QPR and Reading FC struck gold with signing commanding centre-back: View | OneFootball

Kaspars Gorkss proved to be a major asset for both the R's and the Royals, winning promotion with both teams.

Kaspars Gorkss established himself as a memorable figure in England, notably for the likes of Blackpool, Queens Park Rangers and Reading.

The defender started his career in his home country of Latvia, playing for one of his local teams - Auda Riga. In 2002 though, he then made the brave decision to move abroad to link up with Oster.

Having the opportunity to play in the Swedish top flight, he also played in some UEFA Cup games during his time for the club, before moving to Assyriska Foreningen, who were in the same league.

After this spell in Sweden, he returned to his home nation and made a real impact there, playing in more UEFA Cup qualifiers and scoring five goals during the 2006 campaign to help Ventspils secure the Latvian top-tier title.

Managing to gain some decent experience under his belt at all of these clubs, and notably playing against Newcastle United for Ventspils, he did enough to earn himself a move to Blackpool in 2007, with the link being then-part owner Valeri Belokon being a Latvian man himself.

He agreed a deal to move to Bloomfield Road in December 2006, before formally making the move when his contract expired at the start of the following month.

Gorkss didn't start every game for the Seasiders during the second half of that season, but that period between January and the end of the 2006/07 campaign provided him with the opportunity to become accustomed to life in the Championship.

And this aided him for the following season, when he shone and proved to be an asset in both boxes.

Kaspars Gorkss made the right decision to move from Blackpool to QPR

After enjoying a bright 2007/08 campaign, he moved to QPR, who had signed quite a few players during the summer of 2008.

Moving for just £250,000, he looked to be a fairly cheap and low-risk addition, even back then.

He wasn't able to make the best start to life at Loftus Road, but he was eventually able to establish himself as one of the first names on the teamsheet and became a key man under several managers in the English capital.

Making 124 competitive appearances in a three-year period, he had established himself as a reliable figure and someone managers, including Neil Warnock, could count on.

Warnock played a big part in Gorkss' success at Loftus Road, with the experienced manager's appointment allowing the R's to push for promotion, and they even secured a return to the Premier League in 2011.

Establishing an excellent defensive union with the likes of Matthew Connolly, Clint Hill and Bradley Orr, Gorkss helped QPR to concede just 32 league goals during that promotion-winning season, and the Latvian probably deserved the opportunity to shine in the top flight.

But Warnock made quite a few additions during the summer of 2011 and that seemingly made Gorkss surplus to requirements.

Kaspars Gorkss made an excellent first-season impact at Reading FC

At the time of his arrival, Reading needed someone like Gorkss in their team.

Not only had they lost Zurab Khizanishvili (loanee) and Matt Mills after their 2011 play-off final defeat, but new signing Bongani Khumalo wasn't performing well either.

With his experience as a South Africa international, big things would have been expected of him, but he just wasn't able to step up to the plate in the end.

Gorkss and Alex Pearce were able to form an effective partnership though - and although his defensive contributions were more important - the Latvia international also scored some memorable goals during the Royals' 2011/12 title-winning season.

Scoring in a 3-2 away win at Ipswich Town, he also grabbed an equaliser in a very memorable 4-2 win at Upton Park against West Ham United.

The Royals and the Irons were automatic promotion rivals at the time and whoever won that game would have been given a real boost in their quest to secure a top-two place.

Remarkably, it was the Berkshire side that came out on top, even though they were playing in an intimidating arena.

Brian McDermott, unlike the R's, did give Gorkss the chance to shine at the top level, starting regularly during the early stages of 2012/13.

However, he was unable to retain his place in the end and after spending the latter stages of that campaign on loan at Wolves, he was unable to help in the Royals' quest to stay up.

They were relegated in the end and Gorkss went on to make a further 25 appearances in the second tier for the Berkshire club during the 2013/14 campaign, before he was released in the summer of 2014.

His time at the Select Car Leasing Stadium may not have ended in the best way, with the centre-back only playing a few minutes of football during their final four league games of 2013/14, but he will be fondly remembered by supporters for his contributions during his first campaign in Berkshire.

Both QPR and the Royals made the right decision to recruit him when they did.