So far this season it has been as though the non league George Bush has fired a Cruise missile at the QPR reserves and youths and the semi professional game has been enjoying the destruction. The problem is, those lower divisions are still sifting through the wreckage of last seasons collateral damage!

They’re having a good enough season, they’re second in the Southern League Division One East and stealing the points for them on Saturday, in front of 87 people, was Hamid Barr. It was Barr’s twelfth goal of the season for Fisher, but not Fisher’s first ex QPR striker to feature for them this campaign. A certain Richard Pacquette played for them once this season too.

Only recently taking the same route out of Rangers as Hamid due was Ben Walshe. He is now carving a successful career at St Albans City, having been an almost ever present this season. City are doing their best to stave off relegation from the Nationwide Conference South. Richard Pacquette has played one game for them as well.

Still stretching out his career is Lee “Chippy” Charles. His latest club is Worthing in the Ryman Premier whom he joined in February. He’s still banging in the goals too, scoring this weekend in a 3-0 victory over Folkestone.

Talking of players with a proud non league history of banging in the goals, an old ex file favourite, Bertie Brayley (once a real prospect in the R’s youth), is now at Farnborough, who are looking shaky at the bottom end of the Nationwide Conference. And, errr, Richard Pacquette has played for them this season too.

As reported last time, the doors at Kingstonian FC in the Ryman Premier have been revolving with QPR players all season. The current midfield though shows ex youth team prospects Dean Lodge and Giles Coke holding the line. Sadly the boys are staring at relegation having found themselves six points adrift of the rest. The silver lining is the clubs ownership problems appear to be sorting themselves out at last.

Another haven for our youngsters this season has been AFC Wimbledon. This weekend they walloped Newport (IOW) 5-0. Helping to keep the clean sheet were Jake Cole and Lewis Hamilton. Whilst making his debut was one of our soon to be departing youngsters, Sonny Farr. Guess what, he set up the first goal!

Player of the week is a young lad in his first permanent season of non league football. Dennis Oli Signed for Grays to team up with Leroy Griffiths and the two of them have been quite formidable this season with Leroy as the striker and Dennis as provider. Leroy has scored 23 times and Dennis 10 as they stroll away with the Nationwide South. But with Griffiths out the manager switched Oli up front, and lo and behold, he scored twice in a 4-1 win to knock Exeter out of the FA Trophy. Not surprising that he should be so lethal up front and it’s my opinion he could have been for us too, but sadly he was only used in the first team as a right midfielder. A semi final against Burton beckons for Dennis, good luck to him in that game.

Reading the local newspapers of Basingstoke this week, I noticed that Ernie Howe was in the headlines. He still keeps himself fit, and ran the Reading half marathon recently in under two hours. Obviously he is quite well respected in the community as recently won an award for “Coach of the Year” in the Basingstoke Gazette sports awards. All I remember him for is the Craig McAllister episode.

You might remember McAllister as the young, nippy striker who we offered to pay £50k for a couple of years ago only for Howe to turn it down as not enough. I’ll bet they are ruing that decision. Craig has been on loan at Gravesend recently having had no success at Stevenage Borough, where he moved on a free. Funny that neither did Richard Pacquette. He played for Stevenage this season too, twice in fact, before being released. Again.

Another player who has dropped through the divisions after some initially impressive days at QPR is Stuart Wardley. Despite being able to control a wardrobe better than he could a football, I’ll always remember the fantastic displays he gave us in his first season at Loftus Road. No one could ever fault his commitment and he contributed heavily with some important goals from midfield. Sadly he couldn’t keep it going and ended up being released, then signed up by Rushden and Diamonds. While having a successful time there, he also suffered a serious injury. I spoke to Marcus Bignot last year who cast doubts on him playing again, however he seems to have come out the other side.

This season he has been at Torquay, Leyton Orient and Cambridge, but in the end he returned to his roots. After a short training spell at the club we originally bought him from for £15,000, Saffron Walden, he has signed for Bedford Town of the Southern League Premier. His debut yielded no goals but a 0-0 draw helped keep Bedford second in the league and in the hunt for promotion to the Nationwide Conference South.

Whilst Bedford may have competition for that promotion spot it doesn’t come from Hemel Hempstead Town, they are rock bottom of the division and in need of goals. They have signaled their intentions… Richard Pacquette made his debut for them on Saturday. They lost 3-0. Ho-hum! For those unsure, that is a drop of five divisions for Richard. The 320 people that watched were probably just relieved he didn’t get sent off.

varc@qprnet.com