More extended piece gives more re QPR playersHendon Times - Hendon 4 Queens Park Rangers XI 2Wednesday 4th August 2010
by David Ballheimer . . .
Hendon were far too strong for a
very young and inexperienced Queens Park Rangers XI at Vale Farm on Tuesday night.
The Rs fielded a couple of their more highly-rated youth-teamers, but they were really no match for a much more experienced Greens outfit, still missing a few key players.
It was an entertaining match and it was also more physical than many friendlies, with both teams occasionally making rash challenges.
The headliner of the show, from a Hendon standpoint, was Glenn Garner, who followed his four-timer against Wembley ten days earlier with a hat-trick, though he was indebted to assistance from Rangers on two of them. Garner was later praised by his manager Gary McCann for his improved conditioning coming into this preseason, and the way he took his hat-trick, but McCann also felt there was much more to come from the bustling striker.
Rangers goalkeeper Jake Larkins had already made a brilliant diving save to keep out a driver from Kevin Maclaren following a precise corner from Jamie Busby, when he made two errors in the space of a few seconds after 17 minutes.
His first was giving centre-half Stephen O’Donnell poor information as a through ball trundled towards the corner-flag without the power to go over the goalline. The result was that, under pressure, O’Donnell conceded a throw-in near the flag and Larkins got a mouthful from his team-mate.
Whether this unnerved him and broke his concentration isn’t clear, but Larkins really should have caught or at least pushed aside a powerful drive from Garner. All that happened was that GARNER’s shot looped off the goalkeeper’s hands and dropped into the net.
If Garner was lucky with his first goal, there was no such fortune with his second, eight minutes later. Attacking down the right wing Garner played a one-two with James Parker, in an unusually advanced position.
The captain’s pass back to GARNER was perfect, creating space for the striker to burst through and his drive left Larkins groping thin air in his attempt to make a save.
But from coasting comfortably, Hendon were soon pegged back. The first goal, in the 34th minute came when a corner was not properly cleared and
Michael DOUGHTY drilled the ball past James Reading, giving the keeper no chance.
Two minutes later, a Hendon free-kick attempted to find Craig Vargas – who made excellent goal-line clearances early and late in the first half – out on the left wing. It was not well enough struck and it allowed Danny McDonnell to step in and intercept. He carried the ball forward and, in the space created by Vargas’s upfield foray, he gave
Mo SHARIF a clear run and sight of goal, from which he duly profited with a well-placed low strike.
Hendon again struck in quick succession early in the second half. The Greens’ third goal, after 56 minutes, saw Garner complete a “perfect hat-trick” – right-foot shot, left-foot shot and header. And this third goal was probably the easiest of the three for GARNER – as the only people he had to beat to reach Busby’s free kick were two green-shirted team-mates. That said, the header was spectacular and powerful..
The fourth goal arrived four minutes later, and again question marks have to be asked of both Larkins and O’Donnell. A deep corner was headed back by Garner, beyond the far post, with Larkins trying vainly to get to the ball.
In slow motion O’Donnell went towards the ball and he then froze, as if scared that a touch would result in an own goal. In his own words, Casey MACLAREN said, “I was the only one alive,” as he got his toe to the ball and directed it, almost apologetically, over the goal line.
“It was good work out,” said manager Gary McCann, “and QPR provided a good test for us. There were lots of positives – especially the way we learned from our mistakes in the first half when we allowed them back in the game.”
HENDON: Reading, Munnelly (Diedhiou, 70), Vargas, O'Brien (Peacock, 72), Parker, K. Maclaren (Agyeman, 87), Busby, C. Maclaren (Simms, 83), Garner (Bates, 70), Morgan (Guentchev, 61), Burgess.
www.times-series.co.uk/sport/8311626.Garner_out_guns_young_QPR_side/
