QUEENS PARK RANGERS 0-1 COVENTRY CITY BY KEV MONKS
Choruses of "Oh what fun it is to see City win away" rang round Loftus Road as Coventry City finally won their first away game of the season with a late Gary McSheffrey penalty.
Micky Adams named a side that saw Don Hutchison come back in for Claus Jorgensen.
QPR, who made a payment of £500,000 on Friday to stop themselves to avoid being subject to an Inland Revenue winding up order and a ten points deduction for going into administration, had former Sky Blue Paul Furlong suspended but gave an outing to Coventrian Ian Evatt and former loanee Lloyd Dyer.
With the tightness of referee Uriah Rennie shorts causing the Sky Blue support to burst into song,the noise from an excellent turn-out of around 400 City fans, considering this game was live on sky on the Monday before Christmas, continued despite City conceding a corner after 99 seconds.
When the flag kick came in,Gareth Ainsworth got a near post header in and Marton Fulop dived to his left to push away.
In the fifth minute,Dele Adebola had a glorious chance,but thinking he was offside,he sent the ball wide when actually if he had scored then the goal would have stood.
Ten minutes later and Mr Rennie scribbled down the name of Martin Rowlands for tripping Gary McSheffrey who joined him in the book two minutes afterwards.
Robert Page was commanding at the back making some excellent challenges to repel any Rangers advances and getting the team going forward and winning the first of three corners in s half of few chances.
Half time saw us muse over the good defensive performance and the lack of chances and this is how it continued in the second half.
With the QPR stewards leaving the City fans to stand up and sing their hearts out,it was the West Londoners who were creating the chances with Stefan Moore driving wide of the goal in the 55th minute.
George Santos showed his frustration at not being able to get past the highly capable Andy Whing and was cautioned for flattening the City right sided defender.
In the 61st minute,Andy Morrell who had a quiet game was replaced by Andy Impey who received a good ovation from the supporters of the team he once played for.
Marton Fulop kept his hands warm catching a 63rd minute Ainsworth header and then ten minutes later when he saved a shot from substitute Lee Cook.
Dele Adebola who had not displayed the same form that he had in the 3-0 win at the Arena back in August,was booked for a trip on Ainsworth in the 74th minute and then was replaced by James Scowcroft who went on the left wing with Gary McSheffrey going into the middle.
In the 82nd minute,Don Hutchison delivered his best ball of the game. It bypassed the Rangers defence and fell for Gary McSheffrey to race through. McSheffrey shrugged off a defender but as he got into the penalty area,he was felled by the advancing Simon Royce. Mr Rennie needed no prompting and pointed to the spot.
He waved the red card at Royce who threw his gloves and shirt down in disgust as he trooped off the pitch. Ian Holloway made a change and brought on a substitute keeper.
Jake Cole went in goal and was soon picking the ball out of the net after Gary McSheffrey sent the ball past his left hand and into the net before racing over to celebrate in front of the City support.
There was massive celebrations in the away end and I have not seen the City supporters go that mad for a fair while.
Gary McSheffrey left to a standing ovation, a minute from time when Claus Jorgensen was introduced.
There were huge celebrations on the final whistle with Richard Shaw leading all the players over to celebrate City's first away win of the season with the travelling support.
Choruses of "Oh what fun it is to see City win away" rang round Loftus Road as Coventry City finally won their first away game of the season with a late Gary McSheffrey penalty.
Micky Adams named a side that saw Don Hutchison come back in for Claus Jorgensen.
QPR, who made a payment of £500,000 on Friday to stop themselves to avoid being subject to an Inland Revenue winding up order and a ten points deduction for going into administration, had former Sky Blue Paul Furlong suspended but gave an outing to Coventrian Ian Evatt and former loanee Lloyd Dyer.
With the tightness of referee Uriah Rennie shorts causing the Sky Blue support to burst into song,the noise from an excellent turn-out of around 400 City fans, considering this game was live on sky on the Monday before Christmas, continued despite City conceding a corner after 99 seconds.
When the flag kick came in,Gareth Ainsworth got a near post header in and Marton Fulop dived to his left to push away.
In the fifth minute,Dele Adebola had a glorious chance,but thinking he was offside,he sent the ball wide when actually if he had scored then the goal would have stood.
Ten minutes later and Mr Rennie scribbled down the name of Martin Rowlands for tripping Gary McSheffrey who joined him in the book two minutes afterwards.
Robert Page was commanding at the back making some excellent challenges to repel any Rangers advances and getting the team going forward and winning the first of three corners in s half of few chances.
Half time saw us muse over the good defensive performance and the lack of chances and this is how it continued in the second half.
With the QPR stewards leaving the City fans to stand up and sing their hearts out,it was the West Londoners who were creating the chances with Stefan Moore driving wide of the goal in the 55th minute.
George Santos showed his frustration at not being able to get past the highly capable Andy Whing and was cautioned for flattening the City right sided defender.
In the 61st minute,Andy Morrell who had a quiet game was replaced by Andy Impey who received a good ovation from the supporters of the team he once played for.
Marton Fulop kept his hands warm catching a 63rd minute Ainsworth header and then ten minutes later when he saved a shot from substitute Lee Cook.
Dele Adebola who had not displayed the same form that he had in the 3-0 win at the Arena back in August,was booked for a trip on Ainsworth in the 74th minute and then was replaced by James Scowcroft who went on the left wing with Gary McSheffrey going into the middle.
In the 82nd minute,Don Hutchison delivered his best ball of the game. It bypassed the Rangers defence and fell for Gary McSheffrey to race through. McSheffrey shrugged off a defender but as he got into the penalty area,he was felled by the advancing Simon Royce. Mr Rennie needed no prompting and pointed to the spot.
He waved the red card at Royce who threw his gloves and shirt down in disgust as he trooped off the pitch. Ian Holloway made a change and brought on a substitute keeper.
Jake Cole went in goal and was soon picking the ball out of the net after Gary McSheffrey sent the ball past his left hand and into the net before racing over to celebrate in front of the City support.
There was massive celebrations in the away end and I have not seen the City supporters go that mad for a fair while.
Gary McSheffrey left to a standing ovation, a minute from time when Claus Jorgensen was introduced.
There were huge celebrations on the final whistle with Richard Shaw leading all the players over to celebrate City's first away win of the season with the travelling support.
HT QPR 0-0 CCFC
FT QPR 0-1 CCFC
ATT 13 556
FT QPR 0-1 CCFC
ATT 13 556
Goal McSheffrey (84 pen)
Booked Rowlands,McSheffrey,Santos,Adebola
Sent off Royce (82)
Team
Fulop,Whing,Page,Shaw,Duffy,Morrell (Impey 61) ,Osbourne,Hutchison,Doyle,Adebola (Scowcroft 75),McSheffrey (Jorgensen 89)
Subs Ince,Thornton
QPR
Royce (sent off 84),Bignot,Evatt,Shittu, Ainsworth,Rowlands,Santos (Bircham 81); Bean (Cook 65), Moore, Dyer, Langley (Cole 84).
Subs Milanese,Rose