By Ben Kosky QPR players and supporters will hold a minute s applause for the club s record appearance holder Tony Ingham before Sunday s game against Newcastle. Ingham, who passed away last week at the age of 85, spent 13 seasons with Rangers before goin

By Ben Kosky

QPR players and supporters will hold a minute's applause for the club's record appearance holder Tony Ingham before Sunday's game against Newcastle.

Ingham, who passed away last week at the age of 85, spent 13 seasons with Rangers before going on the serve the club as commercial manager, secretary and director.

Brian Rowe, who worked alongside Ingham before succeeding him as the club's sales and marketing director, told the Times: "I'll be standing there on Sunday cheering and clapping with the rest of them.

"I remember watching Tony play for QPR when I was a boy - he was a fantastic left-back who never wasted a ball and shone out like a shining beacon.

"He did so many jobs there after he retired. He was secretary for a while, ran the shop and I think he even took over the manager's role when Jim Gregory decided to sack somebody!

"Tony was an absolute gentleman and it was lovely to work with him. He would always go out of his way for people and I remember one piece of advice he gave me.

"That was to respond to every letter and phone call I received. He said: 'Always remember, Brian, if someone takes the trouble to get in touch, you must react to it'."

Ingham grew up in Harrogate and began his professional career with Leeds United, but moved to Rangers in the summer of 1950 and went on to make a total of 555 appearances in the blue and white hoops.

He was an ever present in five successive seasons and never received so much as a yellow card throughout his QPR career.

Ingham hung up his boots in 1963, but remained with the club in various roles under Gregory's chairmanship, culminating in his appointment as commercial manager.

Gregory's successor as chairman, David Bulstrode, agreed to rename the Patrons' Club at Loftus Road as the Tony Ingham Suite, which it remains to this day.

Although Ingham was unable to attend Loftus Road in recent years due to ill health, his son Mark remains a regular spectator at Rangers matches.