Queens Park Rangers produced a thrilling fightback to beat Sheffield Wednesday three two at Loftus Road on Monday. The R’s had trailed two nil with less than half an hour to play.

At the end of a trying Easter period QPR produced the perfect pick-me-up for their beleaguered supporters with an unlikely victory against Sheffield Wednesday at Loftus Road.

It was a performance very much in the style of the latest incumbent in the Championship’s hottest of hot seats. For so long it looked like being a typical QPR v Sheff Wed fixture where Rangers lose despite being the better team. Earlier this season QPR lost at Hillsborough despite dominating and on so many occasions recently the Owls’ goalkeeper Lee Grant has been like an impassable brick wall to the QPR strikers.

QPR were excellent on Monday, playing good, patient and creative football. They hit the post twice and had two goals disallowed and yet with less than half an hour left for play they found themselves two down. But Gareth Ainsworth didn’t become a fans’ favourite at Loftus Road and elsewhere simply by shrugging his shoulders at the unfairness of it all and giving up. Sleeves rolled up, fighting spirit intact, he sent on returning hero Rowan Vine who swiftly halved the deficit and from that point on there was only ever going to be one winner.

Games like this often occur at this time of year when teams have nothing to play for and are more willing to just go for it. Twelve months ago Ainsworth rose from the bench to inspire a similarly unlikely comeback against Preston from the right wing position. On Monday he did it again from the bench and while the farce of the situation that put him there was hard to forget, particularly with the club having a bizarre and rambling official statement read out over the public address system before the game and at half time, it’s hard not to admire the spirit in the man.

His latest starting eleven featured several changes from the defeat at Burnley on Saturday. Damien Delaney dropped out of the defence, Matt Connolly moved to left back, Damion Stewart got a recall at centre half alongside Kaspars Gorkss. In midfield Jordi Lopez and Gavin Mahon started in the centre instead of Mikele Leigertwood and Hogan Ephraim. Lee Cook and Wayne Routledge started on the flanks. Up front Adel Taarabt was partnered by Heider Helguson who returned from injury to show just what a difference a genuine target man makes to our team.

Wednesday made four changes of their own following a defeat against Derby on Saturday. Luke Varney and Leon Clarke, scorer of the scrappy winner in the first game between these two this season, started together in attack. One time QPR transfer target Tommy Spurr returned at full back in place of one time QPR loanee Frankie Simek and Etienne Esejas started for the first time since these teams last met instead of Jermaine Johnson.

The visiting side crafted the first chance – Esajas’ cross missed Varney in the six yard box but was poked goalwards by Clarke and scrambled around the post by Cerny in an untidy fashion. From the resulting corner QPR counter attacked through first Mahon and then Cook who crossed for Routledge to score but he had long since been flagged offside.

I’d expected QPR to be annihilated at Burnley on Saturday with everything that has gone on in the lead up to these Easter fixtures but the boys stood up to be counted, and they looked relaxed and confident in their play in the first half here too. A lovely move after thirteen minutes ended with Taarabt poking over the bar from the edge of the six yard box after a great cross from Helguson. Then after a Premiership quality through ball from Lopez Helguson saw a shot across the face of goal tipped wide by Grant’s fingertips. Both officials missed the touch though and the goal kick was taken to a backdrop of protests from the aggrieved striker.

Undeterred Rangers kept the passing football going and they had Wednesday carved apart again on the quarter hour. Connolly's final ball after a thrusting run from his own half was exquisite to set Routledge away and although the winger beat Grant all ends up with a low finish he had to watch agonised as the ball hit the inside of the post, rolled all the way across the face of the goal and was then cleared away for a corner. Lopez took that, producing a decent delivery to the back post, and when Damion Stewart met it powerfully and sent the ball sailing over Grant it seemed the moment had arrived until Luke Varney underlined the importance of having men on the posts with a headed goal line clearance. For the first time, I started to wonder if it was just going to be one of those days.

That feeling only grew as Helguson became the second player to have a goal disallowed for offside, both looked like the correct decision, and then the Icelandic striker cracked the outside of the post with a fierce shot after being played through by his partner. The Moroccan dragged his own effort wide of the post after skinning Richard Wood thirty yards from goal as well. Probably the best chance of all though fell to Lopez, played clean through by helguson, but he slipped his chance an inch wide when one on one with Grant.

You have to score when you are on top, a phrase I have written so often on this website I have it saved in a separate file to simply copy and paste in, and to further underline that QPR were punished for their bad luck and profligacy in front of goal by falling behind in farcical circumstances ten minutes before half time. Esajas collected the ball wide on the right, drew his foot back and sent a wicked near post cross in on the half volley. Radek Cerny looked all set to deal with it but Gavin Mahon intervened before it reached him and the ball flashed off his bald head and into the back of the net via the underside of the bar. Cerny was furious with his captain and a lengthy inquest ensued as the Wednesday fans celebrated down at the School End. A poor goal against the run of play but a goal all the same. One of those days indeed.

The atmosphere had been very strange before the goal. There was generous applause for the QPR play but few songs and a sort of relaxed end of season feeling mixed in with some bitter resentment towards those running the club. It was odd really, that’s the best way I can describe it, and it hardly changed at all after the Wednesday goal. There was just the odd chorus of “we want our Rangers back” and anti Briatore chants mixed in with a sort of resigned silence. Things didn’t change on the pitch much either despite Wednesday taking the lead and almost immediately Lee Grant had to be on his toes to deny Lopez with a fine save after another terrific passing move.

The only two yellow cards of the first half were bizarrely both shown for play acting. Luke Varney’s dive to the floor midway inside the QPR half trying to win a free kick was barely convincing and Adel Taarabt’s similarly theatrical fall on the edge of the penalty box down at The School End also deserved further punishment. Taarabt had already incurred the wrath of the travelling supporters for going to ground too early on numerous occasions. I actually thought Marcus Tudgay was unlucky to escape a card before half time as well for a nasty, late tackle on Matt Connolly. The QPR man stayed on his feet and hopped out of the tackle before launching a complaint, perhaps if he’d rolled around on the floor further punishment may have been forthcoming and I suppose we should give him credit for that.

The half ended with Lopez dummy past his man and then cracking a shot from the edge of the area - Grant thrust up an arm to turn it away. QPR were as dominant as they have been for many a long month and created more chances in the first half here than the previous three games put together. havign said that another devilish delivery from Esajas almost caught the R's napping with the final action of the half - in the end the ball flashed right through the six yard box and out.

I feared that although we’d played well the moron brigade would pipe up at half time with the usual boos because of the score but credit to the supporters who, to a man, applauded the players off at the break. It was enough to temporarily restore faith in a fractured fan base.

Wednesday had been very much second best in the first half and could not have argued had the scoreline been two or three goals the other way. Manager Brian Laws, never one to mince his words with his own players having once upon a time fractured his own striker’s cheekbone after a row over a plate of chicken drum sticks, sent on Mark Beevers for the nervous and flat footed Richard Wood.

The game looked to be up for Rangers eight minutes after half time. Leon Clarke swooped on a loose ball in the penalty area, muscling between Gorkss and Stewart and then hitting the deck under a heavy challenge. It looked like a certain penalty from my seat and sure enough referee Darren Deadman soon arrived on the scene and pointed to the spot. Marcus Tudgay stepped up to hammer the ball down the middle past Cerny, the Czech keeper almost got a foot to the ball but the power carried it past him with something to spare. A less deserved two goal lead I struggle to recall.

Ainsworth reacted by sending on Rowan Vine for Adel Taarabt who could perhaps consider himself unfortunate to be replaced. Something needed to be done though and this represented a roll of the dice on behalf of the manager. It took Vine six minutes to make an impact, although his task proved to be a relatively simple one thanks to the lung busting hard work of Wayne Routledge.

Collecting the ball on halfway Routledge tricked his way past two Wednesday players and surged into the penalty area despite Beevers clinging frantically onto his shirt. Grant, so often the scourge of QPR, saved down to his right but the ball rolled perfectly for Vine to score the first goal on his return from injury into the empty net from six yards out. It was like the Wayne Routledge of three months ago had suddenly reawakened for a glorious moment, looked around, wondered what on earth he’s been pissing about at and set about reminding us just what a super player he is on his day. Long may it continue.

Such was the quality of the QPR performance, and the paucity of the opposition, that there was a clear feeling around Loftus Road that this wasn’t just a deficit halver and consolation strike, this was the start of something. And so it proved.

Ainsworth’s second substitution, like his first, saw one of our top performers removed. Taarabt had been a constant threat to Wednesday in the first half before he was taken off, and the range of passing from Jordi Lopez had brought Cook and Routledge into the game more than they had been for many weeks but he too was replaced by Hogan Ephraim. The first substitution paid off or the caretaker and rather than murmur discontent at his decisions, as some had done first time around, the crowd chose to applaud Lopez’s efforts as he made his way off the field.

With a quarter of an hour remaining QPR drew level. An inswinging corner from the Ellerslie Road side of the ground by Cook failed to clear the first man, like so many QPR corners this season, however Wednesday could only head the ball straight to Ephraim who fed it back to Cook. With the chance to touch and set himself, Cook delivered a much better ball to the back post and through a crowd of players Gavin Mahon stopped to head across the goal and into the far corner of the net. Mahon, much maligned in recent times, got a kiss on the head from his manager for his troubles although sadly in the act of scoring he aggravated a foot injury and had to be replaced by Mikele Leigertwood.

Wednesday made their own change at this point, bringing on Sodje for Clarke. His first action was to challenge Gorkss for a long ball down the field – an incident that left both players laid out on the turf. Gorkss certainly came off the worst, Sodje was up pretty quickly, and although the referee took no action and actually started the game again with a drop ball I thought that it looked like n horrendous piece of play by Sodje who clearly led with his forearm. Perhaps I’m wrong but my first reaction when it happened was that it would be a definite red card. Sodje tried to make out like it was a clash of heads but you could tell by the speed he got up and played on that it was nothing of the sorts. A nasty, malicious piece of play for which QPR were awarded a bloody drop ball. Honestly two bookings for diving and nothing for that, you’ve got to wonder sometimes haven’t you?

Gorkss could not be substituted as Rangers had used all their bench options, so he reappeared swathed in bandages to stem the bleeding. He then proceeded to produce a number of crucial defensive headers as Wednesday pushed for a third goal which, considering he immediately went to Charing Cross Hospital after the full time whistle for specialist treatment on a deep laceration to his face, is worthy of high praise. Hard as nails.

A great chance to win the game presented itself in the eightieth minute. Another flowing move through midfield saw a ball released in behind the Wednesday defence into the left channel. Heidar Helguson gave chase but was clipped by Mark Beevers on the edge of the area as he did so and he tumbled to earth. Referee Deadman quickly awarded a free kick and then booked Beevers after consultation with the linesman – the right decision all round really as I think Helguson may have struggled to reach the ball at all never mind score with it. The free kick was no more than a foot outside the penalty area and looked to be an ideal chance but Lee Cook’s left footed shot caught the top of the wall and was cleared away to safety.

It was starting to look like QPR may have to settle for a point but with two minutes left a winning goal arrived in almost identical circumstances to the equaliser. Mark Beevers was lucky not to repeat his embarrassing own goal from watford a couple of weeks ago as he chased a long ball with helguson, lobbed it over his own keeper and then breathed a sigh of relief as it dropped wide of the post.

That set up another Cook corner from the same side and although it was again cleared back out to him by the first defender his second attempt at a cross was sumptuous, hung up to the back post perfectly, ripe for attacking by a strong header of the ball. Suddenly Damion Stewart was there, flying into view, and he powered the ball into the top corner to lift the roof off Loftus Road and send the temporary management set up on the touchline into ecstatic celebrations.

And then the referee turned on us. Suddenly a succession of bizarre free kick decisions were awarded against Rangers giving Wednesday the chance to load the penalty box with bodies and sling dangerous high balls in there. When that failed to bring an equaliser in standard time the board appeared with a six on it to bring the Wednesday fans back to life and induce nerves in those around the other three sides of the field. Injuries to Gorkss and others, substitutions and goals probably accounted for a fair wedge of it but I couldn’t help but be frustrated that the time wasting Sheff Wed had been doing when winning was now actually coming back as a reward for them and punishment for QPR.

Lee Grant had been chief amongst the clock runners but spent most of stoppage time in the QPR penalty area. After finally finding a way to beat him consistently how annoying would it have been for him to go down the other end and score one himself to deny us richly deserved points? He went close too, one of Wednesday’s three injury time corners landed plum on the head of Tudgay with Grant just half a yard behind him. Tudgay’s header looked destined for the top corner but somehow clipped the bar and tangled itself up on, rather than in, the roof of the net.

With seconds remaining Cerny flung himself across goal to make a magnificent one handed save as Potter let rip from the edge of the penalty area. Wednesday looked a beaten side at that point and the whistle followed soon after.

This was a pulsating encounter. The first time QPR have scored three goals in a home game since Preston in December and although they were two goals down at one point the performance never deserved anything other than a thumping good victory. The team was well balanced and played good football. Lopez and Mahon may well be the slowest central midfield partnership we have had since Steve Palmer and dinosaurs roamed the earth but with one holding and the other spraying passes around we were able to get good quality service to both our wide men and the two strikers.

Routledge’s run for the first goal was similar to one he produced for a Helguson goal at Blackpool back in January and with due respect to the lad he hasn’t done anything like it since, although as we were discussing in the pub beforehand that could well be because we never give him the ball in the right area. On Monday we did and the potential rewards were there for all to see. I couldn’t be more delighted for Rowan Vine who got the final touch on that one. On the other flank Lee Cook showed that while he still may not be happy with his knee (he collapsed worryingly again in stoppage time before gingerly getting up and making light of the situation by rubbing it and giving The Loft the thumbs up) he can still whip a quality delivery in when the mood takes him. The crosses for the Mahon and Stewart goals were superb.

With Connolly confidently breaking from defence to join in with the football the passing was about as good as anything we have produced all season.

The final piece in the jigsaw for me though was Heidar Helguson. Much maligned for the chances he misses and the games he sits out injured, and rightly so, but when we actually get him out there his value to the team is immense. While you have to look carefully for the finer points to Sam Di Carmine’s game Helguson lays it all out there for everybody to see – he wins an unbelievable amount in the air for a man his size, he holds the ball up with great strength, spreads the play with wonderful awareness and doesn’t hit the ground unnecessarily. He has an awareness of space that’s second to none in our squad and has the upper body strength to manoeuvre defenders into positions he wants them in. Richard Wood’s attempts to cope with him in the first half were embarrassing and Mark Beevers, supposedly a bright up and coming prospect, was even worse when he came on for the second half. He missed chances in this game but his display was that of a good all round centre forward and it’s such a shame we cannot get him fit to play more often. He’d be the first name on my team sheet whenever fit.

Ultimately this game matters little and the quality of the opposition left a lot to be desired. Brian Laws said afterwards that his team defended like a pub side and I’d advise pub sides across the land to join together in a class action to sue for libel over that remark. They really were a joke at the back. Still, it was nice to see Rangers play some decent football and actually score a few goals at the end of a difficult week.

How fitting, on a day that we paid tribute to Mike Keen, a man who captained a Third Division QPR side to an astonishing Wembley win from two down, that QPR should repeat the feat in front of members of Mike’s family. You R’s.

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QPR: Cerny 7, Ramage 7, Stewart 7, Gorkss 8, Connolly 7, Cook 7, Mahon 8 (Leigertwood 76, 7), Taarabt 7 (Vine 56, 7), Lopez 8 (Ephraim 68, 7), Routledge 7, Helguson 8
Subs Not Used: Delaney, Miller
Booked: Taarabt (diving), Cook (foul)
Goals: Vine 62 (assisted Routledge), Mahon 74 (assisted Cook), Stewart 88 (assisted Cook)

Sheff Wed: Grant 6, Spurr 6, Hinds 4, Wood 3 (Beevers 46, 3), Buxton 5, O'Connor 5, Potter 5, Esajas 6 (Johnson 77, 6), Clarke 6 (Sodje 78, 6), Varney 5, Tudgay 6
Subs Not Used: McAllister, Jeffers
Booked: Varney (diving), Beevers (foul)
Goals: Mahon 35 og (assisted Esajas), Tudgay 53 (penalty)

QPR Star Man – Gavin Mahon 8 Despite the disastrous own goal he was a tower of strength in the midfield and deserved his equaliser. Watching him doing the leg work, holding the midfield and winning the ball back before passing it to Lopez to create things took me back to the days of the Holloway and Wilkins partnership. Lots of other candidates today in fairness, Gorkss a very close second.

Referee: Darren Deadman (Cambridgeshire) 5 Very difficult to mark here because for the majority of the game I thought he controlled it very well and played the advantage rule excellently. Hard to argue with any of the cards given or the penalty. However for me Tudgay was lucky to escape punishment in the first half, Sodje should have been sent off in the second and he didn’t even award a free kick and some of his decisions in the last five or ten minutes were perplexing.

Attendance: 13,742 (1500 Sheff Wed approx) As I said in the report a very strange atmosphere. Grounds are always subdued at the end of the season when there is nothing to play for but that was mixed in with plenty of resentment here and had QPR not played as well as they did, with verve, vigour and effort, giving the fans something positive to respond to I think things could have turned quite nasty. The Wednesday fans, particularly those in the lower tier, were in good voice throughout – even when their team collapsed.

Photo: Action Images

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