January 25 – Trevor and the Wonder Goal

HERE at OTFD we’ve always liked Trevor Sinclair, not least because of his excellent and disciplined performances on England’s left side in the 2002 World Cup. Then a West Ham player, he was only in the squad as a replacement for Danny Murphy who broke his foot in Japan, yet Trev was one of the best players in the England team in the tournament and was certainly better than the much heralded Beckham on the opposite flank.

Today we are marking the anniversary of the best goal Sinclair ever scored. It was on this day in 1997 that Trevor, at the time playing for QPR, lined up for the Hoops at Loftus Road to face fellow Division One club Barnsley in the FA Cup Fourth Round.

Not perhaps a thrilling prospect on paper, but Trev was to ensure the match would never be forgotten by the Rangers fans.

Things actually started better for Barnsley when Neil Redfern scored to put them 1-0 up with just 13 minutes played, but Rangers soon responded with goals from Gavin Peacock and John Spencer.

When Andy Impey was sent off just after half time for the Rs it looked like they would try and hold on to their slender lead until the final whistle. Sinclair had other plans.

A long ball was launched up towards the Barnsley penalty box from the right flank but there seemed little danger with just one man up for QPR. But Sinclair saw the chance of the spectacular and with his back to goal flung himself into the air and in one movement met the ball with an amazing bicycle kick on the volley that sailed over keeper David Watson.

The crowd were silent for a split second, not quite believing what they had just seen, but soon Loftus Road erupted as the fans celebrated the best goal they were ever likely to see in person.

The game was not quite over yet and Barnsley ensured a nervous finish for QPR by scoring four minutes from time to make it 3-2, but it was not enough. Rangers had won – and how.

Sinclair told newspaper reporters: “I try them all the time in training but they’ve never come off like that.”

It was such a good strike that it beat Beckham’s half way line goal against Wimbledon to be crowned BBC Match of the Day’s Goal of the Season.

Sadly for QPR the magic did not continue and they were knocked out in the next round after losing 2-1 to Wimbledon at Selhurst Park, despite taking nearly 8,000 fans for the match.

Ten years after scoring that goal Sinclair was playing for Cardiff City in the Championship. He told The Independent: “A few of the lads have been giving me grief about it. They say, ‘I can’t believe you’re still on about that goal after 10 years.’ I try to recreate it in training and they have a chuckle. But as your back gets stiffer and you get older it’s not so easy. I know it’s a popular clip on YouTube, and people still ask me about it. It’s nice to be remembered.”

And remembered you are Trev. See the clip below and check out which brooding Frenchman was boiling over at Selhurst Park on this day in 1995. Toodle pip.