As Queen's Park Rangers head to Villa Park tonight Brian Halford looks back on a previous clash which Alex McLeish and his men would love to repeat.
ASTON Villa have a surprisingly moderate record against QPR – just 11 wins to the London club’s 20 in 39 league fixtures.
And even Villa’s best-ever result against Rangers, a 5-2 win at Villa Park in April 1985, was about as low-key as five-goal victories come.
Late in a moribund season, in front of only 12,023 spectators, the goalburst was more notable for endings than beginnings.
Peter Withe and Paul Rideout each scored twice. “If the four-goal partnership that shattered the Londoners is anything to go by,” reported the Birmingham Mail, “the fans will hope the 1985-86 season brings better things.”
But both strikers had scored their last goals at Villa Park. Within weeks, European Cup final hero Withe, firmly lumbered with ‘warhorse’ status, joined Sheffield United on a free transfer while the talented Rideout was sold to Bari for £400,000.
Lowly QPR arrived at Villa Park for the penultimate home game of a mediocre campaign for Villa, their first under Graham Turner. Early-season home wins over Chelsea and Manchester United, in both of which Withe and Rideout scored, hinted at promise which remained unfulfilled.
French winger Didier Six, who formerly dazzled for Stuttgart and Valencia, made his debut in that United game but never really settled and, with Rideout troubled by injury, Withe struggled. He lined up against Rangers without a goal in 23 games.
His powers were waning but, on the day of the QPR game, he told the Mail of his desire to remain at Villa.
“I want to stay,” he said. “I have no intention of walking out on the club.” And he backed up his words by rediscovering his scoring touch.
Withe was assisted by two factors: the visitors’ central defenders, Steve Wicks and Terry Fenwick, having a major off-day and 17-year-old Tony Daley coming into the team to give Villa a potent double wing threat, with Mark Walters on the other flank.
