Eight years after Coventry virtually relegated QPR from the Premiership with that Eion Jess goal, our paths finally crossed again and the chance for a bit of petty revenge for the fans and two members of the losing QPR side that day. Kevin Gallen and Ian Holloway both played in that defeat with Gallen having a goal disallowed for offside but it's fair to say a hell of a lot has happened since.

Holloway made one change to the team which beat Leicester on Saturday with Matthew Rose dropping to the bench and Richard Edghill getting a start. The match was delayed by fifteen minutes after horrendous travel problems with the A40 shut. Many fans never made the game and my girlfriend arrived 20 minutes after kick off as a 20 minute journey took over 3 hours.

Those of you who did make kick off were making a good atmosphere as the team started the game well. We were playing some neat passing football as good as anything seen at Loftus Road in recent years. Gallen was controlling the midfield whilst Bircham was winning tackles and playing simple passes to get attacking moves going. Rowlands was seeing far more of the ball than usual on the right and he seemed to be enjoying himself as we looked a very confident side.

It took ten minutes before our first real chance. Lee Cook did well on the left and his cross found Paul Furlong who hesitated before having his shot blocked by Luke Steele and Cureton's follow up was also well saved by the keeper.

Coventry looked second best but still had chances to score. A good move through our midfield gave Stern John a chance and he shot wide when a pull back to the unmarked Morrell may have been a better option.

Rangers looked comfortable though with Shittu and Santos dealing with any Coventry attacks and the midfield playing some sublime one touch football. One good passing move resulted in the excellent Bignot crossing from the right.

Cureton had a free header but seemed to lose his bearings and head towards the corner flag rather than the goal. That seemed to knock his confidence but the fans sung his name and Holloway made a point of trying to lift Cureton's confidence.

After half an hour we got a deserved lead. Bircham played a ball into Cureton out on the right. He turned and beat his man before firing into the bottom corner from the edge of the box. It was a superb finish and Cureton's recent impressive form had been reward with his first league goal since March.

Rangers continued to play some quality football and a deserved second goal came before half time. A high ball forward by Gallen was sliced by a defender and Cureton punched out on the right to volley into the back of the net with a Marco Van Basten type strike worthy of winning any game. It was all too easy for Rangers and another three points looked in the bag. Half time the team got a standing ovation off the pitch for what in my opinion was the best football we have played at home since Stuart Houston’s first season back in 1997.

Coventry's players must have got a right earful from Peter Reid at half time and they came out a different side. They looked much sharper and eager to get back in the game and after four minutes of the second half they got a goal. Graham Barrett got it with a quality strike from 25 yards out which Day had very little chance with. Game on as the visitors looked to do to us what we had done to Leicester a few days before.

Coventry were well on top now and Rangers looked nervous showing none of the composure we'd shown in the first half. They didn't create many chances but the nerves were starting to show and a few of the team were looking tired. Holloway changed things much to the disapproval of some QPR fans.

George Santos was taken off to a chorus of boos which was ironic as Holloway was being booed for picking Santos 3 weeks ago. Lee Cook also went off with Matthew Rose and Serge Branco coming on. It was a strange decision from Holloway but it's one that worked.

Rose was immediately called into action with two excellent interceptions as Coventry threw everything at us. This left gaps though and Rangers should have gone 3-1 up. Cureton fed Furlong and the in form man was clean through against the keeper. We were all ready to celebrate when Furlong hit his shot straight at the keeper and the chance was gone.

Gallen hit a powerful shot straight at the keeper as we continued to create chances but it was still the visitors who were on top.

Coventry kept coming at us and Rose was lucky not see red when he brought down Stern John when the former Birmingham man was clean through. Rose was booked but the ref probably bottled the decision after letting a blatant hand ball by a Coventry player go unpunished during the build up.

The free kick had the fans hearts in mouths but it curled over the wall and just wide of the post. That was a major turning point and I felt if they'd scored that we might have lost the game.

Rangers clicked back into gear with just under twenty minutes left. Bircham won a tackle on the half line and found Furlong. The big striker ran forward and then found the unmarked Cureton who made no mistake from inside the box and completed his hat trick. Relief all around the ground and surely that was game over.

To Coventry’s credit they kept plugging away trying to get back in the game but the defence held firm and we never really looked like conceding again.

Jamie Cureton was taken off so he could get the standing ovation he deserved. Kevin McLeod replaced him and his recent good form continued with an impressive last ten minutes.

The fans were loving it now and songs about the R’s going up and going to Stamford Bridge next year began to be sung as the fans enjoyed the feeling of winning five in a row in this division for the first sine since 1996.

Rangers completed a memorable night with a fourth goal during injury time. Branco played a neat pass to Mcleod and the young winger curled in a brilliant cross for Furlong to get on the end of and head past the keeper for number four and Furlongs seventh goal in the last five league games.

The referees whistle brought to an end a fifth straight league win for Rangers and moved us up to fourth in the league table. It was a very good performance by Rangers especially in the first half where we could have been 4 or 5 goals ahead. Coventry made us work for it in the second half but we fully deserved the three points

Rangers now face a tough month ahead but with points in the bag now we can go out and enjoy big games against Stoke and West Ham with the pressure off the team now that we have pulled clear, for the time being at least, of the relegation zone.

Still a long way to go but the team are continuing to improve and if this current form continues who knows what we can achieve this season.

Man of the Match: Jamie Cureton

Players Ratings

1. Chris Day: Didn't have much chance with the goal and had very little else to do. His distribution of the ball continues to improve. 7/10

2. Marcus Bignot: A strong defensive performance and excellent going forward where he created several chances. 8/10

4. Richard Edghill : Much better than he was at Villa last week as he looked fitter and defended well whilst offering himself for a pass whenever the midfield needed an option. 7/10

23. George Santos: Made one brilliant tackle in the first half and was a little unlucky to be taken off. 7/10

5. Dan Shittu: A surprise to see him play a third game in seven days but he had a good game and is looking on top of his game. 7/10

8. Marc Bircham: His best performance of the season so far. He covered every blade of grass winning tackles and playing simple yet effective passes. A great tackle and pass to set up the third goal which killed the game off. 8/10

10. Kevin Gallen: His passing and movement in the first half was excellent as he was at the heart of some really good football played by the team. He struggled in the second half but all in all a good performance by the captain. 7/10

14. Martin Rowlands: Saw plenty of the ball and used it very week. Still doesn't seem to have the confidence to take people on but he is getting better. 7/10

17. Lee Cook: A very impressive first half but he was quiet after the break. 7/10

29. Paul Furlong: Another superb performance. He led the line well causing all sorts of problems and got a deserved goal at the end. 8/10

15. Jamie Cureton: Finally got the goals his recent performances have deserved. His second goal was pure quality and he becomes the first QPR player to score a hat trick in this division since Chris Kiwomya in 1999. 9/10

Subs.

19. Serge Branco: Worked hard but seemed a little too keen to impress which saw him give the ball away too often but well worth another look. 7/10

7. Matthew Rose: Lucky not to be sent off but a very good performance at the heart of the Rangers defence. 7/10

18. Kevin McLeod: Another good showing as a sub and a superb cross for the fourth goal. 7/10