In the circumstances I was pleased that we’d got an away point and another clean sheet. We had to survive a lot of pressure for the final third of the game but we kept our cool and our fans were looking the happier of the two sets after the final whistle.
BEFORE
We're all on a high and many of us, me included, are expecting another win this afternoon, though I hope there’s no complacency creeping into our squad. QPR are currently second from bottom of the league but last weekend they did well to get an away draw at Burnley, and did us a favour into the bargain. At the moment I'm listening to QPR fan Robert Elms' show on Radio London and he's just said that he's hoping that they don't lose. So, a draw against the top side in the league sounds like a good result for them. Mayenda is back in contention and it would be great to see him come on later in the game. I also can’t wait to see what Isidor is going to come up with next but he’ll no doubt get a lot of attention from the home defenders. As far as I can tell, both their most dangerous attacker Chair and also Colback will be out through injury. I live a short distance from Loftus Road and got my ticket for the game the other day. I’ll be typing my report in the middle of a load of home fans, which could be interesting, and I’m taking along a Swiss pal of mine for his first taste of Championship football. I can see it being a real tussle but my match prediction is a 3-1 win for us.
I had a pre-match slurp in the stadium (a 500ml bottle of Carlsberg for £7) and was in my seat around 2.30. There was only one change in our starting line-up with Browne replacing the injured Rigg while Mayenda was on the bench. Chair was starting for them after all and I could have done without that. ‘London Calling’ by The Clash was blaring over the p.a. and it’s always good to hear it.
THE MATCH
We kicked off with us attacking the end to my left, the view without the big stanchion in the way. We were awarded a free-kick in their half after twenty seconds but it immediately resulted in a free-kick to them. QPR won the first corner in the fourth minute but it was headed over for a goal-kick. They were showing more of a threat in the opening stages and we were lucky to escape in the seventh when a close range effort from Chair went narrowly wide of our right post. We fought back to win our first corner which Nardi in goal tipped away for a throw. Our fans to my right were making all the noise and after ten minutes we were starting to look more composed. Our best move so far resulted in a low Isidor shot going just wide of their left post and I could feel a collective gulp among the home fans all around me. In the seventeenth we were awarded a free-kick at the right angle of their box and it was headed out for a corner. Roberts took it from the left and a shot hit the bar before the follow-up from Isidor was plucked by Nardi near the top right corner of their goal. We soon had a third corner and The R’s were looking stretched.
QPR won a corner in the twenty-third while some fans were shouting for a handball in our box. Just after that an Isidor header was tipped away for a corner but the resultant kick curved right through the box and out for a goal-kick. We were pressing their defenders all the way and I could see a mistake arising before long. A Hume effort went high and wide in the thirty-first but we were breaking up their attacks and moving forward rapidly, which all boded well. Next thing QPR took advantage of a lucky deflection and I thought they’d scored but the ball had just bounced off the advertising hoarding onto the back of the net. They were racking up the corners, though, and Moore was in the right place to grab a strong header from one in the thirty-eighth. We conceded a free-kick near the left angle of our box just after that and we were under the cosh for a while. The rest of the players had a break for a couple of minutes while Ashby was down injured and he was eventually subbed. There was no surprise when three minutes of added-time were announced. We won a corner which Mundle took ages to take and after all that we took it short and it came to nothing. It remained 0-0 as the half-time whistle went. The lads next to me said that it was the best they’d played at home this season. I still thought we could nick it, though.
There were no changes for us as we kicked off again. We did all the pressing in the opening minutes and in the forty-eighth a low curving shot from Roberts almost sneaked into the left of their net. The R’s were awarded a free-kick just outside the middle of our box in the fifty-fourth and thankfully Chair chipped it wide. In the fifty-eighth some of the home fans were baying for blood after a Jobe tackle, which even the lads around me thought wasn’t so bad, but after dithering for a while the ref produced a red card and we were down to ten men. Well, with half an hour on the clock our arses were somewhat against the wall and the home fans were making all the noise. I thought they’d taken the lead but a Chair shot had whizzed just wide. We brought on Connolly for Mundle in the sixty-third and we were having to soak up a lot of pressure. Moore was again in the right place to grasp a strong header and then I heard, “Sing yer hearts out for the Lads" coming from my right, which bucked me up at any rate.
With a quarter of the match left we needed to ease the relentless pressure but our defence was staying cool and some of the home side’s finishing was, frankly, shite. I was beginning to think that a goalless draw would be a decent result in the circumstances. “Red and white army” boomed out as we waited to take a free-kick in a good spot but it was completely wasted by passing it straight to a home player. Fifteen minutes on the clock and I still hadn’t pressed the Brown Trouser Button on my ALS utility belt. The home fans had quietened down a lot and we’d succeeded in calming the pace of the game. Ten minutes to go and I wondered who’d we’d be subbing next. Five minutes to go and our fans were making all the noise but then QPR won a corner from which Santos hit a shot wide of the left post and we breathed again. One minute to go and they won another corner from which Santos put another effort wide. Five minutes of added-time were announced and I certainly wasn’t pleased about that. Isidor was replaced by Hjelde just before Moore wellied a goal-kick straight into touch. It was all hands to the pumps at the back but the clock was ticking away nicely. Roberts was yellow-carded in the dying seconds and then it was all over.
