Queens Park Rangers currently find themselves under the management of Steve McClaren, who has the R’s mid-table in the Championship after a mixed first-half to the season.  

After the opening month of the season there was no doubt that supporters would’ve taken this, with an awful August mounting the pressure on McClaren after he replaced Ian Holloway at Loftus Road.

However, some shrewd signings have transformed the squad Holloway left behind, and of course, pushed players further down the pecking order.

Amongst those is Matt Smith, who is struggling for regular opportunities in West London this year.

17 appearances have been made this season, but 15 of those have come from the bench and Smith has completed only 307 minutes of league football. The wait for a first Championship goal of the season also goes on for the 29-year-old striker.

McClaren has opted to use Smith as an impact sub, which is something he’s become familiar with as 42 of his 74 R’s appearances in the Championship have come from the bench.

However, he’s had far greater success in the past, scoring 15 goals for the club.

Whilst he’s struggling to recreate his goalscoring best, it’s hard to fault Smith’s effort, which has been the case right through his career.

Smith is a powerful player who always gives 100%, something that Leeds United and Fulham fans admired about him during his time with their clubs.

When QPR signed him in January 2017, they knew what they were getting themselves in to from the reaction of supporters from Elland Road and Craven Cottage, but Smith’s arrival was still greeted with joy.

In our latest FLW Rewind, we take a look back on the time Holloway brought Smith to QPR…