Match Day Thread Queens Park Rangers @Deepdale 19/3/2016

The last match before the international break brings Rangers to Deepdale since our last season in this league when honest Harry was on the way to bankrupting Rangers (allegedly)
They have had financial problems in the last couple of seasons but slowly seem to be turning the corner on that score, on the pitch it has taken a while for Jimmy Floyd to start to get results although recently their home form has picked up but they still seem to be uncertain away from Loftus Road although saying that they have only ;lost once in the last seven away from home although they have drawn a few of those. They have won the last two games against Derby and Brentford and are now one place below us in the league ao with a possible chance of the play offs. So in essence it is a bit of a six pointer on Saturday so a draw is on the cards.
JFH has brought Washington in from Peterborough for a decent fee and El Kahayati from his previous club Burton however neither has established them selves in the side as yet. Up front Polter and Chery seem to be on a good goalscoring streak at the moment. Tough one for us but both sides capable of winning it.
North End still without suspended Garner, plus injured Beckford, May and Humphrys, Huntington missed last Saturday's win, injured. Should be virtually an unchanged side hopefully will play 433 which makes us look a far better outfit but as long as we win does not matter what formation we use.

 

More of a chance if NE do not play 352.

 

Well it was almost a very frustrating afternoon for North End as they left it late to salvage a point against QPR in a game which threatened to boil over due to the ineptitude of Mr Woolmer the official who had what could be said to be an utter mare.
He kept his card in his pocket for far too long and began to frustrate both sides with some strange decisions. QPR took an early lead after five minutes and in doing so became the first team to score against us in the first 15 minutes of a game. A Faurlin free kick was going harmlessly out of play until Cunningham headed the ball out for a needless corner. Faurlin's corner was met by the head of Polter past a static home defence and into the net.
North End reacted well to the early setback and began to make inroads down the left wing with Robinson looking dangerous but as is often the case with us this season the final ball let them down. QPR started time wasting early on with Smithies taking ages to take goal kicks, but the hapless official did little or nothing to stop it. As with last week Hugill looked useful although he got little from the referee for fouls which were obvious to most of the home fans in the ground. A shot from distance by Rangers was easily saved by Lindergaard in the Hoops only other effort on goal. In truth North End looked well in control but Smithies in the Rangers goal did not have a save to make in the first half and when we did get close the excellent Hill snuffed out any chances we made.
The second half followed a similar pattern to the first half with North End pressing although Polter was denied by good defensive work by Clarke early on. The Hoops were well organised at the back with North End struggling to get through. Rangers were inches away from doubling the score as Polter flashed a shot across the face of the goal with no one to put it in. North End were possibly lucky not to be down to 10 when Clarke hauled back a Rangers forward when last man. From the free kick Chery was narrowly wide, with the game getting stretched Chery should really have won it for Rangers he escaped Clarke and bore down on goal but was denied by Lindegaard. North End brought on Beckford for his first appearance of the season but it was another substitute Doyle who saved the day. Clarke chased a lost cause and crossed the ball to the far side of the box, Gallagher fed Cunningham whose cross was headed home by Doyle in the 93rd minute. Rangers were under the cosh but professional saw the game through with some time wasting and off the ball antics (yep they all do it) highly frustrating but probably a fair result in the end.

Preston North End 1 Queens Park Rangers 1 Att 11322