For the second time this season Rangers faced playoff chasing Sheffield United without the services of Paul Furlong so a tough afternoon was expected when we visited the red half of Sheffield on Saturday.

Just under a year after out last trip to Sheffield the circumstances were quite different this time. Of course last time out we were travelling to Hillsborough to win promotion in buoyant mood but this year it was a case of clinging onto our faint hopes of the playoffs after a good first season back in the Championship.

The weather was also different, despite the bright sunshine it was freezing as we made the walk from the Yorkshire Grey pub to the ground. The team news was not a real shock. Gino Padula replaced Matthew Rose at left back whilst Santos moved into attack allowing Martin Rowlands to return in central midfield as Paul Furlong stayed at home with a hamstring injury.

Remembering or trip to Bramall Lane last year I had a pre match bet on Martin Rowlands to score the first goal which proved to be more successful than Clan Royal in the Grand National.

Rangers had a group hug before the game and looking at the bench it was clear to see we were down to the bare bones with the youth team players joining Day and Cureton on the touchline. It was nice to see Georges Santos get a good reception from his former clubs fans before the game

The game started off slowly as the home side looked surprisingly nervous for a team who had beaten Leeds 4-0 the other night. The home fans were sat in silence for the opening period of the game with most of the excitement coming from the red and black balloons being blown around Simon Royce making it hard for the keeper to find the ball at times.

Rangers were knocking it about quite well although most moves were breaking down when we got into the final third with Gallen and Santos unable to find a team mate when we got into some decent positions.

The home side thought they had taken the lead through Danny Webber but the offside flag rightly denied them. Webber was put through but Padula played him offside. Webber’s pace and finish was enough of a warning though as Rangers faced the former Manchester United man for the third time this season.

Webber again got behind the Rangers back four with a well timed run but Padula chased down the quick forward and slid in with an excellent tackle which he seemed very pleased with.

Rangers began to get on top of the game as Dan Shittu proved a useful attacking weapon. Big Dan brought the ball out of defence as the Sheffield United defenders backed off him. He played it into Gallen who returned the favour before having a shot which was blocked on the edge of the box. Shittu was like a man possessed and had another go soon afterwards with a bit of skill which perplexed the home side as he dribbled down the wing and won a corner. It was a bizarre sight and Shittu was showing that when he is confident he is a quality player at this level.

Rangers were looking comfortable without really creating many chances before we took the lead half way through the first half. It was a good goal as well with Rangers working the ball around nicely. Miller and Cook were involved at the start before a one two between Rowlands and Santos saw the Rangers midfield curl a shot past Paddy Kenny to stun the home side out of their coma. The shot may have taken a deflection but it was a good move by Rangers and once again Rowlands had given us a surprise lead at Brammall Lane.

Rangers looked in control now and Gallen shot wide after Cook set him up before Santos got space in the box bit saw his effort blocked.

The home side were looking frustrated and Andy Gray flew in with a terrible two footed tackle which Bircham did well to get out of the way and avoid having his leg broken. The referee deemed the foul unworthy of even a talking to but he was saving his headline grabbing performance for the second half.

Sheffield United began to step up a gear as the half came towards its end. Simon Royce had to be at his very best to keep us ahead. They worked the ball well on the left and whipped in a brilliant cross which found Alan Quinn unmarked. The Rangers defence stood and watched as the header was flying into the top corner before Royce leaped across and made a breathtaking save.

Quinn went close again to beating Royce as the home side piled on the pressure. From 10 yards out Quinn had space and curled a shot towards the top corner. It looked as if it was heading in but Royce stood as calm as you like and watched the ball land on the roof of the net with the look of a man who knew it wasn’t going in. I’m glad he was confident as the rest of the stadium was getting ready for whatever music Sheffield United play when they score.

As we got ready to have a half time beer and collect the winnings from Martin Rowlands goal we threw away the lead. Shittu had gone forward again leaving a bit of a gap but we had enough men back to avert the danger. Andrew Davies put in a weak tackle on Webber which allowed the striker to get away from Davies and run towards goal. Bignot backed off and Webber didn’t need much more of an invitation as he fired past Bignot and through the legs of Simon Royce. It was poor defending by Rangers and you’d have though we might be alert to the danger of Danny Webber by now.

Things got worse before the break. Martin Rowlands was struggling and was taken off leaving us without our key midfield player. Youngster Stefan Bailey came on to make his debut and looked a little like Sammy Koejoe in his running style. Thankfully that’s where the similarity ended.

Gallen had a late chance to restore out lead but shot straight at Kenny before the half time whistle went. It was frustrating to have lost the lead so late in the half but this was certainly better than many had feared before the game.

Rangers started the second half looking a little downhearted and the home side were on top. Webber was causing all sorts of problems with his pace and it took a goal line clearance by Bignot to keep us level. Rangers were struggling now and were soon behind for the first time in the game. John Harley smashed in a cracking shot from distance which Royce did well to push onto the bar. Rangers were asleep though as the ball bounced down and Danny Webber headed into the empty net for his second of the game and his fourth against QPR this season.

Rangers were rattled now and had the crossbar to thank as Kozluk’s header was kept out by the woodwork. It seemed only a matter of time before we fell further behind.

Georges Santos almost got us a surprise equaliser after a good move but as the ball fell to him unmarked and inside the box he miss times his volley and almost took out the back row of the upper tier.

Despite the miss we appeared to gain confidence from creating a chance and got back on level terms. A throw in on the right was worked into Georges Santos who laid the ball off to Gallen. The Ranger’s captain curled the ball with the outside of his foot and after taking a deflection it beat Paddy Kenny to make it 2-2.

Rangers were now looking strong again with youngster Stefan Bailey impressing in midfield and Lee Cook was starting to cause a few problems. The home side had more of the ball but chances were few and far between and Ranger’s were looking in good shape to hang on for a point.

The referee was starting to make himself known with some strange bookings. Cook was carded for his first tackle of the game whilst others had got away with worse without a warning. Santos got his tenth booking of the season for kicking the ball away despite the fact that a ball boy had thrown a ball back to Harley who was waiting to take the throw in so the ref stopped play to book Santos for kicking the spare ball away. Considering this idiot mistook Lee Cook for a man in a seven foot Black Cat costume two months ago, none of this was particularly surprising. The stick Probet got in the media after his last two farces involving QPR probably made him mind up that any 50/50 decision would go against Ranger’s.

Danny Webber wasted a golden chance as he fired straight at Royce from close range as the 90 minute mark was met.

Gino Padula was taken off as the home side lined up a free kick out on the right. Jamie Cureton replaced him in a strange substitution which saw Santos drop back into defence. As the ball was floated in Royce rose above the United attack to punch the ball clear as the whistle went. 20,000 people got ready for the usual free kick against the keeper before most fell about in fits of laughter as a penalty was given. The offence? Well it beats me. The official excuse was holding by Bircham but if that’s a penalty then we’d see five or six penalties a match. It was a farcical decision and Probet had gifted the home side all three points.

Andy Gray put the ball on the spot, well just in front of the spot. Marcus Bignot ran forward to show the referee that the ball was not on the spot and got a yellow card for his troubles. Probet then spotted that Bignot was right and moved the ball back but the plot had well and truly been lost by now. Gray stroked the ball away with a good penalty and the game was won. Ranger’s looked gutted but five minutes of injury time allowed us to get back into the game.

Probet was on a mission now though and realising it was almost five o’clock and he hadn’t used a red card yet he took great delight in keeping his quota up for the season in injury time. Andy Davies was on the receiving end of this one. After being fouled by Steve Kabba Davies fell to the ground as Kabba then tripped over Davies’s falling body. It was another nothing incident but another chance to grab a headline for this idiot and Davies was sent down the tunnel.

Rangers then almost nicked a point deep into injury time. Santos found Gallen outside the box who picked his spot and fired in a brilliant shot which beat Kenny but hit the side netting as we got up to celebrate. The final whistle was soon blown and once again Lee Probet left the field to a chorus of boos as the home fans suddenly woke up to laughably sing Easy to us.

I still can't believe that referee gave a penalty and then sent Davies off for being fouled. Probet clearly has something against Rangers as the 3 games he's took charge of this year have been so bad it's ridiculous. He's joined Rob Styles and Gurnham Singh in the crap ref hall of fame so well done Lee.

We certainly didn't deserve to lose that game. Taking that prat of a referee out of the equation it was a good game that should have ended in a draw. I think if Galen’s late shot had gone in the ref would have found some way to hand them the three points back. He was even allowing Kenny to take the piss in injury time and waste as much time as possible.

I thought we played well overall considering we ended the game with Santos up front and a 17 year old in midfield. Santos struggled at times and looked a bit lost but overall he worked hard and did as well as you can expect from a bloke playing out of position.

A few players had disappointing games like Gallen, Bircham and Miller but to be fair to them they kept working hard for the team and when they did lose possession they worked hard to get it back. Miller looks like he needs a few games to learn the defensive side of his game which is poor at times but he'll get better.

The stand out players were Padula who was again excellent. I thought Shittu was outstanding and Royce made one breathtaking save in the first half. It was great to see Stefan Bailey. He got caught in possession a few times but he worked so hard and reminded me of Marcus Bean but seemed to have a bit more about him as he could pass the ball and looked very confident. At times he was bossing the midfield which was very encouraging. I hope he gets a few more games before the end of the season.

The season in danger of collapse at the moment and I think we'll do well to finish in the top half considering the players we'll have out in the next few games but that's still higher than I expected at the start of the season.

Still we now have a chance to give the likes of Bailey, Miller and Baidoo a chance to shine whilst Day and Padula will be fighting for their futures so hopefully the team won't just go through the motions in the last few games.