Boss Bircham delighted with community backing event

He told the Gazette: “What a whirlwind of a day that was. What a whirlwind few weeks in fact. It will be nice now to be able to have time to sit down and talk to my wife Nicola this week!

“But I’m pleased it went so well. We really tried to get the whole village involved and it was wonderful to see so many kids in Bovingdon and QPR kits.

“I definitely think I’ve convinced a few children to become QPR supporters like myself and all my family – mission accomplished!”

He said all the Bovingdon squad loved it, adding: “The whole thing, team photos, cameramen, big crowd; the lot.”

He thanked QPR for how they approached the game and showed so much respect, adding: “They are a credit to their club and all stayed behind after to mingle with supporters and get stuck into the barbecue.

“Emmanuel-Thomas was superb, also, considering he’s played in the Premier League for Arsenal and also stayed behind afterwards. It goes without saying I should thank my brother Marc for getting the ball rolling and a special thanks to Chris Ramsey who made it all happen.

“He’s been first-class. “He could’ve chosen to play against hundreds of teams better than us but could tell it was going be a great day for our community.”

He then joked: “Give it a couple of weeks and I’ll be straight back into him about another game next pre-season. He’s gonna have to, really, as we’ve now got a TV tower installed and can’t see Match of the Day popping down to use it anytime soon!”