The first game of 2004 for QPR was a big one for us with the chance to move eight points clear of the chasing pack due to most team’s involvement in the FA Cup. Ian Holloway made just one change to the team which won last weekend with Tony Thorpe missing out after picking up an injury in training on Friday. Paul Furlong replaced him with his first start since October.

Rangers lost the toss so we had to kick towards the Loft in the first half but it gave us a chance to give Marcus Bignot a cheer. The former QPR player was at left back and acknowledged the QPR fans clapping his name but plenty of other fans were giving him some stick.

We looked sharp from the start and had the better of the chances. Rowlands and McLeod were looking threatening on the wings beating their man and whipping crosses in. Furlong had our first chance after excellent work by McLeod but Furlongs shot was parried wide by the keeper.

Rushden then tried the offside trap but Rangers broke it with Rowlands and Furlong combining to put Gallen clear and the QPR top scorer raced clear one on one with the keeper. Gallen fired his shot towards the near post but the keeper saved again to keep us out. Gallen had to shoot really but McLeod didn’t look happy as he stood totally unmarked waiting for the pass.

Rushden were looking a threat going forward as well with Paul Hall and Onandi Lowe looking dangerous but the Rangers defence were coping well.

We got ahead after 25 minutes and it was a quality goal to give us the lead. A corner was half cleared and came out to Rowlands on the right. Rowlands cut inside and turned Bignot inside out with a great piece of skill before cutting it back to Gallen to place a shot into the bottom corner. Rowlands was mobbed by his team mates for his part in the goal as Gallen celebrated his eleventh goal of the season.

We should have gone on to win by a few goals after this with several excellent chances Shittu headed over from a Gallen free kick when he should have hit the target. Then another free kick after a foul on Furlong saw Shittu receive the ball eight yards out and totally unmarked. Shittu panicked though and shot well wide when he should have scored.

Rowlands then went close with a long range free kick. His shot was well saved by the keeper to deny us getting a two gal lead. Rushden were giving us a game though with Hall breaking our offside trap time and time again but Carlisle and Shittu were on top of their game and dealing with all their crosses.

As the half time whistle went it was all going to plan until we saw that Plymouth were 6-0 up at half time so any hope of closing the gap on the league leaders was well truly over.

As in recent weeks we started the second half poorly and the crowd began to get frustrated. We were losing the midfield battle with Bean having a particularly poor game whilst Padula was being caught out of possession and needed some last ditch blocks and tackles to cover for his poor positioning.

McLeod was our main threat in the second half beating his full back and getting crosses in. McLeod went close to getting the killer goal by beating his man and firing a shot in but it was blocked for a corner. The corner was half cleared to McLeod who crossed again for Carlisle who was inches away from getting on the end of it.

Rangers then got a huge wake up call as Rushden came close to equalising. Paul Hall broke the offside trap again as Padula played him on and he stormed through down the right. Hall smashed a shot towards goal and it beat Day but hit the inside of the post and came back out much to the relief of Rangers fans.

Surprisingly Hall was then taken off which was a result for us, as Gino was looking second best against the Jamaican International. Rushden were really going for it though and had four men up front as they pushed forward but they didn’t create too many chances.

At the other end we still had chances to score with Gallen shooting from outside the box but the keeper pushed it over the bar. Furlong then put McLeod through but the keeper came out to beat McLeod to the ball and it rolled to Bircham. Bircham looked up with defenders running back to block the line and the blue haired one chipped it just over the bar. Rushden continued to press though and a free kick seemed to be heading in before sub Trevor Benjamin headed it wide with his back to goal.

Some of the fans were getting very restless now with a few boos going around the ground which seemed amazing to me as we were still winning. It may not have been our best display of the season but all that mattered was hanging on against a good side and winning the game.

Holloway made a change with Ainsworth replacing the injured McLeod and we had another chance to kill it off. Rowlands did well cutting inside and beating his man before getting close to goal but his shot was just wide when he should have scored.

Three minutes of injury time were announced as Gallen held the ball by the corner flag but we lost it and almost threw the game away. Rushden broke and we were far to slow to close them down. They spread the play to the left and a cross in saw Rodney Jack unmarked. His shot was heading to the top corner before Chris Day pulled off a superb save to keep the ball out. Rangers cleared the corner and the final whistle went with much relief around Loftus Road.

It wasn’t a good performance by Rangers but we had more than enough chances to win the game comfortably. We’ll need to play better in the next few weeks but the win was vital for us and the eight point lead we now have over Bristol City gives us a great chance for automatic promotion.

Man of the Match: Kevin Gallen

Players Ratings:

1. Chris Day: Made one superb save near the end to make sure we won the three points. 8/10

2. Terrell Forbes: Defended well against a strong attack but his passing was poor. 7/10

3. Gino Padula: Gave Hall and Rodney Jack far too much space but he did usually recover and spot them getting crosses in. 7/10

5. Clarke Carlisle: Another solid display winning everything in the air but lost concentration near the end which could have cost us. 8/10

6. Danny Shittu: Should have scored with his two chances but had a good strong game at the back. 7/10

8. Marc Bircham: Worked hard and kept the passing going in the second half but not at his best. 7/10

17. Marcus Bean: A very disappointing performance as he rarely won tackles and his passing was awful. 5/10

14. Martin Rowlands: Once again he was the player who made things happen and he did brilliantly to set up the goal for Gallen. 7/10

22. Kevin McLeod: An improved performance from McLeod. He was a real threat going forward and with a bit more confidence he might have grabbed a goal. 8/10

10. Kevin Gallen: Another excellent performance holding the ball up and looking a real threat in front of goal. 8/10

29. Paul Furlong: Worked hard but didn't look as sharp as Thorpe has recently which is understandable after such a long lay off. 7/10

Subs:

11. Gareth Ainsworth: Fresh from winning the ITV goal of the year he made a brief appearance but didn't do much. 6/10