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Gary Bannister
It was an important time for the club with the team in the UEFA cup with without top striker Clive Allen who left the club as well as manager Terry Venables who found fame and fortune in Barcelona. Alan Mullery was the man in charge and the fans were hoping to see the team built on unlike in 1976 when after the UEFA cup run the team fell apart and dropped down a division. Bannister was brought in to get the goals now that Clive Allen had gone and he had a pretty good record. He scored 62 goals in 122 games for Sheffield Wednesday so it was obvious he knew where the back of the net was. His league debut for QPR came on a big day for me. It was my first day as a QPR season ticket holder after my dad got me a ticket in the upper loft. After going several times the previous season I was really looking forward to the game and seeing the team and making a long term commitment to QPR rather than going off to support the bigger clubs like most other kids in school were. On that first day of the season, Rangers took on West Brom and Bannister got on the scoresheet as we got off to a winning start. Bannister had a good game and it was the start of some happy times for the forward. Bannister continued to get on the score sheet with great regularity as the departure of Clive Allen was soon forgotten. Although a check back to history books will prove me wrong, it seemed like Bannister would score in every home game. Back then we were awful away from home but on the plastic pitch we were pretty tough to beat.
The season didn't go as planned though as Alan Mullery quickly lost the dressing room and the promising partnership of Bannister and Stainrod was broken up before Christmas. Bannister had been scoring goals for fun up until then including a couple in the UEFA cup first round before he added some more in the 6-2 win over Partisan Belgrade. Rangers were knocked out with a 4-0 defeat in Belgrade and Mullerys days were numbered. When Frank Sibley took over a new front partnership developed with John Byrne partnering Gary Bannister and the partnership turned into a great one. Byrne was usually the creator and Bannister was an expert finisher. I remember one home game against Tottenham was shown on Match of the Day. Back then if you didn't finish in the top five you hardly ever got on the highlights programme so this was a rare treat. Bannister rose to the occasion scoring two cracking goals in a 2-2 draw and he was quickly becoming the star of Loftus Road. Sadly the rest of the team was starting to break up with John Gregory leaving and we were lucky to stay up finishing a point away from relegation. Bannister was a major part in us staying up scoring one of the goals in a win over Leicester which guaranteed our safety. During the summer Jim Smith came in as manager and things really started to take off. The 1985/86 season was when Bannister really wrote himself into QPR history.
As a nine year old kid I wanted to emulate my hero but didn't fancy growing a John Byrne mullet. I went instead to the hairdressers with my picture of Gary Bannister asking for it to be cut like him. Little did I realise that in years to come when people look back at photos of me I looked more like Rodney Trotter than Gary Bannister but it seemed a good idea at the time. I still have the photo of me looking shy and nervous next to Gary Bannister at an open day and I remember showing it off at school to all the Liverpool fans who would only get close to their heroes when they sat near the television. When Rangers got to the semi finals of the cup it was like a dream come true. We were playing Liverpool who can only be compared to Real Madrid in today's football. They were absolutely awesome that season and went on to win the double losing just one game at home all season. We took a one goal lead to Anfield but being naive I was confident of us getting a first ever win at anfield and I was certain Gary Bannister would get the winner. My memory is hazy now but I don't think Bannister started the game at Anfield I think he came on as a sub but as is the norm in massive games like that, they go by in a blur and the main memories of it are seeing the television pictures years later. As you know Rangers grabbed a draw and were off to Wembley. Bannister had played a major part in getting us there and now he seemed to reach peak form.
Chelsea were in with a chance of winning the league and were expected to roll over us but thanks to Gary Bannister we recorded a result no QPR fan will ever forget. Bannister was in fine form and I remember one great free kick which almost produced a goal. Bannister ran up to take it and then stopped before he struck the ball and walked towards the wall. The Chelsea fans let out a huge "arhhhh" noise as if to say "Look at that silly chap trying to fool us" and before they could finish thinking Fenwick chipped it over the wall, Bannister ran onto it and hit the side netting. That's just one of many memories from that day when the Byrne/Bannister partnership destroyed our much loathed rivals. Bannister grabbed a hat trick in the 6-0 win and in truth should have had more. Most QPR fans were ready to lift Bannister on their shoulders and parade him around Shepherds Bush as the local hero but we'd wait till the cup final before doing that.
The cup final of course was a complete shambles and no QPR fan will ever have much recollection of what the game was actually like apart from the fact that we were shit and lost. The season ended with a whimper but it was probably the best one from Bannister during his time at QPR. That's not to say the goals dried up because they didn't . Despite a disappointing season for the team in 1986/87 he still got his fair share of goals and he was one of the main reasons we once again kept our top flight status but it was a transitional period with many of the old guard starting to leave and new players being brought in. The teams lack of successes probably ended any hope Bannister had of an International call up although I was always surprised he never got into the squad when rubbish like Kerry Dixon got a game. He was a natural goal scorer and although I never wanted him to leave, I got the feeling that if he played for one of the bigger clubs he'd be close behind Gary Lineker for a place in the England team. Still who cared about England, Bannister was ours and we loved him. In the 1987/88 season Bannister was again the main goal scorer and got of to a great start. The team was much stronger now with David Seaman in goal and Paul Parker in defence. Bannister grabbed another hat trick against Chelsea in a 3-1 win as we went to the top of the league.
Bannisters time at QPR was coming to an end and the arrival of Mark Falco and Trevor Francis saw the popular number nine sold to Coventry. It was the end of an era for this QPR fan who had grown up in awe at the Byrne/Bannister partnership. Bannister seemed to score goals for fun on the plastic pitch and only Les Ferdinand has matched his consistency in front of goal since. Bannister went on to play for Coventry and Nottingham Forest and I remember him returning to Loftus Road with a doomed Forest team in 1993 and scoring in front of the Loft. Most QPR fans applauded Bannister for the goal as a mark of respect so few ex players get when they return to Loftus Road. Bannister is one of my favourite all time QPR players and one who deserves to be put up on a pedestal with the best ever QPR goalscorers. His time at QPR will never be forgotten as he erased the memory of Clive Allen so quickly and went on to prove himself as one of the best QPR players of the 1980's.
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He
was often in the football magazines like Shoot and Match for
having one leg longer than the other. As a young kid I used
to believe that was the secret to success on the plastic pitch
and used to try and check if I had the same problem so I could
be just like Bannister. Sadly my legs were normal and so ended
my chances of scoring as many goals as he did. 
His
partnership with John Byrne was in it's peak this year and despite
the mid table league finish it's was a great season. Rangers
found themselves doing well in the Milk Cup with Bannister helping
us to a 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest and by now he was one
of my favourite players. 
We
seemed to beat teams by 3 or 4 goals every week in the run in
to Wembley and it all came together on one glorious Easter Monday
in 1986. 
On
that day at Wembley we were all confident of victory. I wanted
a Gary Bannister photo from the club shop but they had sold
out and I had to make do with Terry Fenwick. 
Even
though we were only top until October it was an impressive achievement
considering Liverpool were unbeaten in the league until March.
We matched and bettered them for a few months but although we
had the goals of Bannister we never really had the quality in
midfield to push for the title.