It was the game Brentford fans had been waiting 35 years for and what a let down it must have been for them. A midday kick off usually means the atmosphere is dead and arriving at the ground early I got the impression this was going to be a quiet away end compared to some of the recent away games I've been to.

The pre match entertainment hilarious with the live band looking like some sort of set up from trigger happy tv I was just waiting for Dom Jolly to come out in a Bunny costume, shouting Hello on a big Mobile phone.

Seriously though it was a pretty strange choice of pre match entertainment and the annoying bloke on the microphone must have added to the embarrassment of the Brentford fan, who wanted to make this an intimidating afternoon for QPR.

Holloway made one change to the team that won on Wednesday with Marcus Bignot replacing the injured Oliver Burgess whilst Andy Thomson was once again on the bench which goes to show how strong the squad is becoming when you can leave out your top scorer and still have a decent forward line.

Brentford kicked off with a long hoof, which was aimless and went out for a goal kick. This set the pattern for the game as Brentford's game plan appeared to be to throw the ball in the box and feed off the knockdowns of Ben burgess and Lloyd Owusu. To be fair it was the way QPR have played recently and for most of last season but thankfully we seem to be getting it down and passing again now.

Chances were few and far between as both defences played well and the odd corner and free kick from Brentford caused a few scares but nothing to serious to test Fraser Digby. Most of our problems came from our instance on quick throws to Christer Warren. Digby seemed reluctant to kick the ball and constantly put Warren under pressure with a quick throw. Connolly should have come back to help Warren but rarely did and we conceded several throw ins until Shittu and Bonnot both had a word with Digby to just kick it.

When we did kick it Gallen was winning everything in the air and getting his body in front of the defender and holding the ball up brilliantly for his teammates. We were playing some decent stuff at times but didn't really create many clear-cut chances. One shot from Palmer was easily saved whilst Gallen had a shot blocked, which was heading towards goal. Christer Warren was delivering some excellent corners but we just didn't attack the ball well enough to cause problems but it looked pretty promising.

It wasn't all Rangers though as Brentford had the best chances in a scrappy game. Lloyd Owusu ran at Rose and saw his shot hit the outside of the post. He had an even better chance later in the half when he was in space in the box but his shot was sliced wide. Paul Evans also hit a stunning shot just over during Brentford's best spell of the half. Overall though we were defending well and looked like we would score if the midfield came into the game more.

One player who was having a poor game though was Karl Connolly and Ian Holloway appeared to be letting him know it several times in the first half as he continued to look slow and uninterested at times.

During the interval we were treated to a match involving the England Amputee Squad which promoted a few sick jokes but most of us were very impressed by the game and that ten-minute game certainly had more entertainment value than the one we'd actually paid to see. Then came the funniest moment of the afternoon as the bloke on the microphone hit new lows which you would have though would have Brentford fans cringing.

He urged the Brentford fans to starting signing by shouting "You Bees" on the mic before murdering Hey Jude and instead of ignoring the prick the Brentford fans actually joined in. I'm not too sure why they were signing this to us, perhaps this was number one the last time we played each other in a league game but whatever the reason it seemed to wake the home fans up but it was hard to not laugh at this bloke making a complete tit of himself.

Thankfully the teams came out for the second half and we were off again. Brentford started the half better than us but again didn't create a lot as the back four were playing very well. Doudou started to get in the game a bit more but the chances just weren't coming for Rangers apart from the odd set piece but this looked like a 0-0 draw all the way.

Andy Thomson then came on for Doudou which was a surprise move especially given the timing. It was made just as Brentford were taking a corner and we seemed to go to sleep as Gallen failed to react to the quick corner and from the cross Gavin Mahon should have done better as he had time and space but fired over the bar.

This seemed to spark us into life as we had a few half chances.Marcus Bignot appeared to be pushed in the penalty area but the ref ignored the claims for a penalty. It was a clear penalty but this was one of those refs who seemed to give everything to the home team for ten minutes then everything to the away team for the next ten. Some of the decisions including the penalty were very strange.

As I say though it wasn't all one way with this ref, one free kick to us when Bignot ran down the right was laughable as he was hardly touched (if that was a free kick then the earlier incident was a penalty and red card). From the free kick Connolly's flicked header went just inches wide of the far post.

The ref then managed to ignore a good save by Digby as he pushed a free kick out for a corner but much to the Brentford fans disgust a goal kick was given. Still these decisions didn't have much of a bearing on the result neither side deserved to win it.

He also made one crazy decson when Rose was caught with an awful tackle which saw him kicked in the bollocks. Instead of the automatic yellow card he gave a drop ball, perhaps he was trying to be funny but he did seem scared to book players until the last few minutes.

Our best chance of the second half came from a corner, which Danny Shittu met with a powerful diving header, which was brilliantly saved by the keeper. Connolly then found himself in acres of space on the left but instead of running on to an open goal he stopped and crossed for Thomson and the ball was eventually cleared.

A couple of late corners put Rangers back under pressure but we stood firm and come away with a well earned point and hope for the rest of the season. Brentford have been up at the top all season and looked a pretty average side and when we get Langley back and Holloway realises that Doudou, Gallen and Thomson should be in the team from the start then I see no reason why we can't improve during the second half of the season and get into the playoffs.

So the first and possibly last ever derby at Griffin Park (if Ron Noades gets his way) and both sides can go home pretty happy with the way it went.

Man of the Match: Danny Shittu

Players Ratings

30. Fraser Digby: Seemed scared to kick it in the first half then couldn't boot it forward long enough in the second. Didn't have much to do to be honest. 7/10

17. Terell Forbes: Defended well at times but needs to learn when to play his way out of trouble and when to just clear it. 7/10

15. Christer Warren: Another improved performance. Defensivly he was solid although he did make the odd error. His corners were excellent though and with Danny Shittu to aim for we might start looking dangerous from set pieces. 7/10

31. Danny Shittu: A rock at the back, cleared everything put in his way and almost scored. He causes so many problems when he comes forward for set pieces you wonder why he seems so reluctant to go up at every opportunity. 8/10

12.Matthew Rose: Another impressive performance as he defended very well and looked more confident on the ball with Shittu alongside him. 8/10

11.Marcus Bignot: Wasn't in the game during the first half but got better as it wore on. He doesn't look good as a winger though and hopefully Burgess wll be back next week. 6/10

26. Alex Bonnot: Got stuck in and tried to battle for the team but he is better when he is passing the ball and didn't really get the chance to do that today. 6/10

4. Steve Palmer: Looks lost in midfield and we ended up playing as a back five at times. 6/10

10. Karl Connolly: Awful performance from Karl who was never in the game and was so slow it was ridiculous. 5/10

18. Kevin Gallen: Did what he does best which is holding the ball up and working hard up front. He looked knackered towards the end the midfield didn't support him enough to make his efforts worthwhile. 7/10

29. Doudou: Worked his socks off up front and looked dangerous at times. I thought he was unlucky to be taken off. 7/10

Subs

27. Andy Thomson: With the midfield creating nothing again for the forward it didn't matter who played up front but Thomson did his best as ever. 7/10