QPR forced to settle for a point at lowly Oxford
- By William Powell
- 5 days ago
- 4 min read
Championship
Oxford United 0
QPR 0
The Hoops fired another blank against Oxford United on a rainy night at the Kassam Stadium.
It follows a 0-0 away four days ago at Stoke City. The game betwewn the sides at Matrade Loftus Road in October was also 0-0.
Oxford started the evening in 23rd spot having come into the game off the back of one win against Southampton (home) 2-1, two draws against Bristol City (home) 0-0 last time out and Milton Keynes Dons FA Cup 3 (away) 1-1 (won 4-3 on penalties) and two defeats against Ipswich Town (away) 1-2 and Swansea City (home) 0-1.
QPR arrived at the Kassam Stadium in 11th spot having come into the game off the back of one win against Sheffield Wednesday (home) 3-0, one draw against Stoke City (away) 0-0 last time out and three defeats against West Ham United in the FA Cup (away) 1-2, Norwich City (home) 1-2 and West Bromwich Albion (away) 1-2.
Oxford were winless in four league meetings with QPR, but had never gone five without a win against the Rs. QPR won this exact fixture last season 3-1 but have never won back-to-back league games at United before.
QPR had won each of their last three away league games played in midweek, last winning four in a row way back in August 1971.
The U's started well and took the early play to QPR. Matt Bloomfield the home side's new manager was yet to win at home since his arrival.
In the ninth minute Cameron Brannagan the U’s skipper, found Sam Long and the right-back, whistled a right-footed shot just over Joe Walsh’s cross bar.
In the 12th minute, Kader Dembele provided Paul Smyth with an inch-perfect crossfield pass of some 70 yards, and the winger ran at Long before crossing into the six-yard box but neither Richard Kone nor Daniel Bennie could get on the end of it.
Then with QPR’s next move down the left-flank the dangerous Irish winger, Paul Smyth crossed into Bennie, but his right-footed shot was deflected for a corner which subsequently came to nothing.
In the 28th minute Stan Mills for the U’s saw a right-footed shot from outside the penalty area go wide of the left-hand post. Then in the 29th minute QPR’s Nicholas Madsen saw a right-footed shot blocked.
Paul Smyth went the closest to opening the scoring with a delicious right-footed shot from 22 yards out from an assist by Kone which was tipped away for a corner by Jamie Cumming who was at full stretch in the 33rd minute. That was to be the R's best scoring opportunity on the night.
In the 50th minute Kone headed a curling Madsen free kick over the crossbar.
Kader Dembele was yellow carded in 55th minute. In the 56th Esquerdinha the QPR left-back was injured and was stretched off and was replaced by Rhys Norrington-Davies in the 65th minute. In the 58th minute Will Vaulks was yellow carded for that challenge as was Smyth for the Rs.
Then U’s Cameron Brannagan took a free kick into the QPR six-yard box, but Bennie headed clear then in the follow-up play Will Vaulks saw a right-footed shot tipped over the cross bar by Joe Walsh who was in good form. That was the U’s best scoring chance in the game.
Steve Cook saw a right-footed shot from 25 yards out whistle wide of the far post from a throw in by Smyth in the 67th minute.
Oxford United made a double change with Will Lankshear and Vaulks replaced by Mark Harris and Jamie McDonnell in the 70th minute. The latter making his U’s debut.
Oxford improved after that double substitution and in the 73rd minute a Myles Peart-Harris cross to the back post was fired high and wide by Stan Mills at the back post when he should really have scored.
QPR made a double substitution which saw Issac Hayden and Kone replaced by Sam Field and Rayan Kolli in the 75th and 76th minute.
Oxford replaced Stan Mills with Matt Phillips ex-QPR in the 76th minute to boos, from the travelling Rs fans. Paul Smyth saw a curling right-footed shot into the near post saved well by Jamie Cumming in the 77th minute as the Rs pressed for a winner.
In the 82nd minute a QPR corner taken by Madsen was punched clear. Late on QPR head coach Julien Stephan replaced Dembele with Harvey Vale in the 85th minute to add fresh legs but the game was destined to end scoreless.
QPR ended the evening in 12th place on 40 points – 3 points off 6th placed play off zone with Wrexham and Coventry City both at home to come before the end of the month.
It was QPR’s third clean sheet in four matches which was a positive, but Esquerdinha injury will need a scan and an assessment ahead of the weekend.
U’s (4-2-3-1) Cumming – Long Helik (46, Spencer) Brown Currie – Vaulks (Y, 58) (70, McDonnell) De Keersmaecker – Mills (76, Phillips) Brannagan Peart-Harris (90+2, Dembele) - Lankshear (70, Harris) Subs unused Ingram (G) Konak Romeny Leigh
R’s (4-4-2) Walsh – Mbengue Dunne Cook Esquerdinha (65, Norrington-Davies) – Dembele (Y, 55) (85, Vale) Madsen Hayden (75, Field) Smyth (Y, 58) - Bennie Kone (76, Kolli) Subs unused Hamer (G) Adamson Morgan Smith Edwards
Attendance: 10,478
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