QPR finally started looking something a bit more like the finished article in Italy last night.

Gary Waddock will be concerned about injuries to three key players ahead of the new season though. Well it's taken a week of plastic pitches and long coach journeys looking for grass to do it but last night Gary Waddock was finally able to field a decent QPR side and the lads responded with an encouraging performance.

A four goal margin flattered Rangers, San Antonio were out on their feet for the last twenty five minutes, but there were plenty of positives all the same. The hosts put up nigly resistance for the first hour of the game with plenty of physical challenges and gamesmanship so, for an hour anyway, this was a very decent test of Rangers just a week before the start of the new campaign.

Waddock was without Kevin Gallen, injured at training yesterday, so started with Czerkas and Nygaard up front. Matthew Rose did declare himself fit though which was something of a surprise after he sat out virtually the whole session on Thursday. Rose started at centre half with Fortune, Bignot and Milanese were the full backs ahead of Jones in goal.

The key feature of the team was the midfield - Waddock is desperate to get Ainsworth, Rowlands, Ward and Cook on the pitch as his first choice four at Burnley next week and this was the first time they'd had a chance to play together as a unit.

It's fair to say that this hasn't been the most orthodox pre-season tour a team's ever participated in and when the teams were made to line up for the anthems (both sung with great gusto by the two sets of supporters) after listening to Jennifer Rush on repeat for half an hour prior to kick off this looked like being more of the same.

Thankfully after Monday's farce the game started very competitively. With the backing of a small but enthusiastic and noisy gang of supporters the hosts set about Rangers right from the off and Paul Jones was forced into two or three routine saves in the first twenty minutes.

Nygaard and Czerkas were linking very well at the other end. Both look good in the air and comfortable on the ground and it was this combination that set the Pole up for the first Rangers chance of the game after 21 minutes. Nygaard sprung the offside trap with a through ball and Czerkas accelerated in behind the defence and through on goal. The ball took a nasty bobble just before he hit it but he still caught it well, sadly striking it straight at the keeper who saved.

Within ten minutes the pair had combined again and this time the ball did end up in the net but the goal was ruled offside. Ainsworth cut the ball back from the byline, Czerkas moved the ball into the six yard box and Nygaard tapped home but the flag had long since been raised.

At the other end Paul Jones made an excellent one handed save to palm a twenty yard shot over the bar.

Five minutes before half time Martin Rowlands left the field and seemed to be complaining of a problem with his hamstring. he was walking pretty freely so lets hope it was just a precaution because he'd worked his socks off, tackled hard and looked very impressive in the holding midfield role up to this point.

He was replaced by Stefan Bailey who, I think it's fair to say, will never make a career out of football in Italy - the referee was having none of his tackling technique and whistled against him several hundred times before the end of the match! Luckily from a Championship point of view some of the challenges were brilliant and he continues to impress.

Just as I was starting to worry about another embarrassing result and the reaction back home Rangers opened San Antonio up and scored the opening goal of the game. Nick Ward raced onto a through ball down the centre of the pitch, held off his marker and as the ball sat up for him he lashed a superb volley over the keeper and into the top corner from the edge of the area. It's been a long while since Rangers had someone who could break from midfield and score goals consistently - hopefully Ward will be the man.

Half time brought more Jennifer Rush and Mauro Milanese was replaced at left back by Andrew Howell.

QPR started the half where they'd left off and should really have been two nil up within the first five minutes. Marc Nygaard fluffed a shot from eight yards - side footing straight at the keeper when he should have put his laces through it, then a short time later Lee Cook put a cross plum on his head but he planted his effort wide of the post from eight yards out.

Nygaard finally did find the net with around fifteen minutes of the half played. Gareth Ainsworth burst into the area down the right but saw his shot blocked. Ainsworth and ward worked hard to keep the ball in and around the area though and worked it across to Nygaard who scored from close range - he looked offside and certainly the defence and keeper stopped expecting a flag but the goal was given.

The home side seemed to lose heart after this. Certainly Rangers' superior fitness was a problem for them and Gary Waddock made it worse by introducing fresh legs from the bench. Nygaard went off complaining of a knock and was replaced by Ray Jones, Shabazz Baidoo replaced Czerkas and Pat Kanyuka went to centre half instead of Rose.

Jones and Baidoo were not what a tiring defence wanted to see and in the final ten minutes of the game they added a goal each and went very close to another. First Ray Jones embarrassed his man for pace and carried the ball into the area, slightly wide of the goal, before sending a low shot all the way across the face of the goal and off the base of the far post.

It wasn't long before Rangers did make it 3-0 though, Gareth Ainsworth defied the heat and tiredness to chase a lost cause into the corner and cut the ball back into the area where Shabazz Baidoo smacked it in from five yards out.

With the referee playing a Man-Utd-are-losing amount of injury time it gave Jones the chance to get his goal. Again he raced away from his marker and despite a poor second touch he knocked the ball past the keeper one on one.

There was still time for Cook to be booked after losing his temper and hoofing the ball out of the ground in frustration at a refereeing decision but the whistle went soon after and the players were applauded by a boisterous gang of Rangers fans.

All in all a good workout, especially for the first hour. The score flatters us but there were some positives - Rose looked good at centre half and the midfield four were impressive for the forty minutes they managed to stay together. Hopefully Rowlands is ok. Fortune looked a lot, lot better at centre half last night as well but I'm still not sure he's worth pursuing.

Cook was quiet in the first half but very good in the second while Bignot and Ainsworth were stars throughout.

So homeward bound now and on to Burnley next week. Can't wait - just no more Jennifer Rush for God's sake!

QPR -Jones 7, Bignot 8, Rose 8 (Kanyuka 7), Fortune 7, Milanese 6 (Howell 6), Ainsworth 8, Rowlands 7 (Bailey 6), Ward 7, Cook 7, Nygaard 6 (Jones 6), Czerkas 6 (Baidoo 6).

Photo: Action Images

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