Cardiff moved back up to fourth place in the Championship after a dull stalemate with fellow play-off chasers QPR.

The Bluebirds had four games in hand on leaders Wolves before the game and sat 12 points behind and will probably view this as a missed chance in their bid to gatecrash the automatic promotion places.

Their best efforts came from Michael Chopra, but after a poor first half at Ninian Park, it was the visitors who had the better of the second half.

But they - like their opponents - were unable to create any clear-cut chances and Rangers stay 11th in the table.

A lacklustre first half was almost bereft of chances, although Chopra did force an early save from Radek Cerny in the Rangers goal, before Gavin Rae blasted wide of the target after a long ball had been cleared out to him.

QPR had offered next to nothing going forward in the first half, but they started the second-half positively and Cook had a shot blocked before being fouled by Rae but Miller slammed the resulting free-kick straight into the wall.

But Cardiff, too, showed much more initiative after the break and Chopra shot at Cerny before Ross McCormack blazed over from inside the box.

Matthew Connolly shot over from distance in the 54th minute but there had already been more action of note in nine minutes of the second half than in the entire first period.

Mark Kennedy then fired over the top for the home side, before Chopra fired wide as Cardiff sought the opener.

Connolly got in the way of a Chopra shot, but the on-loan Sunderland man's night was cut short soon after when he was forced off injured.

Damien Delaney was the next man to try his luck, but the QPR defender's shot from just outside the box was too high to trouble Dimi Konstantopoulos.

The recalled Darren Purse blocked two efforts from Connolly and Mikele Leigertwood as the visitors continued to press, before Konstantopoulos saved from Gavin Mahon.

But Konstantopoulos - who dropped a cross into his own net to gift Wolves a point on Sunday - almost presented former Bluebirds loanee Wayne Routledge with a chance when he scuffed a clearance, but the winger shot wide.

Routledge was booed throughout by the home support after snubbing a permanent move to Ninian Park last month in favour of a move to the Hoops after a successful loan spell with the Welsh club.

But it was all QPR as the clock ticked down and substitute Matteo Alberti had an effort blocked before Heidar Helguson's ambitious shot went wide after Lee Cook's cross.

The home fans shouted for a penalty when Paul Parry went down under a challenge from Mahon, but the visitors almost won it right at the end when Routledge broke down the right but his cross evaded both Dexter Blackstock and Cook as Cardiff made it 13 league games unbeaten.

Teams:

Cardiff Konstantopoulos, McNaughton (Comminges 46), Purse, Roger Johnson, Kennedy, Parry, Rae, Ledley, Burke (Owusu-Abeyie 73), Chopra (Whittingham 66), McCormack.

Subs Not Used: Eddie Johnson, Scimeca.

QPR Cerny, Delaney, Gorkss, Connolly, Stewart, Cook, Miller (Alberti 58), Leigertwood, Mahon (Blackstock 89), Routledge, Helguson (Di Carmine 90).

Subs Not Used: Hall, Lopez.

Booked: Miller, Alberti.

Att: 17,340

Ref: Roger East (Wiltshire).