Tony Incenzo attended his first Queens Park Rangers game at Loftus Road in April 1973 and hasn't missed one since
Few of the approximately 12,000 Queens Park Rangers fans at Loftus Road on Wednesday night will be in the holiday spirit. Here's what happens if your team tops the league in October, but has only won twice since then and seems to be racing towards League One in a flurry.
The only exception is Tony Incenzo, who turns 50. uninterrupted attendance at QPR home matches. Since April 28, 1973, if a team in blue and white hoops played at Loftus Road in league, cup, friendly or official matches, Incenzo was there.
When he was 10 years old, his mother took him to his first QPR match to cheer him up after visiting his sick aunt in the hospital. A 2-0 win over Fulham that day ensured promotion from the Second Division and was joined by Incenzo at the end of the game, breaking onto the pitch. He was amazed.
'I left the car at the northern roundabout and walked'
During this time, according to him, he not only saw every game, but also did not miss a minute. Of course, there were some close shaves. “We had a home game against Birmingham when it was pouring with rain and all the roads were packed,” he says.
“I got stuck at the north roundabout and then at the Hanger. It was already seven o'clock, starting at 7:45, so I just left the car and walked the last two miles in the pouring rain. There was no movement, but I did not leave it in the middle of the road, I stopped.”
Incenzo with striker Dave Thomas in the 70s. Photo: Tony Incenzo
Achieving such a milestone also requires an understanding family. Daughter Incenzo was born on Christmas Eve 2018. “We had a game against Ipswich on Boxing Day. I left the hospital and drove straight to Loftus Road. I got there.
«I was thinking of naming her Quinn Petra Roberta Incenzo, but my father-in-law is a Sicilian, not someone you can take liberties with.»
Another problem was the games behind closed doors. In the end, Incenzo was able to attend as a TV journalist, but the plan was to keep his series active if he was blocked. «I was considering hiring a helicopter pilot to hover over Loftus Road while the games were going on, a hot air balloon pilot, or a cherry picker.»
His mother, a proud Irish woman, died during the pandemic the day before the game against Millwall. “She would like me to go to the game. I just sat alone in the stands and in the first half I couldn’t even concentrate, I just looked at the field. They won 4-3 and two Irishmen scored for QPR for the first time in 30 years. I took it as a sign of my mom's approval.»
games he played. Photo: Tony Incenzo
I suffered the same way as a QPR subscriber for a comparatively miserable 32 years, and talking to Incenzo feels like a therapy session. This was a particularly difficult period. “The most annoying thing is that it was unexpected. We all feel it and it's very, very depressing, but I don't want to blame anyone.»
'You don't support QPR for the fame'
We look back on what might be called the glory years, the 1975-76 team of Stan Bowles, Jerry Francis and Dave Thomas that came so close to winning the title, Francis' return as the manager who led the Rangers to a top-notch finish. result among London clubs. first Premier League season, championship win in 2011 and Bobby Zamora's victory at Wembley in the 2014 play-off final.
While there have been ups and downs in the last 50 years, and especially in the last six months. Photo: Eddie Keogh/Reuters
From there, the well dries up a bit, although Incenzo was in the Mediterranean when QPR got their hands on the sacred Ibiza Cup, a 2005 pre-season tournament against Coventry, Huddersfield and San Antonio de Portmany. “I have been to Ibiza. European Champions! I also saw them win the London futsal tournament in the late seventies.
«You don't support QPR for the glory.» You can say it again. “If you want to do it, just sit in front of the TV and choose a Premier League team to cheer on. Queens Park Rangers is about participation and the community aspect of the club is second to none.
“The support they gave to the survivors of the Grenfell Tower disaster was absolutely impeccable. And they have a great community scheme. So it's a club that a lot of people in North West and West London love.”
So with 50 years of continuous attendance and a raunchy career of over 2,500 stadiums and park fields visited, now what? “Everything that has been done in the last couple of years has only been aimed at getting to this 50th anniversary. Hopefully, better times are ahead of us.
«As a football fan, you always have the optimism that you will bounce back.»
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