After such a disappointing second half against Wolves the last thing we needed was a trip to Ipswich but that was the cards we were dealt. Ipswich gave us a real lesson earlier in the season and even an optimistic like myself feared a heavy defeat in this difficult looking fixture.

After a long delay on the train we arrived at Ipswich to be met by plenty of police at the Station pub. The police told us we couldn’t get in there so we went to a local nightclub, which was open for QPR fans. The nightclub was superb with plenty of room and a jacuzzi! It was full of QPR with a Rory Mcgrath football video on the big screen which was pretty funny and then another video revealed Trevor Sinclair's goal against Barnsley as best acrobatic goal ever which went down well.

When we got the ground the atmosphere was excellent among the QPR fans with most of us just looking to enjoy the day out and not worry too much about the result.

Rangers came onto the field in the green and white hoops as the song “Singing the blues” rang out giving us the chance to enjoy Chelsea’s midweek defeat with our own version of that song.

Rangers were unchanged from Tuesday so it was good to see Kevin Gallen get another chance up front. The game kicked off and QPR looked confident from the start. We were almost ahead within three minutes. Gallen did well to send Furlong clear and he broke into the box and appeared to be barged off the ball by the defender. As we looked for a penalty the referee gave a free kick against Furlong.

To be fair though the referee was Andy D’Ursso who sent Furlong off for breathing near a Brighton defender last month so we shouldn’t have expected any favours.

As we all vented our anger at the referee we were gifted an opening goal. Kelvin Davies slipped as he took the free kick and it hit Furlong on the back of the head. Furlong turned chested it down before taking a touch and smashing it into the bottom corner. The Rangers end went mad with delight as Furlong ran towards the QPR fans and celebrated with his team mates.

As we sat and waited for Ipswich to strike back the Rangers team fought for every ball and looked for a second. Ipswich to their credit never lumped it and played some nice football but I got the impression they didn't have a plan B as their slick passing football never really went anywhere near our goal. When they did knock it long to Scowcroft they found Shittu was heading everything clear and all Scowcroft could do was jump into the defenders with his elbow, which the referee let him get away with time and time again.

Rangers let them do what they wanted in their own half as they passed it around but as soon as they got in our half we were all over them closing them down and winning the ball back.

Bircham, Santos and Rowlands were all working incredibly hard whilst Cook was doing well on the left and looking a threat as he ran at the full back. Ipswich were creating very little and it was Rangers who looked more like scoring.

One nice passing move saw Gallen break through but he shot over the bar when he should have done better. Rangers were playing some really nice football going forward and the passing and movement was great to see. The only disappointment was the final ball. We worked ourselves into some very good positions but we couldn’t get that final pass or cross to find a QPR shirt.

Rangers got the ball in the net again midway through the half only to see it ruled out. Lee Cook did well on the left and curled a cross over to Furlong. He headed back across goal for Bircham to score from close range but the ref ruled that Furlong had pushed Unsworth. It looked a harsh decision from where I was but the players didn’t seemed to complain much so something must have happened.

Ipswich finished the half strongly with Darren Currie getting the better of Bignot but Royce parried his effort with ease and it was looking far easier than any of us had thought it would be.

Ipswich were reduced to a few long-range efforts, which was easy for Rangers to deal with. We almost added a lovely second goal before half time. Bircham and Cook linked well and a nice dummy by Furlong put Gallen through but his shot was blocked.

Two minutes injury time were put up on the board which was mainly due to some blatant time wasting by Bignot but thankfully it didn’t cost us and we went in at half time a goal ahead.

During the break most QPR fans were in a state of shock and although I was delighted at how things were going I thought we’d probably end up getting beat if Ipswich stepped up a gear in the second half.

As the second half kicked off the home side were pushing hard for an equaliser but again Rangers were closing down well and restricting them to long range efforts.

Matthew Rose went down with an injury and Rangers were down to ten men as he received treatment on the sideline. Santos went back into defence with Gallen in midfield and Ipswich began to look dangerous.

They kept the ball well but were up against a wall of QPR players protecting the goal and when Rose returned to the field the home side had still not really created any chances of note.

It was clear though that Rose’s afternoon was over and he limped off the field. I feared that Holloway would put Gallen back in midfield but he made a good change brining on Adam Miller. Santos went into defence and Rangers began to get back on top as we looked for a second goal rather than sit back and protect what we had.

Joe Royle then made the strange decision to take off Jim Magilton who had looked Ipswich’s best player. Scowcroft also went off as they threw caution to the wind but Rangers began to get back on top.

Miller and Bircham were doing well in midfield and Cook was looking a threat out wide. Miller almost extended our lead as he fired a shot just wide from 25yards out.

A foul on Lee Cook gave Rangers a chance to send the big men forward. He curled a free kick onto the box and Shittu was unmarked and headed the ball past Davies for 2-0. It was hard to believe but Shittu had won it for Rangers and the Ipswich fans began to leave.

Ipswich looked a beaten side and Rangers were enjoying themselves. Martin Rowlands fired over the bar after a neat move whilst Kevin Gallen also went close to adding a third.

Ipswich pushed forward but were getting nothing out of the Rangers defence. Gareth Ainsworth replaced lee Cook for some fresh legs late on but the game was all over and the referee’s whistle brought huge cheers from the 2,500 QPR fans who had made the trip to Portman Road.

The players looked delighted at the end and a special mention to Georges Santos who made a point of giving his shirt away to a young Ipswich fan after the game. A nice touch from the big defender who got a good reception from his former clubs fans.

This was a very good performance by Rangers, the best away one of this season and I can't remember too many better from last season either.

One disappointment was on the way out. The police rounded a load of fans up including me and Carly. We managed to get away though when a policeman said he recognised us so we could go, but they kept our mate Bob in there and told us he was being taken to the train station where we could meet him.

With all the pubs shut we waited for him to arrive but the Police threw him on the first train with all the Burberry and police escorts for the journey home, he was basically treated like an animal for the crime of leaving a football stadium with a smile on his face. A complete over reaction by the police and poor Bob wasn't too pleased about it when we met him at Liverpool Street.

Still we won so it didn't spoil our day. It’s hard to pick a man of the match from a performance like that. The back four all played well although Richard Edghill had a few scary moments where he looked uncomfortable. Bircham had a very good game in midfield, as did the two wide men whilst Adam Miller was impressive when he came on.

Gallen again was excellent up front as was Paul Furlong and credit too for Ian Holloway. The manager got plenty of warranted stick for his tactical cock up during the week but in this game he got things spot on and showed he is more than capable of cutting it against the bets in this division.

Onto Reading now who haven’t won in the league since Boxing Day and with Les Ferdinand returning to Loftus Road with the fake hoops it’s bound to be an emotional afternoon next Saturday.

Man of the Match: Dan Shittu

Players Ratings: Royce 7, Bignot 8, Edghill 6, Shittu 9, Rose 8, Rowlands 7, Bircham 8, Santos 7, Cook 8, Furlong 8, Gallen 8.
Subs: Miller 8, Ainsworth 7