Gary Waddock admitted he is "loving every minute" of being in charge of QPR after watching his side come from behind to complete an unlikely double over Sheffield United.

The caretaker boss hailed his players' character as they threw away an early lead before veteran striker Paul Furlong wrapped up a 3-2 win at Bramall Lane.

It was Waddock's second victory in his third match in charge of the club where he has spent his entire playing career.

Asked whether the job was everything he expected, Waddock replied: "And more. To be caretaker manager of the club I joined when I was probably 12, 13, played every age group and then be given this wonderful opportunity, I can't describe how I feel."

"I've enjoyed every minute of it."

He also enjoyed a large slice of luck when Paul Ifill missed a second-half penalty which would have made it 3-1 to the Blades, a moment Waddock acknowledged turned the game.

"Definitely the turning point," he said. "Sometimes you need a little bit of luck and we got that today.

"If you come up to Sheffield United you're not going to dominate the game. But we defended well and then had a few chances in the second half. We could've come away with one or two more goals.

"The group of players that are downstairs and on the training pitch this week have worked their socks off."

They needed to after finding themselves 2-1 down at half-time, Marc Nygaard's early strike cancelled out by a fantastic Ade Akinbiyi header and Marc Bircham's calamitous own goal, the midfielder heading Chris Armstrong's corner into his own net.

"It was a case of saying at half-time I felt we were still in the game," Waddock said.

He also hailed Furlong's matchwinning contribution, the 37-year-old rolling back the years to turn United skipper Chris Morgan inside out for the winning goal.

"Fantastic, 37 - played like a 17-year-old," Waddock said. "He's been excellent since he came here."

Furlong is coming to the end of his playing career, but as for 43-year-old Waddock's foray into football management he admits he would "most definitely" want the job full-time once Ian Holloway's situation is resolved.

The defeat is a serious setback for United's promotion bid, with leaders Reading and closest challengers Leeds and Watford all winning.

"We've got 10 games to go. We would have been absolutely delighted to be in our position at the start of the season."

Today's result could have been even worse for Warnock's men had Furlong and substitute Sammy Youssouf taken gilt-edged chances to kill them off.

"We were well-beaten in the end," he admitted.

"You get these disappointments in football but it's how you bounce back."

Warnock denied thinking three points were in the bag for his side when Ian Evatt felled Morgan in the box and Ifill put the ball on the spot.

"Not until it hit the back of the net," he said, before insisting had the winger converted it would have been game over.

"I thought we would have gone on and won it comfortably.

"You could see the heads go down on certain lads and you can't say why that happens. It happens everywhere - even at the top level."

Warnock refused to single out his defence for criticism after they went to sleep for the first goal, Morgan sliced Nygaard's header into his own net for their second, and they were caught on the break for the third.

"It's not just the back lads," he said. "We were slow coming out of the gates to start with."

However, Warnock did concede had Craig Short been fit, he may have made a difference defensively.

"I suppose that's where your Craig Shorts come into it," he said, before insisting he is not concerned about Leeds and Watford, with United now enjoying only a seven-point advantage in second place.

"The threat would come from anybody if we lost every game," he added. "We've got to stand up and be counted."