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Saturday 18th November. QPR have been struggling a little this season, so if we are to harbour any dreams of survival this season we need to ensure we take some points from games like this. After last weeks miserable showing, we need to buck our ideas up quickly or kiss goodbye to this division. It was a struggle to win promotion 6½ years ago and would be criminal to throw it all away. Cyprus has two English language radio stations, both for the ex-patriot forces stationed there, BFBS1 and BFBS2 but both really difficult to receive unless you have a decent aerial. My little Panasonic (club sponsors of course!) Walkman doesn’t have a separate aerial supplied and so the only place I could just about pick up BFBS2 was on the balcony of the apartment. Even though the weather was superb during the day, it became pretty chilly once the sun had dropped over the yardarm, which was around 4.30pm. Cyprus being 2 hours ahead of GMT meant that it was pitch dark when the game kicked off. It’s a funny thing being a football fan, your club kicks you in the teeth the previous week, yet you find yourself shivering away on a chilly balcony in the Eastern Mediterranean to keep up to date with the scores. I had to sit through an entire match commentary on Leeds v West Ham, which was interspersed with regular score updates. Because my reception was a bit hit and miss the first score I heard was 1-1 with QPR having equalised. A few minutes later I thought I heard them say that QPR had taken the lead, but the half time scores said it was 1-1. We received absolutely no mentions in the second half so presumably no more goals and the final score reading still gave it out as 1-1. Could it be that we had finally broken our scoring famine and actually brought a point away from Loftus Road? I just had to know for sure so I rang my mother who always keeps an ear open for me whilst I am away, and sure enough Kevin Gallen had found the goal again at his former stamping ground. Although this tome is ostensibly a diary, I will have to cheat a little for this next part because I wanted to write a match report for each game but this (and next weeks Birmingham game) has to be written posthumously. As they say in some books, italics – mine (author), in this case, italics – not exactly mine but gleaned from various sources such as the Huddersfield Examiner and HTAFC website. The team selection was unsurprising with Dyson and Holland replacing the suspended duo of Lucketti and Sellars, with fit again Martin Smith replacing Dean Gorré as Town looked for their first goal since Barnsley 8 games ago. Town have never beaten QPR at Loftus Road and after the showing of last week that looked unlikely to change. However, apparently Town played well and perhaps Macari and Jordan have given the players a warning to sort themselves out and play with more passion and commitment. From the kick off Town went at QPR like they meant business, and it took just 6 minutes to do something they hadn’t managed for the previous 647 – score a goal. Kevin Gallen whose only other club in his football career was QPR finally broke the barren run with a scissor-kick from Jon Dyson’s flicked header from Ben Thornley's corner. In the opening half hour, Town enjoyed one of their best spells since their only other win this season at Hillsborough and had a number of good efforts on target with rejuvenated Ben Thornley having 3 good efforts saved. Martin Smith had 2 further chances in this opening period with a flying header just over the bar and expert defending from former West Ham defender Tim Breacker to prevent an increase in the lead. Kevin Gallen went close again after 25 minutes with another former ‘Hammer’ Ludek Miklosko blocking Kevin Gallen's downward header on the line. However, Town’s defensive woes continued in the 29th minute when the home side equalised. QPR midfielder broke through the centre and managed to avoid the attentions of Jon Dyson and Rob Kozluk as he stabbed the ball past the helpless Nico Vaesen. Following the goal, QPR perked up and took more control of the game and were unlucky themselves not to add to the scoreline with good efforts from Paul Peschisolido being smartly saved by Vaesen, and a Karl Ready header which hit the post. QPR sensed that they might also be able to bring an end to their own poor run of 9 games without a win. The second half began as the first half ended with QPR on top, and the defence had to remain firm with Vaesen saving well from a Richard Langley free-kick and Steve Jenkins getting back to clear a Connolly effort off the line. Town’s determined rearguard action drew the sting from QPR and they gradually got back into the game with Craig Armstrong revelling as captain in his new midfield role. Simon Baldry seemed to be enjoying his extended run in the first team, although it has taken him 6½ years to clock up his 50th appearance, and finally started to show what so many managers have believed he is capable of. He caused the home defence numerous problems by running at defenders and attacking the penalty area, which unsettled QPR and allowed Town to dominate the closing half-hour. It was Baldry who provided Town with the ideal opportunity to regain the lead and take 3 points up the M1, when Matthew Rose fouled him inside the penalty area and the referee awarded a penalty. Penalty? What is a penalty? Town never get those. They are so out of practice with 12-yard place kicks that no one seemed sure who should take it, so Kevin Gallen volunteered himself in the absence of Kenny Irons. Unfortunately his chance to shine in front of his former supporters was lost when Ludek Miklosko smothered his accurate but weak spot kick. Town continued to press forward through the prompting of Simon Baldry, and in the 88th minute he teed up Martin Smith whose header hit the post rather than the back of the net. Seemingly, Town deserved to take three points home, but once again we are losing ground to the other teams near the bottom of the table whilst we are left to reflect on a good performance, which warranted a better points return. Although we are still only 8 points from safety, the points aren’t arriving fast enough to make this look a viable proposition, and we look destined to be this seasons Swindon Town. With a difficult visit to Birmingham in a week’s time it makes you wonder just where the points we need might come from.
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All words and thoughts by Chris except where stated.
A big thank you to Machala for putting up with me doing this and Ian for his support and my Mum for her proof reading.
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