The start of a new season and optimism was as high as ever at Loftus Road. Those fans without the Internet raised a few eyebrows at the starting line up which saw no Richard Langley and Karl Connolly starting up front in a 3-4-3 formation.

Wes Daly was given the chance on the right and it seemed to take quite a while for the team to settle. One man who seemed at home though was new signing Marc Bircham. Bircham had his hair dyed blue and white and from the first second of the game till the last he gave everything for the cause playing like most supporters would if we got the chance to play for QPR. It was a joy to see someone in the team who is obviously delighted to be at the club.

Chesterfield came for a point and made their intentions known from early on playing with five at the back and packing the midfield. We found it impossible to break them down and we didn't really pass the ball to well during the first half.

We never looked in much danger though despite a few errors at the back. Matthew Rose was caught out allowing the ball to bounce and Culkin made one good save and he also parried a shot he perhaps should have held onto but Chesterfield didn't really attack the rebound.

Danny Murphy saw himself booked after arguing with the ref at one of many awful decisions. Referring standards seem to get worse every season and lets hope that this isn't the type of referee we are going to get to often this season.

We got into some good positions out wide but Murphy and Daly just couldn't produce the sort of quality we needed to open their tight defence up. When we did get a chance it was usually from long range as Marc Bircham hit two shots wide and Karl Connolly had a half chance but he lost control of the ball and the chance was soon gone.

The best chance of the half came from a Chesterfield corner, Rangers won the ball at the edge of our own area and Gallen did brilliantly to turn and push up on the break. Gallen played a nice pass to Connolly who put Thomson in for what looked like a certain goal. Thomson (in a similar position to where he scored against Stoke a year ago) but this time the striker hit the side netting.

This seemed to spark up into life for the last few minutes of the half and a good cross from the right (I think it was Daly who put the ball in) saw Thomson shoot straight at the keeper. He fell awkwardly though and seemed to be holding his back. After his injury problems last year this was the last thin we needed and he was taken off before half time for Paul Furlong to make his return to the club too more than a few groans from the QPR fans.

Half time and we weren't playing well and it looked a certain 0-0 draw to be honest. We came out the second half with a bit more urgency but not enough to cause them problems. A defender blocked a header by Paul Furlong but chances were few and far between. The midfield seemed to lack some invention as despite Bircham's work rate we couldn't keep the ball and seemed to have very few options out wide.

The obvious solution was to bring on Langley and Williams but Ian Holloway chose to keep things as they were.

Chesterfield then mounted a rare attack and Rose once again allowed the ball to bounce and was slow to react as the attacked ran straight past him, the danger seemed to have been avoided though as Wes Daly made a good tackle at the edge of the area but then seemed to lose his footing under pressure.Amazingly the referee gave a penalty to Chesterfield for handball. Being at the other end of the ground it is hard to see but it was a very harsh decsion to say the least. Marcus Ebdon took the chance well to score from the penalty spot and many fans began to boo what looked like a terrible start to the season.

Rangers reacted well though and spent virtually the rest of the game camped in Chesterfield's half. Danny Shittu had two good chances to get us level. A corner by Murphy was met by Shittu as he headed against the bar. Another headed chance fell his way but this one was wide of the goal. Karl Connolly had a good chance but dwelled for to long on the ball and his shot was blocked on the line by Steve Palmer who was still up front from the corner.

The changes came at last with Wes Daly and Danny Murphy coming off for Langley and Tommy Williams. We switched to a 4-4-2 and looked a much better side with better balance. We still almost threw the game away as Chesterfield had one long range effort well saved by Culkin and one brilliant shot went inches wide with Culkin beaten.

We needed some luck but it wasn't happening as two penalty appeals were turned down, the first looked a clear penalty but the other was just desperation really.

Williams was looking good on the left taking people on and getting good crosses in but the goal finally came after good work by Gallen. His low cross was half cleared and Paul Furlong turned and fired in a good goal to send the loft into delirious celebrations. Furlong deserved his goal and now we looked likely to win the game.

We continued to attack as Chesterfield tried to waste time and Kevin Gallen and Richard Langley began to get more involved. A free kick on the edge of the area actually saw panic in the oppositions defence. Langley, Bircham and Williams stood over it and it was Williams who curled a brilliant effort just inched wide of the post.

Time was running out and cometh the hour cometh the man. Richard Langley got the ball on the right and seemed to grab the game by the scruff of the neck, He exchanged passes with Gallen and stuck a powerful shot which took a slight deflection to rocket into the back of the net. The celebrations were brilliant in the loft and the players looked delighted celebrating on the pitch.

Typical Rangers we saw 4 minutes injury time come up and panic began to set in despite never really begin in trouble. Tommy Williams caused panic as he stepped over the bal in his own penalty area and nut megged the Chesterfield forward before clearing. A hoof would have calmed us down a bit but it looked good and gave us a taste of things to come from this talented winger.

Karl Connolly then had a shot go wide after some excellent possession football and the referee capped a hopeless performance by giving a corner despite the goalkeeper letting the ball go wide. From the corner Bircham and Langley kept the ball in the corner before Langley turned put the ball through one defenders legs and found space, his low cross found Gallen unmarked to cap off a good afternoons work with a good finish.

So a good win for Rangers, we can and must play better than this to get promoted but all you can ask for on the opening day is three points and that's what we have.

Man of the Match: Kevin Gallen

Players Ratings

13. Nick Culkin: Didn't have much to do, a couple of good saves but hard to judge him against a team who came for a point. 7/10

2. Terrell Forbes: Didn't do much wrong and when Langley came on he had the chance to get forward and get a few good crosses in. 7/10

3. Danny Murphy: Gave the ball away a bit to often but had a decent game. His final ball needs work but that can be said of most of the current team, he always gives his best though and will be an excellent player for QPR for many years to come. 7/10

4. Steve Palmer: Palmer has been subject to some sick on the Internet recently but I don't know why. His experience is vital and he rarely puts a foot wrong in defence and again in this game he was excellent. 8/10

6. Danny Shittu: Looked a bit shaky in the first half but got better as the game wore on and will be a big player for us this season. 7/10

21. Wes Daly: A home debut for Wes and despite playing out of position I thought he did well. He worked hard and when he had the ball he tried to open up the defence with some clever passes which didn't always come off. 7/10

7. Matthew Rose: Never got into the game, does some nice simple passes then some sloppy defensive work which almost cost us the game. I can't see what he can give the team that Langley doesn't but he is obviously a favourite of the manager so I can't see him being dropped. 6/10

8. Marc Bircham: Worked so hard and you can't help but love him for that haircut. I think he can play better than he showed today but he drive and determination played a big part in getting us back into this game. 7/10

10. Kevin Gallen: Used the ball well throughout the game but when he went upfront with Furlong he got more involved and showed all of his quality. He did brilliantly for the first goal and worked so hard to win us the game late on. 8/10

11. Karl Connolly: Not his best game for Rangers, passed the ball quite well but lacks the pace to trouble defenders. 6/10

27. Andy Thomson: Had two chances to give us the lead before going off injured His movement off the ball was as good as ever and lets hope his injury doesn't keep him out for long. 6/10

Subs

Paul Furlong: Good to see him get a goal and he played pretty well. I don't think he is the answer to our big man up front but he will do a job for us if he stays fit. 7/10

9. Richard Langley: Every time he got the ball something seemed to happen, if anyone was going to get the winner it was always likely to be him after being dropped to the bench. Looks like the kick up the arse that Holloway has given him has worked. 8/10

Tommy Williams: Tommy was a breath of fresh air on the left wing with his tricks and pace he could make us forget about Jerome Thomas if he continues with this form. 8/10