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Town 0-0 QPR
Town 0-0 QPR
Saturday, 29th Mar 2008 18:44

Town kept themselves well and truly in the play-off hunt with a 0-0 draw against QPR at Portman Road. Only poor finishing and the referee failing to award at least one of three excellent penalty shouts - the last a handled Jordan Rhodes effort - prevented the Blues from taking all three points.

Jim Magilton decided against handing Rhodes his first Town start in the absence of Pablo Couñago and Shefki Kuqi, instead pushing Danny Haynes forward alongside Alan Lee. Danny Simpson made his expected full debut at right-back with Sito getting the nod ahead of David Wright on the left. Gavin Williams was a surprise selection on the right of midfield.

In a swirling wind, Town started the game the stronger side and in the seventh minute Danny Haynes cut in from the right and hit a shot off the post from a tight angle.

Four minutes later, Alan Lee laid the ball back to his strike partner after being found by a sublime Owen Garvan pass. Haynes sent the ball well over the bar.

On 18 Jason De Vos came close to opening the scoring with a header from an Alan Quinn corner on the left, QPR keeper Lee Camp pulling off a fine save.

The visitors immediately broke, Rowan Vine's cross from the left falling to Hogan Ephraim but, with the goal gaping, the ex-West Ham man shot wide, the ball striking team-mate Dexter Blackstock who was well off the pitch having run in on the initial cross. Bizarrely, referee Paul Armstrong and his linesman waved play on and Town went on the attack, Haynes's cross from the left being put out for a corner.

It had been a breathless few moments and either side could have been ahead. Shortly afterwards, Patrick Agyemang was given some stick by the North Stand after going to ground somewhat too easily in the penalty area, prior to De Vos deflecting a Garvan freekick into Haynes's path and a defender blocking the striker's shot.

Midfielders Gavin Williams and Alan Quinn switched flanks, before Ephraim curled a freekick from the edge of the area just wide of Stephen Bywater's goal.

On the half hour, Danny Simpson sent a cross from the right just beyond Alan Lee and then picked up his second Town yellow card for a foul on Vine.


Alan Quinn did well to win the ball on the Town right in the 36th minute, then sent Lee away, the Irish frontman cutting and, with no options in the centre, drilling a shot across the face of goal from an acute angle.

Full-backs Sito and Simpson switched flanks as the half drew to a close, just prior to Town's best chance of the first period. Garvan played the ball wide to Haynes, the England U19 international crossing and Lee appearing to be shoved away from its path by Michael Mancienne. Referee Armstrong allowed play to continue as the ball reached Williams at the far post and, with a goal looking almost certain, the Welshman blazed over.

Various Town players complained to the referee and linesman that a penalty ought to have been awarded for the foul on Lee, but to no avail.

Williams's miss was the half's last serious action and the Blues went in on terms. A better finish would have given Town the lead they deserved after a half in which the game had moved from end to end, but with the Blues looking the more likely to score, particularly on the break.

Sito, Simpson, Williams and Quinn returned to their original positions as the second half got under way in torrential rain. Michael Mancienne quickly picked up his side's first booking of the game for a foul on Quinn, although Town felt the referee should have allowed the game to continue with the ball falling to Haynes in space on the left touchline.

Lee looped a Quinn cross over on 51, prior to Haynes switching to right midfield and Williams moving to a role behind lone striker Lee.

Agyemang headed a cross from the right wide on 59 as the visitors started to come more into the game, the Blues sitting deeper since the formation change, perhaps with the aim of catching Rangers on the break using Haynes's pace.

Lee thought he should have been awarded a penalty on the hour when Matthew Connolly somewhat blatantly shoved him inside the area. It looked a very good shout, but neither the referee nor his linesman, who earlier had awarded Town a corner with the ball some distance from having gone out of play, showed any interest.

Martin Rowlands's shot from the edge of the box was easy for Bywater, then QPR keeper Camp made an awful mess of a high ball, dropping it at Lee's feet, but the striker couldn't find anyone with his cross.

Haynes narrowly failed to get his head on an excellent Garvan cross from the left in the 72nd minute as the Town crowd started to call for Jordan Rhodes to be added to the attack on what was becoming a frustrating afternoon.

Quinn's deftly struck freekick from the edge of the area was well saved by Camp on 75, Haynes not managing to get in a shot from the rebound. Soon after, Roberts replaced Williams, who had looked off the pace throughout, often getting caught in possession and having missed what ought to have been an easy chance in the first half.

Roberts almost made an immediate impact, latching on to a Lee pass, but shooting straight at Camp.

Haynes was yellow-carded as the game entered its final 10 minutes, apparently for kicking the ball away after he had been penalised for a foul on Gavin Mahon when it seemed an offence had actually been committed by the former Watford man.

To great cheers from the Town support, Rhodes finally made his way on to the field with only seven minutes remaining, Alan Quinn departing, the youngster joining Lee up front and Roberts switching to the left of midfield.

Rhodes almost won the game for the Blues with his first touch, flicking on a corner from the right which appeared to be stopped either on or over the line by Matthew Connolly. Velice Sumulikoski almost added an additional touch which would have taken the ball over the line but, with Town players protesting to both referee and linesman that the ball had crossed the line and had also been handled, QPR broke away as play continued.

Eventually the ball went out for a corner and Sumulikoski and De Vos led further protests, which perhaps surprisingly failed to result in any yellow cards.

In injury time, sub Angelo Balanta was booked for a foul on Danny Simpson, but the Blues couldn't find a way past the visitors' backline.

A game the Blues really ought to have won, having dominated for the most part, although losing some of their impetus after the break. Enough chances were created with Williams's miss just before the break the most obvious in what was one of the more entertaining 0-0 draws.

Town weren't helped by poor refereeing and linesmanship, Paul Armstrong failing to spot any of three penalty shouts, all of which might have been given on another day. His assistant on the Cobbold side of the ground in the second half made one or two laughably incompetent decisions, most significantly Connolly's handball close to the end.

Still, the draw against a decent enough QPR side keeps the Blues well and truly in the play-off hunt with the predictable mish-mash of results from the other games involving the other sides in and around the top six.

Town: Bywater, Sito, Simpson, De Vos, Bruce, Garvan, Sumulikoski, Quinn (Rhodes 83), Williams (Roberts 77), Lee, Haynes. Unused: Colgan, Wright, Trotter. Att: 24,517.


Photo: Action Images



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