QPR boss Stephan gives his verdict on Walsh and his side after the draw at Charlton

Hoops keeper Joe Walsh has earned praise from the boss after he enjoyed another shut out in an away game - playing his part in the 0-0 draw at Charlton on Friday night.

The stopper - who has been out on loan at Dorking, Maidenhead and Accrington in recent seasons - is desperate to nail down a regular slot between the sticks for QPR and is doing his chances no harm.

He impressed during a torrid first half for the R's at the Valley and confidence is growing after three successive clean sheets on the road.

"This is a young keeper. It's his first season in the Championship so you need to accept when you give a chance to a young goalkeeper that you have a process and at the beginning, it's not top, top, top immediately," said Julien Stephan, the QPR boss.

"He had four games in August and he did well in the home game against Charlton, but after he had a bad [wrist] injury and stayed out for three months and a half so now it's a second opportunity for him - it's [like] a second season for him.

"Since he came back, he did some very good performances, so it's good for his confidence and just shows that he has strong qualities. Now its' about being able to repeat these performances in every game

"We don't forget that he's only 23 years old and it's only been 15 games or so for him in the Championship."

Rangers remain in the hunt for a top six finish, but Stephen says he is mindful that there are 'many clubs' with a similar ambition and that the table remains 'tight' But he added: "I'm very proud of what the players have done on the pitch in more than once month because we play with the same players because of a lot of injuries.

"[Proud of] how they fight every time, how they are able to show personality and character. It's fantastic. The mentality is top. We have a young team and the last two seasons we finished near the bottom of the table and it's a huge difference to compete for the top six and fight at the bottom of the table, you know. Many, many clubs have more money than us, but it's football and each time we try to do our best and try to give everything. The fans saw that and they were great."

Stephan added: "It's a good point for us. We were under pressure yes, but not in the second half. Second half, I think we were dominant and we finished the game very strongly and had the best opportunities - especially in the last 15 minutes.

"We lost the battle of the second ball in the first half but I think the players had a strong collective reaction in the second half. I think we finished physically stronger than the opponent. Probably at the end we deserved more than [them]."