---

Match Report

IBO Reporter: Spot51

---

Intro

---

|With the anniversary of Russell Martin’s win over Everton now passed, we’ve had just 3 wins from 5 managers in the last year. No wonder our fans went ballistic after that lily-livered capitulation against Preston on Saturday. They wanted blood and, as ever, the poor bloody manager was sacrificed the very next day. Along with Will went 4 of his coaching staff.

Next up is PL2 Coach Tonda Eckert, presumably assisted by Messrs Trollope and Lallana, who may be wondering why they didn’t get the gig. The absence of a press conference before this match speaks volumes.

QPR are a decent Championship side, and we ought to have learned what to expect at Loftus Road. They have a young forward, Rumarn Burrell, who they signed from Burton in the Summer, who has scored 3 in their last 4, so I hope we’ll have a plan to keep him quiet.

I have no idea what team we will send out. Will some of our “sick or injured” players make Lazarus-like recoveries with Will gone? I hope Eckert has the balls to keep the crap off the park and give some of his kids a chance. Oyekunle should certainly be ahead of AA, and they probably have a better left back than Manning.

The lovely black kit gets another run out, and our ref is James Bell, who has been refereeing in the EFL since he was 23. He has also qualified to do VAR in the League of Greed. Seems he did our win v Wrexham too.

---

Match Report

---

|Guess I was not the only one disappointed by the team sheet - 5 at the back and Fellows at wingback FFS. I expected Baz to be back and that Downes might start, if not in the sick bay. Don’t mind Robbo getting a game, but Cap’n Jack instead of Edwards was retrograde.

Rangers made changes following the Ipswich debacle, and it developed into a tense affair between two sides with little confidence. The first half was very forgettable despite some decent pressing from us, but then not exploiting the turnovers.

Fellows looks decent carrying the ball and crossing, and I look forward to seeing him unleashed as a proper winger when we get a coach with balls. He tried to give THB cover when QPR advanced down their left, whereas Cap’n Jack was usually left exposed by Manning down their right.

Fellows caused the first bit of excitement by getting to the byline and crossing. Robbo headed it on, and Manning had a tap-in until clattered from behind. If he’d gone over sideways, it could have been a fair shoulder charge, but he went face-first. In the Prem, VAR would have had the ref look at the video of that.

QPR enjoyed a bit of pressure midway through the half, and the game went end-to-end without any shots on target. On 26m, Leo was fouled, but Manning hit their wall with the free kick. It then got a bit Russball with us keeping the ball but doing nothing with it. It certainly took the wind out of QPR’s sails, but it was horribly boring.

Madsen got carded for a foul on Leo (who else?) On 39 m, Jack went up for a cross, was flagged offside, but then fell on their keeper, Nardi. The ref gave the offside and no more, but Nardi stayed down while the medics patched him up.

In +3m, both Fellows for us and Varane for them had efforts at goal, but, in keeping with a dismal half, neither keeper was troubled. HT 0-0 (Zzzzz).

Soon after the restart, AA won a free kick. Leo crossed it, THB met it, but couldn’t get high enough to hit the mark. QPR began to boss the game, but while the back 3 looked sound, our midfield were testing the ref’s patience with a string of fouls.

Then both AA and Robbo pressed Mbengue. He avoided Adam but turned into Robbo, who came out with the ball. He found AA as they crossed over, who then squared the ball back to the youngster. He drove past Morrison as Mbengue dived in to block the shot. Robbo hit it hard, off the luckless defender and past Nardi’s dive. 0-1 Saints.

Moments later, Robbo collected a pass just outside their box, but this time dragged it beyond the post. Immediately, down the other end, QPR hit the target when Baz saved Burrell’s low drive. Was football breaking out?

I was soon shouting at my TV as we fell back on our box. They bloody know one goal is never enough and needed to get back up the park and score again. QPR kept coming, and we weren’t responding.

Stephan blinked first, sending Dembele on for Smyth and then Tonda took off AA & Robbo, sending on Azaz and the lesser spotted Downes. I bet Finn Azaz never expected to notch his first assist for SFC deep in his own half, but he collected a pass from our box and looked up.

Ahead of him, Leo had drifted infield into space, and Finn passed it into his stride as Leo crossed the halfway line, and he kept going. He passed a couple of defenders before jinking inside another before unleashing a beautiful dipping shot. Nardi dived full length to his left, but the ball nestled into the far corner. 0-2, and we could actually win this.

QPR immediately sent on Kone for Saito, and the game then paused as Leo was down hurt. Saints sent on Mads for Leo and Joe for Tom Fellows, so we had a real wingback on for the coming Rangers backlash. They then scored with their next attack, FFS.

Varane picked up the ball in the inside left channel and looked ahead. He had team mates on either side and just Burrell up against our back three. Sadly, our guys were playing statues as the ball dropped into our box and Burrell beat Baz to it, went past him and rolled it over the line. 1-2. Bugger!

After a single attack with Flynn’s shot blocked, it was all hands to the pumps as Rangers threw everything at us. We responded with 3 yellow cards (Jander, Downs, Wood) in as many minutes, and a sending off seemed probable.

With 5m left, Dembele drove a wicked ball across from the byline, more a shot than a cross, but it flashed beyond the far post. Morrison & Varane were then hoiked with Field & Morgan joining the siege.

Fair play to the Hoops. They kept coming, and we kept defending. On 90 minutes, Chair had Baz diving to make an important save, and the board showed 6 more minutes of this.

Baz made further saves from Burrell and Field, and we survived several more corners, but the walls stood strong. A wounded Cap’n Jack was not bayoneted in bed by Mexicans, so while it looked like the Alamo, there was a rare happy ending.

Tonda’s side had won 3 points to lift Saints above that mob down the road. TFFT!

---

Man of the Match

---

|There is only ONE - LEO SCIENZA. Please let him be fit for Saturday.

---