QPR had only themselves to blame as they saw their play-off hopes all but
ended by Crystal Palace in a tough London derby at Loftus Road.
Rangers were on a run of nine games unbeaten and they should have stretched it
to 10 in the first half when they carved out a series of glorious chances only
to be denied by poor finishing and superb goalkeeping by Fraser Digby.
Then on 68 minutes came the sucker punch. Wayne Carlisle's cross was headed
down by Dean Austin and Clinton Morrison won a tussle with Rangers' keeper Lee
Harper to force the ball over the line.
Rangers had thrashed the Eagles 6-0 on the final day of last season to ensure
First Division survival and it looked as if something similar was on the cards
as they took early charge.
After nine minutes Richard Langley's teasing cross was glanced just wide by
the head of Mikkel Beck and two minutes later Beck teed-up skipper Ian
Baraclough for a shot which flew across the face of goal.
Beck went close again on 25 minutes when he met Paul Murray's cross with
another glancing header which beat Digby but slipped wide.
Then right on half time Stuart Wardley broke down the right and delivered a
cross for Kiwomya to nod down to Baraclough whose header was brilliantly stopped
by Digby's reflex save.
Palace's only real chance of the first half went to Hayden Mullins who fired
just over from 25 yards, and little changed after the break as Rangers continued
to look for that elusive first goal.
On 59 minutes Digby could only punch George Kulcsar's cross to Ready but the
centre-half fired over the top.
Beck was denied twice more and as frustration crept in for Rangers they almost
gifted Palace a goal when Baraclough gave the ball away to Leon McKenzie who
found Morrison only for his shot to be well saved by Harper.
The goal four minutes later forced Rangers' boss Gerry Francis into desperate
measures and he threw on strikers Gareth Taylor and Kevin Gallen to end with
four up front.
However they only seemed to get in each others way and Palace could even have
added to their tally on the break as both Mullins and Morrison forced saves from
Harper.
Teams
QPR: Harper, Perry, Ready, Rose, Plummer (Kulcsar 17),
Baraclough, Wardley, Langley (Taylor 71), Murray (Gallen 71), Beck, Kiwomya.
Subs Not Used: Miklosko, Scully.
Crystal Palace: Digby, Austin, Zhiyi, Linighan, Cole, Morrison,
Mullins, Thomson, Carlisle, Forssell (Martin 86), McKenzie.
Subs Not Used: Gregg, Woozley, Foster, Hibburt.
Goals: Morrison 68.
Att: 12,842
Ref: D Pugh (Bebington).
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