Rangers first ever trip to Hartlepool has been a fixture I've been looking forward to all season. After spending three years at University down the road in Middlesborough a weekend at my old uni was an appealing thought and it just so happened to fall on my girlfriend carly's birthday.

So we booked up for the cheap and tacky Formule 1 hotel, unaware that this was the hotel used by many of the local ladies of the night which made for some interesting noises from other rooms as we tried to sleep.

Anyway after a good night out on Friday we headed to Hartlepool on the train and met up with several friends who had made the joinery up from Cambridge that morning. After a quick few pints in the pub by the train station we headed to Jackson's Wharf pub which was one of the most away friendly pubs I've been in this season. Both sets of fans mixed and it was turning into an enjoyable day.

Despite taking what must have been the longest route possible to the ground we arrived just in time for kick off with the news that Matthew Rose was in the team ahead of the injured Gino Padula and Paul Furlong replaced Tony Thorpe up front.

Rangers started the game defending in front of the QPR fans and on loan kepeer Lee Camp got a great ovation as he took his place in goal for the first time.

Rangers had the first chance of the game as Furlong was fouled and we got a free kick around 25 yards out. Martin Rowlands took control of the situation and curled his effort just inches past the post. This was one of the few decisions we got in the first half as the referee was far too quick to get his book out and give the home side free kicks.

Rose was first in the book for a foul on Porter. The ref looked like he had given a throw in until the Hartlepool manager came out screaming at him and he suddenly whipped out his book and took Rose's name.

Terrell Forbes was next in the book for as he appeared to take the ball on the edge of the box as Hartlepool broke through. Even if it was a foul it was the slightest of touches and the booking he got was ridiculous. The stop start nature of the game made it difficult for both sides to get much rhythm going but both sides had chances to go in front.

Lee Camp was tested for the first time with a cross over which the young keeper came to catch but dropped and Nelson scooped the loose ball just over the bar.

This seemed to wake up the team and the fans who suddenly got the noise levels raised and McLeod did well to set up Gallen but his shot was weak and easily saved. Rowlands then went on one of his trademark runs beating four players as he cut in on the right before firing a shot which looked close but ended up going out for a throw in.

Hartlepool then had a good spell where they had two great chances to go a goal up. Our midfield were starting to get cut open and Williams broke the offside trap to get behind Carlisle. Carlisle was beaten for pace and a goal looked certain. As Williams pulled his leg back to shoot the figure of Terrell Forbes came sprinting over from around 50 yards away to make a quite superb saving tackle.

He took the ball cleanly and got a standing ovation from the away end and a hug from his relived team mate Clarke Carlisle. Quite how Terrell got across is beyond me, he showed fantastic pace and the timing of his tackle was just superb.

The home side then had another chance to get ahead as Williams again broke the offside trap and bore down on goal. This time it was Camp to the rescue as he ran off his line and made a great save at the forwards feet and allowed Rose to clear the danger.

As half time came a few moans went around the away end with one mad moment in the toilets as two fans had to be pulled apart as one thought a draw would be a good result and the other (looking like he'd enjoyed a few drinks beforehand) going mad and trying to fight anyone who thought we shouldn't be hammering a side fifth in the league who had let in just nine goal at home all season. As one bloke said during the arguing, "QPR playing average away from home, I've never seen that before this season".

Away from the idiocy of that the half time entertainment on the pitch was pure comedy gold. Hartlepool's version of round the pole was hilarious and involved a fat bloke trying to dribble around three deck chairs before shooting into an empty net.

The blokes first attempt saw the deckchair take the ball and the man with a tackle Alan Mcdonald would have been proud of. It took another few attempts before he could get past the first chair and as he ran towards the QPR fans he just about managed to score at about the fourth attempt. It may not sound it but it has to be one of the funniest things I've seen at a football match for a long time.

The football then started again with QPR attacking towards the QPR fans and we started the game at a great pace. Within two minutes Rangers got in front. A throw in on the right found Paul Furlong and he played a nice one two with Gallen and found himself through on goal. He looked too wide to have a shot but he beautifully picked his spot and found the bottom corner to send the away end into chaotic celebrations.

Before we had caught our breath we attacked again. This time it was McLeod as we caught Hartlepool on the break and the winger beat his man easily and picked out a good cross. Furlong missed the ball completely but Gallen was on hand to shoot past the keeper and make it 2-0 and virtually game over.

It was a bit disappointing to see Rangers then sit back and try and hang on. With so long to go it was only going to take one mistake to let them back in the game so it made the fans a little more nervous than we should have been. The ref continued with some silly bookings.

Bircham was booked for his third foul which will see him get a two game ban and miss the Bristol City and Luton games. Richard Johnson then joined him in the book for a nothing tackle before Rose was caught with a high tackle which looked nasty and Rangers were given a throw in.

Despite some of the nerves in the away end we didn't look in much trouble and looked dangerous every time we came forward. We finished the game off with more quality finishing. A long ball up the field saw Furlong bring the ball down and confidently knock it past the defender and fire past the keeper for a simple yet brilliant finish.

Once again we made it two goals in a matter of minutes as we broke forward again.

With the QPR fans going mad in the away end, Rose picked up the ball and dribbled past two defenders into the box. As I rubbed my eyes to see if I was seeing things he pulled the ball back for Gallen to shoot but his shot was saved before Martin Rowlands got on the rebound and fired into the back of the net. 4-0 and this was better than any of us had dreamed of.

We were now cruising and a chant of "You think you're sober, your having a laugh" to the rather drunk looking Tommy Collins kept us entertained as the team looked for a fifth. Furlong went close to a hat trick as he miss hit a shot but the keeper managed to keep it out. The players were playing some great stuff now with McLeod regularly getting past his man but we couldn't add to the four goals.

Bean and Palmer then came on for Johnson and Bircham with Bean once again looking a great prospect with a hard working display with a few bits of great skill as well. His return is now vital with Bircham missing some big games. Hartlepool got a deserved goal near the end as Camp twice denied them with good saves before Porter smashed home the third attempt to end our chances of a clean sheet.

That was the end though and the players got a huge cheer as they went off and the fans went home very happy. It was great to see the players come out for a warm down with every player getting a song sung to them. Terrell Forbes got a great ovation with John McCooke's song "Pressure he absorbs cos his name is Terrell Forbes" finally getting sung by more than five people and Forbes looked delighted to hear his name sung by the fans.

So all in all a pretty fantastic day for Rangers and a great reward for those of us who have suffered some awful away days in recent weeks.

Man of the Match: Paul Furlong

Players Ratings

31. Lee Camp: What a debut from the youngster. On Friday morning we feared Steve Palmer could be in goal but this young player came in and produced an excellent performance. 8/10

2. Terrell Forbes: Shoved the critics moans right down their throats with a superb performance. He once again kept us in the game with a brilliant saving tackle and was always looking to get forward and support Rowlands. His runs down the right always take a defender away from Rowlands and makes it easier for Rowlands to get space in the box. 8/10

7. Matthew Rose: His best display of the season. He wasn't really tested defensively but going forward he was a different class. If only he could do this on a more regular basis. 8/10

5. Clarke Carlisle: Has a shaky ten minutes in the first half but after that he was excellent and is forming a good partnership with Arthur. 7/10

20. Arthur Gnohere: Another solid performance from Arthur who is quickly becoming a key player in the Rangers defence. 7/10

14. Martin Rowlands: Caused them problems on the right and took his goal well but I think he can play a lot better than this. 7/10

8. Marc Bircham: Worked hard but was not at his best and got a yellow card which will see him miss two vital games. 7/10

30. Richard Johnson: Continues to impress me. Always trying to pass the ball and his positional play was excellent as he often cut out through balls to the front two. 7/10

22. Kevin McLeod: His best game for a few weeks and hopefully this will give him the confidence to attack the full back as he clearly has the beating of most in this division. 7/10

29. Paul Furlong: A superb performance from Furlong. His pace, and power was great to see and he took his goals brilliantly. 8/10

10. Kevin Gallen: Looked very sharp and played some cracking passes out to Rowlands. Took his goal well and was doing plenty of organising as we defended free kicks which is good to see. 8/10

Subs

17. Marcus Bean: Great to see him back and he looked very sharp when he came on. 7/10

4. Steve Palmer: Didn't do much but good to see him get a run out after being prepared to go in goal if the team needed him to. His legs may be going but his attitude is first class. 7/10