Bathed in the beautiful spring sunshine and backed by a noisy gang of inflatable clutching supporters QPR chalked up win number 21 of this incredible season at Doncaster on Saturday.
On their last visit to this ground 18 months ago QPR had looked thoroughly miserable with their lot – crashing to a two goal defeat in sodden conditions, a result and performance which proved to be the beginning of the end of Jim Magilton’s reign as manager. “They turned up in gloves and played like tarts” was the assessment of one Doncaster Rovers fan walking away from the ground on that occasion.
On Saturday somebody looking and sounding remarkably like that same home supporter felt the need to accost QPR fans walking back to town to ask them why they hadn’t been quite so jubilant after the previous meeting on this ground when Rovers “put 36 passes together and you couldn’t get near us.” He was right, but then I doubt the Bolton fans were in great spirits after they’d lost 4-3 to Blackpool in the Matthews and Mortensen cup final of 1953 and that’s completely irrelevant to the respective teams’ fortunes in the present day as well.
QPR have made several giant leaps forward since their last visit to the Keepmoat Stadium, while Doncaster appear to have taken a couple of steps back. This is now a Rangers team capable of winning matches as a matter of routine, even when not at their best. Without ever really getting out of second gear, and playing so far within themselves it was almost as if some of the players had clocked off for the summer already, QPR still won this game more comfortably than the scoreline suggested.
The ability of Neil Warnock’s players to not only maintain a tremendous level of consistency across the entire season so far, but to often do so in the face of adversity, apparently knows no bounds. On Saturday they were without Championship Player of the Year elect Adel Taarabt – thrown off the team coach after a row, suffering with an illness, involved in an altercation with Ishmael Miller or bereaved by the death of a close family member depending on which story you liked the sound of the most below decks at half time. Ultimately it turned out the latter was true, which is desperately sad news for our captain. Neil Warnock preferred Hogan Ephraim in his place rather than Akos Buzsaky – an odd decision in my opinion but one that reaped full rewards just after half time when Ephraim scored the only goal of the game. Warnock really can do no wrong this season.
Ephraim had started the game as part of the attacking midfield trio that also included Tommy Smith and Wayne Routledge. Heidar Helguson led the line ahead of them with Shaun Derry and Alejandro Faurlin behind. In defence Warnock resisted the urge to recall Danny Shittu after his one match ban and kept faith with Kaspars Gorkss and Fitz Hall at centre half in between Bradley Orr and Clint Hill at full back and in front of Paddy Kenny in goal. Surprisingly Patrick Agyemang was named among the subs under three months since he suffered a stress fracture of his leg but there was no place for Ishmael Miller further fuelling stories about his involvement in Taarabt’s absence.
Doncaster boss Sean O’Driscoll, who is guilty of displaying a Steve Coppell like enthusiasm for the game when interviewed at the best of times, has sounded like a man increasingly fed up with the cards he has been dealt in recent weeks as Rovers have laboured through the second half of the season. They have been beset by injuries in recent weeks, and missed top scorer Billy Sharp badly here with Franck Moussa an inadequate replacement in attack, but more importantly seem to have abandoned the slick passing style O’Driscoll is known and loved for in favour of a more direct percentage football approach which doesn’t play to their strengths and caused QPR minimal problems.
Rangers went within inches of going ahead with their first attack of the game. Rovers failed to clear a fourth minute corner which was hooked back into the area first from the left by Fitz Hall, up from the back for the set piece, then from the right by his centre half partner Gorkss. From this second cross the in form Heidar Helguson launched himself at the ball and connected with a full length diving header that beat Gary Woods in the Doncaster goal all ends up but rebounded back into play off the angle of the post and the crossbar.
QPR looked threatening from dead ball situations all day, though not from the Fitz Hall “long throw” which he persists with despite not actually possessing a long throw at all.
It took until the quarter hour mark for Doncaster to show any signs of attacking intent at all. Backed by a home support, that had been swelled in size by a morally questionable ticket offer that saw Rovers fans paying half as much as those in the away end to watch the same match, Rovers finally strung a move together when Moussa fed the ball wide to Gillett and his low cross was claimed in the six yard box by Paddy Kenny. Having waited so long for a Doncaster attack the old saying about London buses sprung to mind as they immediately set off on another foray forward once the ball had been returned to play. This time James Coppinger got a chance to run at Clint Hill and turned him inside out before delivering a cross to the near post that Moussa met at full stretch from barely three yards out but somehow diverted wide via the base of the post when it seemed easier to score. No doubt Billy Sharp will have watched that chance go begging with a wry smile on his face.
This near miss stirred QPR from their slumber sufficiently for them to briefly pose a threat of their own. Four minutes after they should have been behind the visitors could have gone ahead as Ephraim searched out Helguson at the back post with a deep cross. The Icelandic striker held the ball up well as is his trademark and then teed up Tommy Smith in the area whose snap shot on the turn needed Woods to turn it behind with one hand. The home defence once again struggled to clear the resulting corner as QPR looked to utilise the physical presence of the likes of Hall, Gorkss and Helguson – when the ball did eventually come out to the edge of the box Alejandro Faurlin smacked it well wide.
Faurlin was off target again five minutes later as QPR harried Doncaster into a bad mistake with Stock inadvertently lobbing a back pass in behind his own defence giving Helguson a chance to run clear on goal behind Martis. The ball just wouldn’t stop bouncing sufficiently for Helguson to strike and eventually he had to settle for setting up his Argentinean team mate who again hacked a wild effort well off target. I can’t help feeling that for all the undoubted brilliance Faurlin brings to our team he really should score more goals, particularly from that sort of position.
Doncaster had a chance to trouble Rangers with a set piece of their own just before the half hour when Fitz Hall was harshly penalised for a foul on Hayter 30 yards from goal by our referee Phil Gibbs, whose picky style of officiating means you can pick him out as a school teacher from two hundred yards away. The resulting set piece went wrong as they tried to set up Gillett for a shot – he ended up having to cross the ball instead after a poor lay off to him and QPR cleared the ball with ease.
The tempo of the game, pedestrian to this point, increased briefly around the half hour mark as the teams exchanged half chances at the end of swift counter attacks. First Tommy Smith played Wayne Routledge in and he reached the byline before cutting the ball back to Hogan Ephraim who fired wide. Then Stock tried his luck with a curling effort from the edge of the area that beat Paddy Kenny but also flew past the post – the ball rebounded off the back stanchion and into the net to give the appearance of a goal for those fans sitting in the side stand to the right of the away end which caused much merriment among the travelling QPR fans. Gibbs gave a corner for that shot which Doncaster played out to Stock on the edge of the area once more but Paul Scholes, one the greatest exponents of that move, can rest easily tonight as the Welshman’s first time shot flew yards wide.
Doncaster finished the half the stronger of the two teams, crafting out a couple of half chances and seeing a penalty appeal turned down. That incident came ten minutes before the break when Moussa broke into the area and then flung himself to the floor under no contact whatsoever. I was embarrassed for him, but referee Gibbs decided against booking him for what was a textbook example of simulation. He did award Doncaster an attacking set piece six minutes before the break when Sam Hird ran into Faurlin, who could do nothing to get out of the way, on the edge of the area. The resulting free kick from Stock hit Heidar Helguson, the middle brick in the wall, square in the face and he belatedly collapsed to the floor requiring treatment having initially stayed on his feet while Doncaster attacked around him.
Another weak free kick appeal on the edge of the box, from Coppinger this time, was waved away although with the sheer amount of questionable refereeing decisions going Rover’s way at this stage you could hardly blame their players from trying it on. Routledge subsequently deflected the ball behind for a corner that was met powerfully in the air by Moussa but Kenny was equal to the effort with a fine save – his first of the game.
It was starting to look like being one of those days we used to have a lot, and have had in this part of the world several times in the past, where we underperform inexplicably and drop silly points to an inferior side. The Taarabt stories floating around during the half time break did little to improve the mood and it looked like we might be in for a long second half as Kaspars Gorkss ridiculously attempted to climb over the back of Moussa to head a ball he was never going to get to allowing the Doncaster man to run free into the open grass beyond him. How quickly things change in football, within 60 seconds of this QPR would be in front.
First Gorkss produced a fine recovery, racing back into position and executing a perfect tackle on Moussa on the edge of the box as he was about to shoot. QPR broke, and found the key to the Doncaster door when Wayne Routledge, below par overall but majestic in this moment, produced a sumptuous pass behind the defence for Hogan Ephraim to seize upon. Having passed up the opportunity to hit the ground and appeal for a penalty when tripped in the area (a wise decision with Mr Gibbs adopting an ‘if in doubt give the decision to the home team’ strategy) Ephraim cut back inside onto his right foot and then placed a low effort beyond Woods and into the bottom corner.
At the time, as the ball seemed to bobble meekly over the line and barely make the back of the net at all, I described it as a lame goal that rather summed up a scrappy encounter but on a second viewing that seems to be a little unkind to Ephraim who certainly placed the shot well enough.
The lead should have been doubled when Heidar Helguson strode onto a fine cross from Routledge in the next attack but planted his header wide when he should have scored – it has since been suggested that he’d been flagged offside in any case and the goal wouldn’t have counted even if he had scored it.
The decisions kept going against the visitors with increasing frequency thereafter. Helguson received a lecture after being penalised on halfway, although it seemed that he had been the one fouled on that occasion, then when a Faurlin corner was returned into the area Doncaster were given one of those mysterious free kicks referees often award in crowded penalty areas for an unidentifiable pushing offence. When Rangers were finally given a free kick of their own three minutes before the hour mark it was bundled behind for a corner by George Friend only for Mr Gibbs to award a goal kick. Look elsewhere this weekend for fine examples of refereeing competency.
From that goal kick Doncaster set about their search for an equaliser and Moussa headed wide having been picked out in the penalty area. Rovers then gave a brief glimpse of the flowing passing football they have become famed for since promotion to this league three seasons ago when they strung five or six together wide on the right to work Coppinger in around the back but his low cross was cleared away for a corner by the ever reliable Clint Hill.
Perhaps sensing that his team still wasn’t doing enough to be sure of the win Neil Warnock introduced Akos Buzsaky for Hogan Ephraim, who hadn’t done a great deal to impress apart from score the only goal of the game to this point.
One of the few problems with the system we play this season – a 4-2-3-1 formation – is that if an opposing full back makes it around the side of the attacking three we are then faced with a situation where our full backs can become isolated in a two on one situation. Usually one of either Derry or Faurlin is free to come across and deal with that but Leeds enjoyed great success against us by occupying the holding midfielders and then getting a full back running down the wing to create space for Max Gradel to run riot. I haven’t seen it done to us too often since but once such situation seemed to be brewing in the sixty sixth minute and to avoid it progressing further Bradley Orr executed a robust body check on Joseph Mills which sent him flying onto the perimeter track around the side of the field and earned Orr the first yellow card of the game.
O’Driscoll followed Warnock’s lead in turning to his bench for other options shortly after that, and he replaced the anonymous John Oster with young Ryan Mason to try and find a way back into the game, then swapping Jason Euell for James Hayter a short time later. Mason almost scored with his first touch within a minute of coming on, but his weak header went wide of the target. The referee then took this opportunity to warn Paddy Kenny about time wasting, which seemed a little bit premature as there hadn’t been any noticeable time wasting to that point, and Kenny hadn’t even been thrown a ball to restart the game with anyway. The Irish keeper annoyed the home fans thereafter by always taking goal kicks from the opposite side to where they went out, eating up seconds as he went, and if ever there was a simple rule change that could cut out a time wasting opportunity in one fell swoop that is certainly it.
Rangers had a penalty appeal turned down when Friend appeared to block a Wayne Routledge cross with his hand, although that would have been terribly harsh given the proximity of the players to each other when the ball was played, and Tommy Smith was let down by a bad first touch as he found himself racing clear on the end of a flowing left to right move that culminated with Buzsaky sending the former Watford man clear of the last defender.
Much like the Palace game last week despite the tight scoreline QPR never really looked in much danger throughout the closing stages. O’Driscoll introduced Dumbuya for Gillett while Rob Hulse enjoyed a ten minute run out instead of Heidar Helguson. Hulse’s first action saw him win (i.e. fall over a bit too easily under minimal pressure) a free kick on the edge of the box for a perceived foul by Martis. Buzsaky took the resulting shot on but could only find the wall, and then having picked the ball up from the resulting throw in in the penalty area he dragged the ball hopelessly wide.
Despite five substitutes being made, a goal being scored, a couple of injuries being treated and Paddy Kenny being repeatedly warned for time wasting the referee only added three minutes on to the end of the contest which seemed, considering four minutes seems to be par for the course these days, a little stingy. Mind you, having advertised three Mr Gibbs then played four anyway during which time QPR had to defend a couple of high balls into their own box which they did wll – with Fitz Hall particularly dominant in the air late in the game.
The first one came from a free kick conceded in the Rovers half by Akos Buzsaky who had been in possession and running forward with men in support when he got caught in two minds, was robbed of possession and then felled the man who’d taken it from him. Doncaster played that long and then won a throw in which was hurled considerably longer than Fitz Hall’s numerous pathetic attempts at achieving similar distances at the other end. To be fair Hall wasn’t startled by the sight of an actual long thrown and managed to head both that, and a subsequent late free kick given against Orr when he appeared to win the ball, away to safety. Jason Euell planted a header wide as Doncaster created a final half chance but they lacked sufficient belief in themselves to pose a serious threat and QPR were easier winners than a 1-0 scoreline may suggest.
This was an nstantly forgettable game. When asked in May to name all the teams we beat away from home, this is the one you will forget about. A goalless draw may have been a fairer reflection of the balance and quality of play but QPR are finding ways to win games at the moment and did so again here. Ephraim’s finish and Routledge’s through ball to him for the goal were rare moments of quality from the pair of them who were below par overall.
It was a steady performance - one that could easily have yielded only a draw and would probably have ended in defeat a year or so ago. Long throws apart Fitz Hall probably did more than most for the cause with honourable mentions to Shaun Derry, Tommy Smith and Paddy Kenny for a fine save at the end of the first half.
The majority of the QPR fans in attendance seemed to be well oiled to say the least, which was probably for the best given the overall quality and entertainment level of this game. Still, it’s another match chalked off and another win in the bag. With Swansea and Norwich still to play each other I think it’s only another 12 points required to seal promotion now. It could potentially all be over at the Derby home match.
Links >>> Have Your Say >>> Interactive Player Ratings >>> Message Board Match Thread
Doncaster: Woods 6, Hird 6, Martis 6, Friend 6, Mills 6, Coppinger 7, Oster 5 (Mason 67, 6), Stock 7, Gillett 6 (Dumbuya 84, -), Moussa 5, Hayter 6 (Euell 74, 6)
Subs Not Used: Sullivan, Wilson, Shiels, Kilgallon
QPR: Kenny 7, Orr 6, Gorkss 6, Hall 7, Hill 6, Derry 7, Faurlin 6, Ephraim 6 (Buzsaky 62, 6), Smith 7, Routledge 6, Helguson 6 (Hulse 80, -)
Subs Not Used: Cerny, Agyemang, Moen, Chimbonda, Shittu
Booked: Orr (foul)
Goals: Ephraim 47 (assisted Routledge)
QPR Star Man – Fitz Hall 7 Probably just about the best of a mediocre bunch from a QPR point of view. Was particularly impressive in the final ten minutes when Doncaster started lumping balls towards out penalty area and he stood and headed everything away for us. He doesn’t have a long throw though, and no amount of trying is ever going to change that so he should probably just pack that in right now.
Referee: Phil Gibbs (West Midlands) 5 Mr Gibbs is a schoolteacher, and can’t you just tell that in his refereeing style? He was picky throughout this game, and penalised QPR 15 times to Doncaster’s ten which was far from a fair reflection of the game and the challenges made. Bradley Orr’s yellow card was justified, but why was there no yellow for Moussa’s obvious dive in the penalty area? Far too often he was guilty of giving a home town decision when he clearly wasn’t sure what had happened.
Attendance: 11,747 (1,800 QPR approx) The QPR fans were in really fine form at this game, particularly those directly behind the goal in the middle blocks. Doncaster have in the past had a gang of fans making a row to the right of the away end and although they gathered and stood throughout as before, they made barely a sound all game. In the distance, the sound of a drummer filled the air, but there was no chorus to accompany him. They all seem to be looking forward to the summer already.