Team Line Up
		1. Lee Camp
6. Michael Mancienne		16. Matthew Connolly	5. Damion Stewart		2. Damien Delaney
11. Gareth Ainsworth		14. Martin Rowlands (c)	4. Gavin Mahon		25. Hogan Ephraim
		36. Angelo Balanta	9. Dexter Blackstock
Subs
Mikele Leigterwood on for Hogan Ephraim
Zesh Rehmann on for Gareth Ainsworth
Subs Not Used
Reece Crowther
Kieran Lee
Chris Barker

Rangers last away game of the season and for the travelling fan that usually makes for a fun day out especially when nothing is riding on the result.

Norwich away is also usually a good day out for QPR fans, easy to get to, plenty of choice for a pre match pint and food and a decent atmosphere inside the stadium. The one minor drawback is we usually get beat and on the way to the game yesterday I worked out that in my five visits to Carrow Road I've never seen us win. In fact you have to go back to 1994 to find our last win when Devon White scored in a 4-3 win. So with that in mind I wasn't too confident of seeing a QPR win but was looking forward to the day anyway.

Of the 1,400 QPR fans who made the trip a large number appeared to be in the Compleat Angler pub. The news that the pub didn't have Sky didn't go down well so the pub soon emptied out as many went to watch the Chelsea v Man Utd game and those of us left in the pub found it easier to get served. The atmosphere was pretty good with one bloke decorating the bridge with flags from across the world and with the sun shining it all looked set to be a memorable afternoon.

When we arrived at Carrow Road I did my first goal scorer bet, my nephew wanted Buzsacky as first goal scorer so I put my pound on him only to find out that he wasn't in the sixteen which was a little annoying.

The pre match atmosphere inside the ground was excellent and you could tell this was big game for Norwich as they were trying to whip up an atmosphere with someone from Sky Sports leading them in On the Ball City as the fans all held green cards in the air. All very strange but it appeared to work as they were making a hell of a racket.

The team news was not great for QPR. Fitz Hall, Akos Buzsacky and Rowan Vine were all missing through injury so Michael Mancienne returned to the starting eleven with a very defensive looking bench that didn't have a single forward on it, although now thinking about I don't think we have any other forwards available.

Norwich started the game looking rather nervous and Rangers had early chances to make a dream start. A free kick gave Rangers the chance to send Stewart forward and Rowlands delivery found the Jamaican who headed wide of the post when he should have hit the target.

Rangers looked relaxed and went very close to a goal when Ephraim found Balanta in the box and with his back to goal he spun past his man and hit a low shot towards the bottom corner which the keeper did very well to get down and keep out.

The afternoon soon turned sour for Rangers though and in the space of 90 seconds the game was all over. A long ball over the top caught us out with Evans sprinting past Stewart and through on goal. Camp came running out and looked to me that he took Evans out. The fans went mad and the referee blew for a free kick. It looked a straight red card for Camp and young Reece Crowther got changed on the bench and was getting ready to come on. The referee though made right balls up by sending off Stewart instead. Camp had got away with it but looking back it might have been better for us if Camp had been sent off as it wouldn't have upset the team balance so much.

De Canio got Rehmann ready to bring on as Evans free kick was deflected wide. The Norwich fans were buzzing now and right behind the team as the corner came in and was cleared as far as Evans who was unmarked from ten yards out and smashed a great shot past Camp to make it 1-0. So a goal down and a man down within ten minutes, this was not looking promising.

The goal must have changed De Canio's thinking and rather than try and keep the shape and frustrate we now needed to score so the manager opted for a double change to keep the two strikers up front. Off went Ainsworth and a very disappointed looking Ephraim and on came Rehmann and Leigterwood in a 4-3-2 system.

It's always easy in hindsight but even at the time it seemed a bad move and took away all of our width and we didn't threaten the Norwich goal again for the rest of the afternoon.

Norwich were using the width of the pitch well and stretching the game which made it hard for us to get back in the game. Mancienne and Delaney were facing two men at a time. Norwich certainly wanted this one and with the goal lead they poured forward to kill it off and looked full of confidence.

Pattison got away from Mancienne to shoot wide whilst Huckerby, in possibly his last home game for Norwich, beat his man and put in a dangerous cross that Cureton couldn't get a touch to.

Chelsea loanee Bertrand hit the post with a decent effort and Evans again went close before half time having his shot blocked by Rehmann. It was one way traffic and Rangers just needed to get to half time at 1-0 and regroup. We managed to do this but any hope of us getting a win from this game appeared to be gone.

The mood among the QPR fans was still pretty good though and as the second half began the atmosphere was excellent with a long rendition of the new De Canio song. The stewards burst into action throwing out some fans for standing up which I can never understand especially when a look at the stand behind the goal saw a few thousand Norwich fans stood up watching the game.

On the pitch we were starting to perform a little better and at least out up some fight. Mahon and Leigterwood were working hard in midfield to try and get on the ball and cover out wide when they had the ball but we lacked any real quality to create any chances for the front two.

Norwich were still having the best of the chances and Pattison was denied by a good save from Camp. Evans then went close as his close range effort was cleared off the line and despite the buoyant noise coming from the QPR end we all knew it was only a matter of time before the second goal went in.

It was cruel when it did arrive though as a corner was cleared as far as Fotheringham and his weak shot took a wicked deflection off Rehmann and left Camp standing as the ball rolled into the bottom corner. The game was over now and to be fair was no more than Norwich had deserved. As the goal celebration music played the QPR fans joined in dancing and singing along. The result meant little to us and as we were set for a defeat the fans decided we would at least enjoy ourselves.

Unfortunately the players also appeared to give it up and we really could have been hammered in the second half. Substitute Luke Chadwick broke through on goal only for Camp to race out of his box and win the tackle, the ball broke to Fotheringham but his chip was wide of the post much to our amusement in the away end. It was a warning for Camp though and one he didn't take much notice of.

Dion Dublin came on for his last home match before retiring. He always seem to score against us and I said I thought he'd score with his first touch. Luckily for us he didn't but a third goal did arrive and was a goal Lee Camp won't want to remember.

Another ball over the top saw Camp race out of his box to win the ball which he did but it got away from him and instead of going back to goal he chased after the ball again and this time lost it leaving Russell with an open goal which he calmly chipped the ball into. Rangers defenders could have helped Camp out by covering the line but we made it all too easy for them. This was the cue for more silly dancing in the away end as we joined in the celebrations, it was hard not to laugh and Dion Dublin almost got a dream finish as he picked up the ball on the halfway line and had a shot which looked to be heading for the top corner as Camp scrambled back to his line and just managed to get his hands on it.

As many fans headed for the exit we had our first shot of the second half as Balanta held off his marker and shot high over the bar.

The final whistle couldn't come quickly enough. This was Rangers biggest defeat since September and in truth could have been a lot worse. Rowlands was one of the few players to come over and acknowledge the excellent support and he gave his shirt to a young fan in the front row.

Apart from the football the day was an enjoyable one and I don't think anyone was too upset by the result.
The sending off obviously changed the game and although the red card was the right decision the referee did seem to send off the wrong player. That obviously made it hard for us and I thought De Canio got the changes wrong, we had no width after Ainsworth & Ephraim went off. I thought we should have gone 4-4-1 with Balanta on one wing and Ephraim on the other but De Canio obviously wanted to keep Balanta up front and get the full backs forward to offer the width, it didn't really work though.

It's hard to pick anyone out who had a good game, Leigterwood and Mahon did ok in midfield but nothing more than that, the front two rarely got a touch. We really missed the creativity of Buzsacky and Vine going forward and at the back we missed Fitz Hall as we rarely looked comfortable against the impressive Evans.

A game to forget really and put behind us. I don't think you can read too much into our performance. Norwich needed a win and I think when you play a side with nothing to play for you should really beat them and that's what Norwich did. They looked a far better side than they did back in October.

At the end we sang next year we'll be champions but we'll need at least six new players to have any hope of that.

Next up is the last game of the season against West Brom which could be an exciting end to the season.

Man of the Match: Mikele Leigtertwood

Players Ratings: Camp 5, Mancienne 6, Connolly 6, Stewart 6, Delaney 6, Ainsworth 6 (Leigterwood 6), Rowlands 5, Mahon 6, Ephraim 6(Rehmann 6), Blackstock 5, Balanta 5