Singing when we're winning

Queens Park Rangers v Watford

Saturday 22^nd September

I directed other fans towards Euston Square station as I stood this side of the ticket barriers waiting in my yellow “Blissett” T-shirt for Joss. We followed behind them after the second train had pulled in and got on a circle line train to Edgware Road where we changed for a Hammersmith line train for Shepherd’s Bush. Joss was interested in the other fixtures in the paper and we talked about his French classes.

We got in half an hour before kick-off and took our seats in the second row over towards the corner flag. The teams were warming up and Marlon King and Darius Henderson were announced as starting, with Adam Johnson in for Jobi McAnuff, who was on the bench. This was my second time at Loftus Road and though there’s probably been terracing when I first came about 26 years previously, the ground seemed familiar.

Watford had one end but we weren’t really making that much noise even though the team had the majority of possession in the first half and the best chances to take the lead. QPR hadn’t scored at home this season and so we felt confident that this would be our day especially as their two best opportunities of the half were off target. However, there was frustration amongst us as we failed to convert and signs that the boss felt the same way when the team was sent out early to warm up before the second half got underway.

The tactic seemed to have paid off four minutes after the restart when Lee Williamson got to the by-line to cross for Johnson to head in for his first Watford goal. Relief manifested itself in volume aimed largely at the small bunch of rowdy Rangers boys who’d been banging out tunes off the back of the stand through the first half but when they equalised ten minutes later the same guys let us know that we were not consistent in our support…

Henderson came off for Nathan Ellington and he and King both had shots saved before the end. Rangers had a man sent off with nine minutes left and did their best to waste as much as they could of what remained of the ninety. The Golden Boys remain top despite a draw and QPR are still second bottom though they celebrated like they’d won more than a point.

We ate by the green after being directed the long way round and I saw Joss off at the station, as per, after whiling away the wait in the book section of WHSmiths.