QPR have a long line of excellent goalkeepers and when David Seaman left in 1990 QPR manager Don Howe took the chance to bring Czechoslovakia international Jan Stejskal to QPR and he soon became a very popular player at Loftus Road. Stejskal made his name as a keeper in his native country where he enjoyed plenty of success with Slavia Praha.

Don Howe made Stejskal his number one target and a deal to sign the goalkeeper was agreed in May 1990. Stejskal didn't arrive at Loftus Road until October, but QPR fans got a look at him in the 1990 World Cup. Stejskal was the number one keeper for Czechoslovakia and enjoyed a successful World Cup.

In the group stages his country qualified with wins over the USA and Austria before they faced Italy to decide who would win the group. Stejskal was in excellent form but could do nothing to stop Roberto Baggio scoring the goal of the tournament with a spectacular solo run and finish.

They still qualified for the second round where they thrashed Costa Rica 4-1 to set up a quarter final clash with Germany. Sadly for Stejskal that was the end of his World Cup dream as the Germans won 1-0 but his performances during the tournament won many admirers and QPR fans were excited about his imminent arrival.

That season Rangers had a mixed start with a young Tony Roberts in goal and when Stejskal arrived Rangers were in mid table. It was always going to be difficult for Stejskal at the start. The language barrier was a huge problem and the different style of football in England made it hard for Jan to adapt.

Speaking in an interview with www.qprnet.com, Jan explained the early problems he encountered. He said: "The main challenge for me to start with was the learning the language, that was the biggest problem. I also found the style of play very different to that in the rest of Europe and that took some getting used to."

Stejskal's debut came at high flying Leeds United and was certainly a memorable one. It didn't get off to the best of starts, as the communication problem was obvious from the start. Leeds raced into a two goal lead with Stejskal at fault on both occasions. His team mates turned it around though as Roy Wegerle scored one of the best goals I've ever seen to draw us level.

Stejskal was then thrown back into the action after half time. Leeds won a penalty and Stejskal was called upon to keep Rangers level. The big keeper stood tall on his line and saw Strachan smash the penalty against the bar. His luck was turning and so was Rangers as we went on to win the game 3-2.

So quite an eventful debut for Stejskal but it turned out to be a difficult first few months for the Rangers keeper. Stejskal was stuck in a hotel and away from his family and moving to a new country affected his game as he struggled to perform for his new club.

He showed glimpses of his ability but all too often he would lose concentration during games and was unable to communicate with his back four which led to mistakes. An injury crisis at the back didn't help him as he seemed to have a different back four every week and any keeper would struggled with Brian Law and Gus Ceaser in front of him.

The side began to slip down the table in a difficult few months for Stejskal. Fans began to call for Tony Roberts to return but Stejskal was a keeper with bags of ability and after a tough start he began to prove what a good keeper he can be.

The one game I remember it turning round for him was the Boxing Day game against Liverpool. Rangers were in the bottom three and looking doomed and at the time Liverpool were one of the best sides in the country.

John Barnes got his annual goal against us but Stejskal had an excellent afternoon producing save after save. He made it all look so easy punching away crosses and with his big hands and long reach he seemed able to throw out an arm and the ball would stick to his hand. Rangers got a point that day and Stejskal began to get more support from the fans.

The next home game saw fans singing his name as we won our first game for two months. Sunderland were the visitors and won an early penalty. Stejskal used gamesmanship to outwit Paul Bracewell. Stejskal turned his back on the penalty and slowly walked to one post and banged his boots to clear the mud off, he then walked across the line to the other post and did the same before making his way to the middle of the goal. The time it took to do this saw Bracewell's bottle go and his penalty was well saved by Stejskal. The crowd went mad and cheered the team on to an eventual 3-2 win.

Rangers had now turned a corner and so had Stejskal who was getting better and better. He was beginning to settle down in the country and was getting to see his family more often, which seemed to help his performances on the pitch.

In a game against Manchester United in February Stejskal had another storming game making save after save. His best came late in the game, the score was 1-1 and a cross to the far post found Mark Hughes who brought the ball down on his chest and smashed a typical Hughes volley to the top corner, everyone expected the net to burst but Stejskal threw himself across and made a spectacular save around the post. His team mates hugged him and celebrated. Once again Stejskal had won us a point.

The next few weeks saw a familiar pattern emerge. Rangers would grab a goal or two in the first half, usually through Ferdinand, then Stejskal would spend much of the second half making great save after great save to keep a clean sheet. His back four were improving in front of him and gaining in confidence. He always had a great presence about him and made the goal look so small.

Stejskal was now a regular member of the team and a big favourite among the supporters and was in the side, which recorded a famous win at Anfield during March. Stejskal had another solid game as Ferdinand, Wegerle and Wilson got the goals in our first, and at the time of writing only, win at Anfield.

It was a great time to be a QPR fan as Rangers finished in mid table Stejskal had done what few expected and made sure than fans no longer missed David Seaman and we felt we had a keeper just as good as old spunky.

That summer it was all change at Rangers when Don Howe left and Gerry Francis came in. The change didn't affect Stejskal as he remained the number one choice and was now being trained by former QPR keeper Phil Parkes who joined the club as a coach.

Stejskal started the new season off where he had ended the last - in fine form. He was now a fan's favourite and he made the goalkeeper's shirt his own with some excellent early season performances. He seemed to unbeatable at times especially on the opening day against champions Arsenal as Rangers drew 1-1.

The team didn't have a great first half of the season but Stejskal's form was good for the most part. The team's fortunes turned around at Christmas when Rangers picked up a few wins before travelling to Old Trafford on New Years Day. Stejskal played his part making some vital saves from Mark Hughes but the real story was at the other end as Rangers beat the mighty Manchester United 4-1 a result that few could believe at the time and even less believe it now.

Rangers went on an impressive run for the rest of the season losing just three games in the final twenty-one games of the season, which saw Stejskal forming an impressive base for the team to build on.

The 1992/93 season was the first of the newly formed Premier League and Stejskal was part of the Rangers side, which started the season in impressive form. Clean sheets against the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United helped Stejskal build a reputation as one of the best keepers in the division. His shot stopping was second to none and he dominated his penalty area.

This season though saw a problem not just for Stejskal but for all goalkeepers as the back pass rule came in meaning keepers had to be strong with the ball at their feet as well as in their hands. Stejskal found a few initial problems with this and found himself dropped from the team after a game against Crystal Palace. Stejskal was caught dribbling the ball out of his box and conceded a goal and the result was Stejskal was dropped to the bench for a few weeks.

He found it difficult to get back in the side and often swapped the number one shirt with Tony Roberts as the pair of them fought to get a place in the side.

The rivalry was friendly though. Speaking to qprnet.com he said: "Certainly there was a rivalry but it was extremely friendly. Of course each of us wanted to be number one but we were good friends. We always roomed together during away trips we were competitive with each other but still friends".

Stejskal stayed to fight for his place and celebrated with his teammates as Rangers finished fifth in the table at the end of the season.

The 1993/94 season proved to be Jan Stejskal's last at QPR but he still provided some memorable moments. The team were again doing well with Stejskal at the backbone of the team producing excellent saves and organising the back four in front of him.

During October Rangers travelled to St James Park to face Newcastle in a game few who were there will forget. Les Ferdinand gave Rangers the lead before Malcom Allen equalised. Bradley Allen restored Rangers lead and Stejskal made a string of amazing saves to keep us in front. It looked as if we had done enough o hold on until the final minute when Alan Mcdonald was adjudged to have handballed in the box and a penalty was given.

The QPR players were furious with the decision but Stejskal stood firm, he delayed the penalty with his traditional walk along the line before standing tall and making the goal look small. The penalty was struck and Stejskal dived to his left to push the ball away and the final whistle went. The image of Bardsley just jumping into Stejskal's arms as the big keeper grins from ear to ear is one I'll always remember.

Stejskal left Rangers in 1994 to join Slavia Prague before he retired from football in 1999. He has since taken up coaching and has worked with the Czech Republic national team.

Stejskal was probably the last great goalkeeper that QPR have had and we've struggled to replace him ever since. He played in some of the most memorable games involving QPR over the last 20 years as we beat Liverpool at Anfield, Manchester United at Old Trafford and several wins against Chelsea at Loftus Road.

His QPR career didn't start off to well but by the time he had left Loftus Road he had gone down in many supporters hearts as one of the best foreign players the club had ever signed.