Ridiculous Alex Smithies' record is stuff of QPR legend: View | OneFootball

The QPR 'keeper was renowned for his penalty saving heroics during his time at Loftus Road

Over his 109 appearances for Queens Park Rangers, Alex Smithies made quite the name for himself with his penalty-saving antics.

The shot-stopper had some sort of sixth sense when it came to spot-kicks, with the R’s goalkeeper earning his side a number of points on the biggest occasions thanks to his mind-reading abilities.

Having stopped 19 twelve-yarders during his career, six of those came during his three-year stint at Loftus Road, as he produced miracles time and time again to get his side out of jail after a misdemeanour in the penalty area.

Ever the dependable pair of hands between the sticks, Smithies’ record will long be remembered by the Hoops’ faithful, with two of the biggest moments coming against their local rivals.

Alex Smithies’ Queens Park Rangers penalty record

Smithies had already made quite the name for himself with his penalty antics long before his move to Loftus Road, with his heroics in the 2012 League One play-off final earning Huddersfield Town promotion to the Championship at the expense of Yorkshire rivals Sheffield United.

On that fateful day at Wembley, the shot-stopper saved two shots in the shootout, before despatching a strike from the spot himself to help his side to victory.

That prowess in one-on-one situations continued after making the move to Loftus Road, with six of the 14 penalties he faced failing to be converted, with the first of which coming in a 1-1 draw with Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough.

Atdhe Nuhiu was the unlucky party that day, before Josh Murphy suffered a similar fate just ten days later, although MK Dons still took home the spoils in a 2-0 win that day.

While his reputation in keeping efforts out from the spot was already glowing, his QPR teammates seemed determined to help him maintain the limelight, with the R’s seemingly gifting the opposition the opportunity to try their luck against their glovesman.

It was almost like Smithies’ party piece at one point, with just four weeks elapsing before Grant Leadbitter also failed to find the back of the net, with those in West London celebrating the fact once again.

Alex Smithies’ crucial penalty stops in Fulham clashes

With local rivals Fulham dropping out of the Premier League in 2014 and QPR following them 12 months later, the two West London sides had been jostling for supremacy in the second tier for much of the time since.

As a result, the meetings between the two were often hostile affairs, although a man with Smithies’ not-so-hidden talent couldn’t have cared one iota, so long as he had the chance to save another from the spot.

And as luck would have it, the Rangers defence were once again in a charitable mood at Craven Cottage, with as little as six minutes elapsing before Smithies and Tom Cairney went face-to-face from 12 yards.

Not that you need me to tell you how that one ended up, it had become something of a foregone conclusion by now. Foul, penalty, Smithies saves, continue.

With the scores level at the time, that save gave the R’s the impetus, before going on to secure a famous 2-1 victory thanks to goals from Conor Washington and Idrissa Sylla.

Three months later, and Fulham must have thought they had sweet revenge on their hands as they caught Rangers cold once again early on and got another opportunity from 12 yards.

But at this point it was almost like Smithies was teasing the boys from down the river, with Chris Martin hitting one at the speed of sound, only for Smithies to go on an adventure of a lifetime to tip the ball round the post.

In just the second tier alone, only Lee Camp (16) has saved more from the spot than Smithies, although the latter totals 19 in all competitions, making him one of the standout stars fro 12 yards in EFL history.

It is a record that won’t be forgotten by those at Loftus Road in a hurry, with the goalkeeper’s pre-emptive qualities making him a hero among the fanbase.