after two seasons in Division Two.
  • Cardiff needed just one goal from their Play Off semi-finals against Bristol City to qualify for the end-of-season finale in their home city. Rangers required a 1-0 home win after drawing 1-1 at Oldham in two tense and tight matches.
  • Honours were even following this season's League meetings, which were both away wins. Leading scorer Rob Earnshaw bagged a hat trick in the Bluebirds' 0-4 victory at Loftus Road in November. Rangers were 1-2 victors at Ninian Park in April.
  • This will be Cardiff's 58th match of the season and QPR's 53rd. While City have drawn three and won one of their last four, the Londoners have not lost since 22 March, winning seven and drawing two of their last eight. Rangers' last defeat on the road was 3-1 at Swindon on 1 March.
  • Cardiff have conceded just once in four games, but they have only scored two goals in seven outings. Should they find the back of the net here, it would be their 50th away goal of the campaign. Rangers keeper Chris Day have kept four clean sheets in their last five attempts.
  • Rangers' 35 year old former Ipswich and Watford midfielder/defender Steve Palmer has been an ever present for the Loftus Road club this season.
  • The Play Offs may now be in their 17th season, but this is Queen's Park Rangers first experience of them. Cardiff failed to be get past the semi-final stage in the Division Three matches in 1997, and repeated that in the Division Two equivalent last season. Therefore this is a first appearance in the finals for both clubs.
  • Cardiff manager Lenny Lawrence was in charge of Charlton when the Addicks won the first ever former Second Division Play Off. At that stage the team finishing above the automatic relegation places took part, and Charlton successfully retained their top division status. Lawrence was also manager of Luton, when they lost to Crewe in the semi-finals of the 1996-97 Play Off semi-finals.
  • Queen's Park Rangers manager Ian Holloway led Bristol Rovers to the 1998 Second Division Play-Offs, losing to Northampton in the semi-finals.
  • QPR are the 12th of a possible 15 clubs to have finished fourth in this League (and its predecessor) and then to go on and reach the Play Off Final. But the club to have finished sixth in the division has a 100% record in the final. Cardiff have the opportunity to follow Peterborough in 1992 and Burnley in 1994, who both crept into the Play-Offs on the bottom rung and were eventually promoted.
  • Cardiff have won the first exchange. With a clash of kit colours, the Bluebirds won the toss to wear their traditional blue. QPR will sport all-white, evoking memories of the strip they wore when claiming the League Cup in 1967.

    HEAD TO HEAD TOTALS
    All Cardiff QPR Draws
    Total meetings* 54 20 25 9
    League+ 46 19 19 8
    * includes all games from the Premiership, Football League, FA Cup, League Cup and major European competitions
    + denotes Premiership and Football League


    THIS SEASON'S LEAGUE MEETING in West London
    Queen's Park Rangers 0-4 Cardiff City
    Loftus Road29 November, 2001
    Cardiff scorer: Earnshaw 59, 65, 87, Campbell 90
    Att: 14,345Ref: Clive Wilkes

    THIS SEASON'S LEAGUE MEETING in South Wales
    Cardiff City 1-2 Queen's Park Rangers
    Ninian Park 5 April, 2003
    Cardiff scorer: Thorne 78
    QPR scorers: Furlong 64, Langley 89
    Att: 15,245Ref: Paul Armstrong


    HEAD TO HEAD NOTES

  • These clubs went twenty years without meeting in the League between 1982 and 2001. They have however locked horns in Division Two in each of the last two League campaigns. Queen's Park Rangers won two of the four meetings, Cardiff one and one was drawn.
  • During the two decades when they were not in the same division they were paired against each other three times in Cup competitions. Rangers had the better of the exchanges in the Littlewoods Cup in 1988 and knocked Cardiff out of the FA Cup in 1990. But in 1999, Cardiff turned the tables in the Worthington Cup, beating the Londoners on penalties in the First Round.
  • QPR last recorded a League 'double' over the Welsh club in 1981/82. Cardiff last did the reverse in 1970/71. Both successes were in the old Second Division.

    CARDIFF CITY

    Final League position
    6th D2 81 points

    Sequences

  • 4 UNDEFEATED - 2 D2, 2 PO [1 win, 3 draws]
  • KEPT 2 CLEAN SHEETS IN A ROW
  • NOT CONCEDED IN 225 MINS / 3 hrs 45 mins

    Recent Form

  • 1 win in last 7 League and Cup games
  • Drawn 3 of last 11 in all competitions
  • Lost 3 of last 9 confrontations
  • Failed to score in 5 of last 7 contests
  • 3 clean sheets in last 4


    Seasonal Form

    2002/2003 PERFORMANCE
    P W D LGF GA
    All competitions 57 28 15 14 87 55
    All competitions - Home 26 14 7 5 38 23
    All competitions - Away 31 14 8 9 49 32
    Premiership 46 23 12 11 68 43
    Premiership - Home 23 12 6 5 33 20
    Premiership - Away 23 11 6 6 35 23



    Potential Career Milestones

  • If they play, Chris BARKER and Andy CAMPBELL will be making their 50th appearances for Cardiff.
  • If selected in the eleven, Gary CROFT will be making his 50th start for the Bluebirds.


    PLAY OFF PERFORMANCES
    P W D LGF GA
    All 6 2 135 7
    All ties - Home 3 1 0 2 1 3
    All ties - Away 3 1 1 1 4 4
    All ties - Neutral venue 0 0 0 0 0 0

    PAST PLAY-OFF MATCHES
    Date Rnd Result
    11 May1997D3 SF 1LCardiff 0-1Northampton
    14 May1997D3 SF 2L Northampton 3-2Cardiff
    28 Apr2002D2 SF 1L Stoke 1-2Cardiff
    1 May2002D2 SF 2L Cardiff 0-2Stoke

    THIS SEASON'S PLAY-OFF MATCHES
    Semi-final First Leg
    Cardiff City 1-0 Bristol City
    Ninian Park10 May, 2003
    Cardiff scorer: Thorne 74
    Att: 19,146Ref: Howard Webb

    Semi-final Second Leg
    Bristol City 0-0 Cardiff City
    Cardiff win 1-0 on aggregate
    Ashton Gate 13 May, 2003
    Att: 16,307Ref: Jeff Winter

    QUEEN'S PARK RANGERS

    Final League position
    4th D2 83 points

    Sequences

  • 9 UNDEFEATED - 7 D2, 2 PO [7 wins, 2 draws]
  • NOT LOST IN 7 AWAY - 6 D1, 1 PO [5 wins, 2 draws]
  • SCORED ONE GOAL IN EACH OF LAST 3

    Recent Form

  • 10 wins in last 14 League and Cup games
  • Drawn 2 of last 11 in all competitions
  • Lost 1 of last 14 confrontations
  • Failed to score in 1 of last 9 contests
  • 4 clean sheets in last 5


    Seasonal Form

    2002/2003 PERFORMANCE
    P W D LGF GA
    All competitions 52 25 13 14 74 50
    All competitions - Home 26 15 47 40 20
    All competitions - Away 26 10 6 734 30
    Premiership 46 24 11 11 69 45
    Premiership - Home 23 14 4 5 38 19
    Premiership - Away 23 10 7 6 31 26



    EVER PRESENTS:
    Steve Palmer


    Potential Career Milestones

  • If on the field at kick off, Andy THOMSON will be making his 50th start for Queen's Park Rangers.


    PLAY OFF PERFORMANCES
    P W D LGF GA
    All 21 102 1
    All ties - Home 1 1 0 0 1 0
    All ties - Away 1 0 1 0 1 1
    All ties - Neutral venue 0 0 0 0 0 0

    THIS SEASON'S PLAY-OFF MATCHES
    Semi-final First Leg
    Oldham Athletic 1-1 Queen's Park Rangers
    Boundary Park 10 May, 2003
    Oldham scorer: Eyres 28
    QPR scorer: Langley 47
    Att: 12,152Ref: Steve Bennett

    Semi-final Second Leg
    Queen's Park Rangers 1-0 Oldham Athletic
    QPR win 2-1 on aggregate
    Loftus Road14 May, 2003
    QPR scorer: Furlong 82
    Sent Off: Andrews (Oldham) 90
    Att: 17,201Ref: Mark Clattenburg


    MAN IN THE MIDDLE
    HOWARD WEBB
    Rotherham, South Yorkshire

    OTHERS OFFICIALS
    Assistant Roger East
    Assistant James Tattan
    Fourth Official Mick Fletcher