Saturday 20th March 2010
The Coca Cola Championship
Loftus Road Stadium
Referee: K Wright
Attendance: 15,502
Queens Park Rangers 1-1 Swansea City
By The Godfather

Queens Park Rangers starting line-up: Ikeme, Connolly, Gorkss, Ramage, Faurlin, Ephraim, Buzsaky, Leigertwood, Taraabt, Priskin, Hill.

Swansea City starting line-up: De Vries, Tate, Rangel, Williams, Richards, Dyer, Cotterill, Britten, Gower, Kuqi, Bauza.

A draw was probably a fair result in an encounter which saw Queens Park Rangers come up against Paulo Sousa's defensive, well-organised Swansea City side. The away team's style of play was reminiscent of the Portuguese's tenure at Loftus Road, with an abundance of attractive passing patterns on display. Whilst I didn't enjoy the negativity of the Swans' tactics, it is not difficult to see why they have done well this season, with such a strong back four at their disposal.

Both sides had plenty of opportunities, before and after their goals. In truth, the Swans were the better team in the first half, creating several clear-cut chances, but, fortunately, squandering them all. Queens Park Rangers, meanwhile, had two goals disallowed for offside, the second of which looked as if it may have taken a deflection off a Swansea defender.

Once again, Tamas Priskin produced an utterly pathetic performance, wandering about aimlessly in his yellow boots showing no effort whatsoever. I was also disappointed with Matthew Hill's display, who was responsible for Swansea taking the lead in the 57th minute. Frankly, if I were Warnock, I would consider sending both players back to their parent clubs.

For the first time, Neil Warnock made changes to his starting line-up. Damion Stewart was unavailable through suspension, whilst Jay Simpson was ruled out due to an injury he picked up in training on Friday. Peter Ramage and Akos Buzsaky replaced them.

It was the Swans who threatened first, almost taking the lead with just eleven minutes on the clock. Kuqi, who proved to be a thorn in the Rs' side all afternoon, flicked a long-ball on, putting Nathan Dyer through on goal. The former Southampton winger sent his shot bouncing against the inside of the post, with the ball eventually being cleared by Matt Hill.

QPR clearly hadn't learn their lesson, as another long-ball caused havoc in the 18th minute. Again, it was Dyer who latched on to it, with Matt Hill desperately trying to put in a last-ditch tackle. The fullback did manage to make contact with the ball, but directed it towards his own goal, forcing Ikeme into an excellent reflex save.

Queens Park Rangers finally responded in the 36th minute, when Mikele Leigertwood's drive was deflected out for a corner. Buzsaky's resulting set piece was cleared only as far as Gorkss, who hooked the ball back into the penalty area. Taraabt, unmarked in the box, completed the simple task of heading into the net, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside. I'll have to watch this one again on the TV highlights....

The final opportunity of the half fell to Swansea City, thanks to a defensive error from Kaspars Gorkss. In the 42nd minute, the Latvian misjudged his header, allowing Kuqi to pick up the ball and run down the right flank. With three Swans players waiting in the box, Kuqi crossed in for Bauza, who, to my relief, sent his effort straight into the arms of Ikeme.

Half-time scoreline: Queens Park Rangers 0-0 Swansea City.

Disaster struck in the 57th minute as the result of another dreadful mistake by Matthew Hill. Bauza's lob bounced off the back of the loanee, deflecting into the path of Nathan Dyer who, with Ikeme stranded, tucked the ball into the bottom corner of the net. I have no idea what Hill was attempting to do here....

Warnock responded by making two substitutions. I was delighted to see Tamas Priskin, who, as already mentioned, was absolutely shocking, replaced by young striker, Antonio German. In addition, Akos Buzsaky, who had contributed very little, made way for Lee Cook.

Immediately, the two substitutes made a difference. Rangers suddenly looked far more lively in attack, seeming much more likely to break down Swansea's resilient defence. In the 59th minute, Cook's teasing free-kick was headed just wide by Matthew Connolly.

Swansea substitution: Cotterill off for Van Der Gun (65 minutes).

Next to be replaced was Hogan Ephraim, who made way for Rowan Vine in the 73rd minute. In truth, Hogan had struggled to make an impact on proceedings. I admire the fact that he always gives one hundred percent, but I'm not sure that he has what it takes to succeed at this level.

After enjoying a dominant spell, it wasn't surprising when the Rs netted a deserved equaliser with fifteen minutes to go. Taraabt's corner was flicked on to the far post, where Vine smashed a half-volley towards goal. Despite there being six or seven players on the goal-line, the talented Antonio German managed to tap it into the net.

Five minutes later, QPR could have put themselves in front. Again Cook was involved, cutting inside and producing a deep cross. Unfortunately, Matt Hill could only head wide of De Vries' goal.

Swansea substitution: Dyer off for Butler (82 minutes).

Then came a moment of controversy. In the 85th minute, Rangers won a free-kick inside the 'D' after a deliberate handball from a Swansea defender. Taraabt smashed the resulting set-piece against the wall, but the deflection fell to Matthew Connolly in the penalty area, who headed into the net. However, the linesman flagged for offside. I will have to view this again on the official website's extended highlights.

Swansea substitution: Gower off for Beattie (88 minutes).

Full-time scoreline: Queens Park Rangers 1-1 Swansea City

Conclusion

Although I was frustrated at the fact that two QPR goals were disallowed, I thought that this was a good result against a team that is likely to compete in the play-offs this season. I did fear the worst when the Swans took the lead, as their defence is so strong. Fortunately, however, with the introduction of German and Cook, the Rs looked far more threatening in attack towards the end of the match.

It is vital that Rangers get three points against Derby on Tuesday night. The Rams are in a similar position to Warnock's men, and a victory could extend the gap between the Rs and the relegation zone to nine points (depending on other results).

Man of the match: A difficult one, but I think I will give the award to Lee Cook. Played a really important role in the Rs' resurgency during the latter stages of the match.