Jimmy Dunne’s last minute Loft End header sent Preston packing with nothing and QPR soaring into the dizzying heights of midtable on Saturday – Saffa Michail was there for LFW.

As Sky Sports carved their way through the latest round of EFL fixtures, QPR were treated to a rare 3pm kick-off, in what was their most complete performance of the season in a thoroughly absorbing contest in W12.

Our Saturday’s aren’t supposed to be about traipsing up to Blackburn for a 12:30, or navigating this country’s completely broken transport system to catch WAYNE ROONEY’S Plymouth Argyle and make it back in time for dinner… Saturdays are for games and moments like these: Loftus Road boisterous and full-throated, QPR players frenzied, officials lambasted and bewildered, opposition players wilting, ooooooh’s & ahhhhhhh’s, open goals missed, crossbars struck and red cards brandished.

And if you’re going to inject us with the mother of all endorphin hits, what better time than the 89th minute? Who better than Jimmy Dunne? Right in front of the Loft, just for good measure, it’s Monday morning and my spine is still tingling…

There was much more positive news on the team front, with Jake Clarke-Salter and Michy Frey stepping up their comebacks on the bench alongside Ilias Chair who continues to work his way back to full fitness following his stop-start season. There were also two changes in the starting lineup with Kenneth Paal brought in to replace Harrison Ashby, and Kieran Morgan in for Lucas Andersen.

Preston made three changes following their draw with Leeds United last weekend – more last-minute heartbreak for the Lilywhites in that one.

Like most, if not all things at QPR, we bounce between the extremes, and our approach to Saturday’s game was light years away from what we’ve seen for much of this season. In a complete reverse of the Oxford and Bristol City games, here the start was strong and purposeful and Rangers could easily have scored twice in the opening five minutes.

QPR’s first cross of the afternoon, 15 seconds into the game, was awkwardly hooked clear for a corner. Paal’s deep ball firmly met by Dunne who saw his effort fly harmlessly over the bar. Then, within seconds, Dunne won the ball on the halfway line, and some neat interplay between Saito and Kolli set Smyth away down the right-hand side. Smyth’s drilled cross beat Woodman in the Preston goal, but one of the flurry of defenders scrambling just managed a connection on the ball to rob the Kolli of a certain goal. In doing so, the ball fell kindly into Paal’s path who could only hit the crossbar from six yards with the goal gaping. Huge chance missed.

We all know that QPR comes with a lot more rough than smooth, so if you’re getting treated to the outrageousness of Paul Smyth banging one in from 65 yards, then you can bet your bottom-dollar some really crazy nonsense is about to follow and balance the scales - here it came, right on cue, with 21 minutes on the clock…

Preston hadn’t even mustered a shot yet found themselves ahead in bizarre fashion. After a looped ball came over the top, Cook had a good five yards or so on Osmajić, and as he collapsed in a heap on the floor, fans and players alike were incensed as Osmajić side-stepped around him, ran through on goal, and tucked it beyond Nardi to give Preston an undeserved 1-0 lead.

For my money, there aren’t many clubs that indulge the dark arts of the game quite like Preston North End. I’ll never forget this lot needlessly holding the ball by the corner flag when 4-1 up here a few years ago on top of a load of unseen gamesmanship. The goal was morally questionable but PNE were never going to pass on this opportunity, despite Sam Field leading the on-field protests. Osmajić held his hands up as an apology as a chorus of boos reverberated around three corners of the ground. Cook was eventually carried off the pitch and replaced by Morgan Fox.

The goal was an absolute travesty, but it only served to light the fuse in the stands, and the response from the players was immediate.

Straight from kick-off, Nardi found Varane who picked up possession off his chest, slid the ball into Saito tapped it on to Smyth out wide and, after standing up two men, Smyth played the ball back down the line to Morgan whose first time cross was powered towards goal by Dunne who had marauded into the box like a number nine… his header was well pushed round the post by Woodman in the Preston goal, for yet another QPR corner.

Unsurprisingly, Dunne tenaciously won the header from this delivery too, but saw his effort just fly wide of the bottom left hand post.

One snapshot from Smyth aside, we didn’t really test them again for the remainder of the half, and went in at the break 1-0 behind.

Onto the second half, and we didn’t have long to wait to see us to deservedly pull level. Preston’s halftime decision to introduce Robbie Brady at left back against Dunne and Smyth would prove… unwise.

After a tidy exchange between Paal and Varane, the ball was eventually knocked wide to Smyth who teased his marker before slipping the ball back to Dunne and darting forward, neither Lindsay nor Brady followed and Dunne set Smyth away into the channel that left both Preston men dead in the water. After advancing into the box, Smyth’s cut-back found Kolli who made no mistake in lashing the ball through Woodman’s legs to set us up for a pulsating second half of football.

Crowd fully invested, QPR firmly in the ascendency, Preston retreating deeper and deeper, it was one way traffic from here on in. Paul Heckingbottom said in his post-match interview that he would have “celebrated” a draw here, and it was clear that this was as far as their ambition went. Every goal kick a pantomime, every throw-in debated, every free kick moved and re-positioned… the ghost of Alex Neil still lingers heavy in these parts.

Cifuentes decided to try and induce a winning goal with the introduction of Frey and Chair for Saito and Kolli respectively - the latter given a hero’s ovation as he came off on the near side down by the Stanley Bowles stand.

In truth, we should have taken the lead on 68 minutes. The pressing was absolutely relentless from all over the pitch, and after Smyth hurried Brady into a rushed pass, Dunne intercepted and played it forwards to Morgan who advanced add to the edge of the box, Frey cleverly took both CB’s with him, and Morgan’s cute pass centrally left Field one-on-one with just Woodman to beat. Agonisingly Field beat both the keeper and frame of the goal, and the ball flashed just wide of the far post.

Another huge let off for Preston, but they were skating on thin ice, and the pendulum continued to swing further and further in our direction…

Heckingbottom also complained post-match at some of the decision making of his players, and no doubt one of his biggest gripes was how often they played high and hopeful balls into Jimmy Dunne’s vicinity… Honestly, we’re talking Danny Shittu ‘cheat code’ levels of dominance here. After Lindsay hit a pretty hopeless ball forward, Dunne won it, Preston recycled it and prodded it back where it came, only for Dunne to win it for the second time in as many seconds. It then fell to Morgan who feinted past the already booked Lindsay who hauled him down to the ground, for what was his second yellow of the afternoon, and deserved red card.

Seven minutes for Rangers to take advantage, and the first chunk of that was taken up in all-too-typical and predictable fashion. Woodman, under instruction from his bench, decided his legs didn’t work anymore, as he shamelessly called for the physios as he lay lifeless in the goalmouth. The other nine men of Preston headed to the dugout for further instructions, as Woodman eked out every fibre of time he could get away with. Whilst he played dead, Varane casually walked behind the goal, took a swig from his drinks bottle and threw the thing down towards the paddocks, never to be seen or spoken of again. The fact Woodman had the gall to even look for a drink after laying down for as long as he did was embarrassing, but he was met with a tirade of abuse from the Loft as he sought further hydration. Why referees allow themselves to be played like this…

What followed was pure poetry.

Paul Smyth had been keeping himself warm by the touch line, and acknowledged the QPR fans with a huge smile and thumbs up who had been chanting “Paul Smyth, from the ‘alf way line” and the next time he received the ball, he started one of those trademark runs down the right, chopped in on his left foot and sent a rasping drive goal-wards which cannoned off the crossbar and into the stand behind.

Now only three minutes to go, QPR pouring forward and Preston ragged, Chair was next to try his luck… after dancing in from the left hand side, he struck from distance low and hard, Woodman scrambled across, his diving save was enough to push the ball just wide of goal, but Smyth was on hand to immediately direct the ball back goalwards… The keeper quickly back on his feet and threw his body in the way of it as it was hacked clear of danger and into touch. Was it over the line? All eyes on the referee - no goal. Denied by the Woodman. Twice.

Now 89 minutes on the clock… Preston with ten men lined up in the box… QPR throwing the proverbial kitchen sink at it…

Paal advanced forward unchallenged, before teeing up Chair who was wide on the left, his arching first time cross was deep and heavenly… In it came, Jimmy Dunne’s lost his man at the back post, he’s onside, and Woodman is helpless and dying of thirst as the giant Irishman makes no mistake in nodding it into the side netting for 2-1.

GAME. OVER. Jimmy Dunne. The embodiment of everything you want in a QPR player, the amount of love we have for him matched only by our fear of losing him.

The celebrations were pure carnage. Dunne running off on a Pac-Man like rampage, kicking and punching everything and everyone, burning the place down to the ground with mosh-like scenes in the stands as the backdrop… Collateral damage, statistics lying all around what remained of the R block… This is what we live for.

I’ve not seen Loftus Road bounce and shake like that for quite some time, and the singing continued through the concourse, from Ellerslie Road down to the Uxbridge Road, and certainly as far as the ferry home and beyond.

We’ve endured some real slop this season, but the upturn in performances and results has been nothing short of staggering.

What a time to be alive.

Come on U R’ssssss

Links >>> Ratings and Reports >>> Message Board Match Thread

QPR: Nardi 6; Dunne 8, Cook 6 (Fox 24, 6), Morrison 7, Paal 6 (Clake-Salter 90+1, -); Field 6, Varane 7, Morgan 7; Smyth 7 (Bennie 90+1, -), Kolli 6 (Frey 62, 6), Saito 6 (Chair 63, 6)

Subs not used: Dixon-Bonner, Madsen, Andersen, Walsh

Goals: Kolli 50 (assisted Smyth), Dunne 90 (assisted Chair)

Yellow Cards; Dunne 90 (over celebrating)

PNE: Woodman 7; Storey 6, Whatmough 5 (Holmes 55, 5), Lindsay 4; Potts 5 (Brady 46, 4), McCann 5, Thordarson 5, Kesler-Hayden 6; Greenwood 5 (Keane 64, 5), Osmajic 6 (Riis 64, 5), Frokjaer-Jensen 5 (Okkels 75, 5)

Subs not used; Bauer, Cornell, Ledson, Whiteman

Goals: Osmajic 21 (assisted Lindsay)

Red Cards: Lindsay 82 (two bookings)

Yellow Cards: Lindsay 32 (foul), Lindsay 82 (foul)

QPR Star Man – Jimmy Dunne 8 Heartbeat of the team. You’d think this contract situation will be sorted sooner rather than later – if there was a massive Irish right back rampaging around some backwater European league posting numbers like this we’d be all over it.

Referee – Matt Donohue (Manchester) 6 Paul Heckingbottom had a good go at him in the post match but if anything he seemed lenient on the standard tricks of Preston’s trade, particularly the nonsense phoney “injury” to Woodman.

Attendance 15,323 (750 PNE approx.)

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Pictures - Reuters Connect

LLoydy added 15:42 - Dec 23 slightly churlish to pick up on this but the water bottle shithousery was a little more poetic as there were two bottles and Sam Field emptied the other into the goal after Morgan had drunk half of it :)
1

062259 added 15:57 - Dec 23 Ascending
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FrankRightguard added 17:48 - Dec 23 Helpless and dying of thirst! Lovely stuff! 😂
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davman added 18:21 - Dec 23 Great stuff, Saffa, but nothing wrong with their goal whatsoever. Every right to play on and a tidy finish. There are no morals in football whatsoever and whatever you can do to get an advantage within the laws of the game, you take it. If roles had been reversed, I'd hope that our guy would do the same every time although our lot would miss not our of "charity" though... Merry Xmas All!

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jeffo added 20:52 - Dec 23 Arching FIRST TIME cross from Chair. Never seen one of those before. See how it works if you try it.
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snanker added 23:07 - Dec 23 Top work Saffa. A great December resurge so far. Now we go back on the road and fingers crossed we can keep it a non defeat month and pick up more away points. Cook will be sorely missed but hopefully not to for too long with Morrison a great cover and JCS back on the pitch. Nearly halfway through the season and the team is coming together confidence wise and playting some dynamic football. No reason we can't push ahead and really take this Division on. Come on you R'ssss

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royinaus added 23:23 - Dec 23 Brilliant Saffa - captured the drama & passion completely. Heckingbottom should have been sent off either then or retrospectively for clearly telling his keeper to go down. The cameras picked it up so there are no excuses. It is a scourge on the game & they have the chance to make a statement here.
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sinceApril66 added 23:31 - Dec 23 Confess I was struggling not to lose faith in our summer recruitment,,, but now, using Clive’s mode of calibrating success, more than half are starting to show how good they can be… Saito, Morrison, Nardi, Varane, Morgan, probably Dembele, possibly Celar and I still think Madsen might become a positive asset as he adjusts… And loving to see Kolli become a potential star… On Saturday I thought he learned so much during 15 minutes, he then became much better at holding-up play and skillfully passing to others… So very happy the club kept faith in Marti! Not so long ago my friends mercilessly mocked my hope we might mage a run towards the play-offs… and maybe they’ll still be right, but a friend who supports Middlesbrough says he thinks we’ll overtake them in January, which is probably a little premature..?

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stainrods_elbow added 23:57 - Dec 23 The question of Preston's goal was dealt with in a separate thread - I don't think it was a 'travesty', or even that morally questionable. In the end, though, worrying through Cook's injury is, it happily didn't matter for the result.
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qprninja added 10:34 - Dec 24 Their questionable goal appears to have done us a favour by revving up the crowd and the players. Nice.
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simoncarne added 12:12 - Dec 24 I agree with those who say Preston were justified in taking the first goal. Just imagine what would happen if it became a "thing" that attackers stopped when a defender pulled up injured. Every time a player was through on goal, the last defender would collapse in agony.
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Royboy48 added 19:47 - Dec 24 Good report, but disagree with your view on the Preston goal. Was it a Travesty? Really ? No, it wasn’t. Osmajic was perfectly entitled to play on and – standing in close proximity as I was – saw it very differently. In a reverse situation, we would’ve been very happy with the goal. Really only saw Field express his views and the raised hands weren’t so much on apology as “well what else did you expect me to do It was bad luck. That’s all it was.. They are shithouses though

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