- By Ewan Harkness at The Hawthorns
Boss Ainsworth after 2-0 defeat puts Hoops in danger zone: I can take the criticism from the fans
By Ewan Harkness at The Hawthorns
West Bromwich Albion 2 v QPR 0
Attendance: 21,749, Away (676)
Ten-man QPR extended their winless streak to eight matches with a 2-0 defeat at West Bromwich Albion, increasing the pressure on boss Gareth Ainsworth.
Jimmy Dunne was sent off in the 58th minute for arguing with referee James Bell over the award of a penalty to the home side, and a second goal, 10 minutes later, ended any resistance.
That spot kick from Brandon Thomas-Asante and Grady Diangana's effort sees the west Londoners languishing third from bottom of the Championship with eight points from 13 games.
Asked about his future at the club, Ainsworth told Capital Football: “I understand the frustration of the fans, and I’m certainly big enough and old enough to take the criticism from them.
“The club’s in a tough position, and I am surprised by the results, but it’s my job to make us better and start winning some games.
“We’ve got to start winning games and start believing we can win games. You can have all the
names in the world and play amazing in training but you have to perform on that match day.
“We’ve lost some key players through injuries and suspensions, we’ve just got to ride this storm
and hopefully the results will come.”
The Hoops compact five soaked up the constant pressure from The Baggies well, until the 58th minute when Osman Kakay conceded a penalty.
Problems were only made worse when Dunne was given a second yellow card and sent for an early shower, for showing dissent to the referee.
Speaking on the incident, Ainsworth said: “A crazy moment to give away the penalty, and then an even more naive moment from Jimmy. It's a different game at 10 men.”
Thomas-Asante rifled home his fourth goal of the season from the spot to make it 1-0 to The Baggies.
With an extra man, chances began to flow for the home sides, with Diangana cutting in off the
right in the 63rd minute and bending the ball past a hopeless Asmir Begovic, only to be denied by the woodwork.
But Diangana got his chance in the 68th minute when he made it 2-0 following superb footwork from Nathaniel Chalobah who squared it for the attacking midfielder's first goal since February.
Ainswroth’s future is certainly hanging in the balance after another spineless performance from his side, who did not register a shot on target throughout the match.
Teams: QPR: Begovic; Kakay, Dunne, Clarke-Salter; Cannon, Field, Colback, Paal, Dozzell,
Dykes, Chair
Subs: Willock, Smyth, Archer, Dixon-Bonner, Larkeche, Kelman, Duke-McKenna, Armstrong, Adomah
West Bromwich Albion Lineup: Palmer; Kipre, Bartley, Pieters, Furlong, Chalobah, Yokuslu,
Phillips, Wallace, Thomas-Asante, Diangana
Subs: Molumby, Avila Gordon, Mowatt, Fellows, Griffiths, Taylor, Higgins, Love, Shaw
