Queens Park Rangers had a break from Championship action earlier today as we made the trip to Fratton Park to face off against Portsmouth in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
Although manager Steve McClaren did make some changes, he did select a strong squad for the match so the disappointment would be the performance on the day as the hosts clearly had the better of the game.
💬 Still standing!
Steve McClaren was pleased with the character his #QPR side showed to force a fourth-round replay in the @EmiratesFACup.
▶️ https://t.co/jNmywxUQId#PORQPR pic.twitter.com/N9A088ZpnD
— QPR FC (@QPR) January 26, 2019
With that said, both sides only managed two shots on target but we needed Nahki Wells to level the game with just over 15 minutes remaining after Portsmouth had taken the lead mid-way through the second half.
A replay probably isn’t what McClaren would’ve wanted but we have a second chance to progress through to the fifth round stage now and some players will have benefitted from a small break.
Speaking to the BBC following the fulltime whistle, McClaren said of the performance.
“I would have settled for a replay before the game. The conditions were horrendous. The wind was swirling and this had the potential to be a big banana skin for us. We were pleased with the first half but when we went a goal down the crowd really got behind them and our boys fought tremendously well and showed great character. We equalised and then it was both teams slugging it out for the winner.”
🗓 #QPRPOR
Information for #QPR’s replay with Portsmouth in the @EmiratesFACup.
▶️ https://t.co/awrSYtTn8p pic.twitter.com/PpGUAOILZ0
— QPR FC (@QPR) January 26, 2019