Tuesday 10th August 2010
Loftus Road Stadium
Carling Cup First Round
Referee: G Sutton
Attendance: 6,619
Queens Park Rangers 1-3 Port Vale
By The Godfather

Queens Park Rangers starting line-up: Kenny, Orr, Derry (Oastler 63), Hall, Leigertwood, Clarke (German 46), Mackie, Connolly, Ephraim, Borrowdale, Parker (Rose 63).

Port Vale starting line-up: Tomlinson, Yates, Griffith, McCombe, Owen, Loft, J Richards (Dodds 83), M Richards, Collins, Rigg (Taylor 73), Roberts (Fraser 90).

On Tuesday night, Queens Park Rangers were utterly outfought by Port Vale, in what can only be described as an embarrassing display. Usually I make detailed notes during the match, but after Vale's third goal, I stopped out of despair. Therefore, you will have to forgive this being a shorter report than usual.

In his post-match interview, Warnock stated that the game demonstrated that the squad lacks depth. Worryingly, though, he actually picked a fairly strong line-up. Kenny, Orr, Hall, Connolly, Borrowdale, Leigertwood, Derry, Ephraim, Mackie and Clarke are supposedly experienced Championship footballers - and all of them, with the possible exceptions of one or two, produced very disappointing performances against League Two opposition.

Despite having two defensive midfielders on the pitch, Rangers did create a number of chances. Once again, however, it was evident that the Rs are lacking a quality goalscorer. Leon Clarke, whose debut was one of the worst I have seen for a long time, squandered an early opportunity from close-range, after Matthew Connolly's through-pass had put him through on goal. Had the former Sheffield Wednesday striker slotted it into the back of the net, the match might have turned out differently.

The Valiants, however, were carving out some attractive and effective passing movements, whilst QPR were struggling with some of the footballing basics. And they almost took the lead when Roberts' corner found McCombe unmarked in the penalty area. His header smashed against the underside of the crossbar and Rangers were eventually able to clear to safety.

However, Warnock's men weren't so lucky in the 29th minute. Shaun Derry, a man who was so impressive against Barnsley last Saturday, gave away possession in the middle of the park. Rigg picked up the ball and produced a wonderful lob, which put Justin Richards through on goal. Unlike Clarke's earlier attempt at the other end, the Vale striker coolly tucked the ball under Paddy Kenny and into the back of the net.

I remember saying to my friend that Vale's goal could serve as a wake-up call for Queens Park Rangers. In fact, it gave the away team more confidence and, in the 35th minute, they doubled their advantage. Some very poor defending allowed Rigg to receive the ball in the penalty area and curl an effort towards goal. To my horror, it deflected off Fitz Hall and into the corner of the net, sending the travelling supporters into wild jubilation.

Rangers could and probably should have pulled a goal back just before the break. Fitz Hall's long-ball was controlled superbly by Josh Parker, bringing it down inside the penalty area. Unfortunately, though, his inexperience showed, sending it crashing against the post and out of play.

Warnock made one change at half time, replacing Leon Clarke with Antonio German. What a dreadful debut this was for Clarke: substituted by a youngster after failing to make an impact against League Two opposition. German posed far more of an attacking threat during the second half and would eventually score QPR's goal (although it probably should have been disallowed).

Just a few minutes into the second half, disaster struck for Queens Park Rangers. Port Vale midfielder, Doug Loft, received the ball on the edge of the area, before unleashing a powerful drive. Kenny pushed it into the path of Justin Richards, who tapped into the net for the second time of the evening. Perhaps the Rangers goalkeeper could have done better.

In the 62nd minute, Jamie Mackie, who was one of the better performers on the night, found German in the penalty area. The youngster did well to hit the target from a tight angle, smacking his effort against Tomlinson's left-hand post. The ball bounced across the line and was cleared to safety. To everyone's surprise, however, the referee awarded a goal, giving Rangers an unexpected lifeline.

For the rest of the match, Port Vale defended very well indeed. The final opportunity fell to Jamie Mackie in the 73rd minute, after Leigertwood had sent a deep cross into the penalty area. The ball bobbled around the box and the former Plymouth striker had a great chance to shoot. Unfortunately, he was only able to drag his shot wide of the target.

The final whistle was met with a chorus of boos from the Queens Park Rangers supporters. I really do hope that there aren't too many more performances like this over the course of the campaign. The display lacked passion, energy and creativity - and there is no doubt that things will have to drastically improve for Saturday's difficult trip to Sheffield United.

Bookings: Hall (33), Mackie (90)

Full-time scoreline: Queens Park Rangers 1-3 Port Vale