Carl Hoefkens and Hannes Sigurdsson secured three points for Stoke in what could be manager Johan Boskamp's last game in charge as the Potters sank fellow Coca-Cola Championship also-rans QPR at Loftus Road.

Marc Nygaard put Rangers in front with an early strike, and the hosts would have doubled their advantage but for a fluffed penalty midway through the first half from Gareth Ainsworth.

And they were made to pay after 73 minutes when Hoefkens scored from the spot, before Sigurdsson tucked home the winner 11 minutes from time.

All the talk before the game had centred around the managers, with Boskamp facing a board meeting tomorrow which will decide his future at Stoke following a stormy season at the Britannia Stadium.

Rumours that Ian Holloway, who is currently on gardening leave from Rangers, has been lined up to replace the Dutchman refuse to go away and that scenario would surely go a long way to determining the immediate future of Gary Waddock, who is currently in temporary charge at Loftus Road.

The off-field shenanigans did not detract too much from the fare served up on the pitch, however, despite the fact that neither side are in danger of troubling the play-offs or the drop zone.

Rangers started brightly against a Potters side showing six changes, and Steve Simonsen had already pushed Lee Cook's hopeful prod clear, Marc Bircham had fired over the top and Nygaard had headed wide before they took a seventh-minute lead.

Sammy Youssouf helped Steve Lomas' long throw into a crowded area into the path of Nygaard, who drilled the ball low past Simonsen from 10 yards.

Rangers should have gone two up when Dave Brammer up-ended Cook in the area to concede a 25th-minute penalty, but Ainsworth hit his weak spot-kick too close to Simonsen, who pulled off a comfortable save low to his left.

Luke Chadwick then looped a header against the crossbar after Paul Jones had saved Sigurdsson's initial effort, and the home goalkeeper was in action again to keep out Darel Russell as Stoke pushed for a leveller.

Rangers almost doubled their lead in first-half stoppage time, but Cook's low drive across goal flashed inches wide.

Ainsworth forced a smart stop from Simonsen as the second half got under way following a determined run by Cook, and Ian Evatt then skied a volley for Rangers, while at the other end Sambegou Bangoura headed a Brammer corner over the top.

With the game threatening to ebb away, Boskamp made a double substitution, throwing on Paul Gallagher and Mamady Sidibe.

Moments later the visitors dragged themselves level when Russell tumbled under a clumsy challenge from Dan Shittu, and Hoefkens showed Ainsworth how it should be done by sending Jones the wrong way from the spot.

And six minutes later Sigurdsson, who moments earlier had forced a fine double save from Jones, hooked home the winner for his first goal for the Potters, and possibly the last under Boskamp.

Teams:

QPR Jones, Bignot, Shittu, Evatt, Milanese,Ainsworth (Furlong 80), Bircham (Langley 78), Lomas, Cook,Youssouf (Moore 15), Nygaard.

Subs Not Used: Cole, Santos.

Goals: Nygaard 7.

Stoke Simonsen, Hoefkens, Duberry, Wilkinson, Broomes,Chadwick (Buxton 88), Brammer, Russell, Sweeney (Gallagher 71),Bangoura (Sidibe 71), Sigurdsson.

Subs Not Used: de Goey, Mbuyi.

Booked: Bangoura, Wilkinson.

Goals: Hoefkens 73 pen, Sigurdsson 79.

Att: 10,918

Ref: P Walton (Northamptonshire)