QUEENS Park Rangers maintained their unbeaten start to Championship life with a professional victory over Birmingham City.
Not the most vintage of performances, but Rangers can point to a fourth clean sheet in succession and a first league goal for hard-working centre forward Charlie Austin.
The poacher extraordinaire was sharp in front of goal, reacting when Nedum Onuoha’s cut-back crashed down off the bar, Austin was brave to head through the melee.
Hardly the most pleasant of spectacles, but once again the Rs were able to grind out a much-needed win, to stay neck and neck with Blackpool at the Championship summit.
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TEAM NEWS |
Harry Redknapp resisted the temptation of throwing in some new starters, with Tom Carroll the only starting debutante. Meanwhile there was surprise as Bobby Zamora was recalled to the starting line-up at the expense of the injured Andy Johnson.
Rob Green started behind a defence of Danny Simpson, Richard Dunne, Nedum Onuoha and Clint Hill. The midfield comprised of Gary O’Neil, Joey Barton, Carroll and Junior Hoilett with Zamora partnering Charlie Austin.
Birmingham City reverted to a 3-5-2 formation with Darren Randolph behind his defensive trio of Dan Burn, Kyle Bartley and Jonathan Spector, with Paul Caddis and Paul Robinson the wing backs. Andrew Shinnie, Tom Adeyemi and Wade Elliott played through the middle with Chris Burke playing off Lee Novak.
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KICK OFF: QUEENS PARK RANGERS v BIRMINGHAM CITY |
Harry Redknapp had somewhat of a selection headache with an influx of deadline day deals combined with the return to fitness of Matt Phillips making for a pleasant dilemma for the Rangers boss. Blues meanwhile looked to pack the midfield reverting to their familiar 3-5-2 formation.
As the game kicked off it became clear that the visiting side were content to try and strangle the game in the middle of the park, pressurise the hosts and attempt to formulate opportunities on the counter attack.
It perhaps did not make for the perfect spectacle but was certainly proving effective for Lee Clark’s men. Junior Hoilett attempted to celebrate his return to the side with a goal but couldn’t steer a meaningful effort goal-bound.
Both sides were vying for possession in a combative fashion, with some strong tackles going in, but very little of substance in terms of attacking threat. The visitors displayed some creative intent with a training ground set-piece, only for Elliott to thrash an effort into the Upper Loft.
20 minutes in and Charlie Austin tried his luck with a powerful drive from distance, in truth it failed to trouble Randolph, who watched it wide of his left-hand upright. The intent was there, but the class to make it decisive was distinctly lacking.
Barton was uncharacteristically sloppy in midfield, being caught in possession on a couple of occasions, nearly yielding a goal for the visiting side. Novak was the beneficiary and his sublime vision found the unmarked Andrew Shinnie who guided the ball well over the bar.
Hoilett dropped to the turf twice in close succession as it appeared his afternoon would be prematurely ended. He was withdrawn shortly before the interval with Matt Phillips coming on for his Rangers debut, not a bad addition from the bench.
Barton received a yellow for a succession of fouls, while City continued to stifle the fixture and look to play on the break. The half time whistle came as welcome relief as the fixture had rather descended into mediocrity.
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HALF TIME: QUEENS PARK RANGERS 0-0 BIRMINGHAM CITY |
Bobby Zamora was mercifully withdrawn after another ineffective display – Shaun Wright-Phillips was his replacement as Rangers went like-for-like with the visitors with five across the middle, but remained with their flat back four and Austin up front as the lone forward.
City rather set the intention with Randolph taking a couple of minutes to take an early goal kick, and it was clear from the offset that the visiting side were going to persist with their tactic of slowing the game and looking to catch the hosts on the break.
Neat interplay down the left saw Wright-Phillips beat Shinnie all ends up and earn a free-kick. Barton’s deep set piece saw Nedum Onuoha hook the ball back from the by-line, it hit a forest of bodies, hit the bar and bounced down – CHARLIE AUSTIN was on hand to put his head in where it hurts and nod beyond Randolph.
It was a brave header indeed for his first league goal of the season, and despite being scrappy in its nature, it was a crucial goal in a game that would now have to see City come out of their shell and do some attacking in order to get something from the game.
Blues responded by bringing off Shinnie, with Shane Ferguson coming on to take up a position on the left-flank. Little in the way of substance coming from either side in the second half with the game descending further still into a scrappy affair, if a little more open.
Carroll was busy, if looking a tad out of his depth at times, and his best opportunity came and went when he received the ball in the area only to sweep a left footed drive well over Randolph’s bar in a disappointing finale to a good move.
Birmingham introduced a second forward in Peter Lovenkrands at the expense of Tom Adeyemi. The Danish forward scored the goal at Loftus Road to put the seal on Newcastle United’s promotion in 2010. A two-pronged attack from the visitors who were now attempting to salvage a point.
Jermaine Jenas replaced Carroll in midfield – in appraising the Spurs loanee, Carroll will have found this a tough introduction to life at this level. Brimming with enthusiasm but often crowded out and found wanting defensively.
Not much to come in way of opportunities with Elliott sending a speculative drive goal-bound, ably dealt with by the underworked Green, who was able to catch crosses with consummate ease. No requirement for the returning Julio Cesar on this evidence.
Rangers rounded off the afternoon with a key opportunity of their own. Austin was felled by Burn, who received a caution of his own. Barton chanced his arm from the set piece and saw the ball crash back off the left hand upright, and hacked away to safety.
The referee called time on the fixture after five minutes of added on time – owing much to a flare being thrown on the pitch and seats being ripped out and thrown by a few over-excitable neanderthals in the away end – and it was the home side victorious once more.
A fixture one would certainly not have liked to be on the losing end of, bereft of inspiration and quality, but Rangers managed to grind out the result and get themselves over the line once more, doing what it takes when it matters most.
As for Birmingham, it is very easy to see why Lee Clark had a mesmerising run of undefeated games at Huddersfield, but they lacked the inspiration and cutting edge to ever cause any trouble to the hosts, beyond frustrating them for good proportions of the clash.
Brighton & Hove Albion await in the second of this home double header before a jaunt down to the South West to face Yeovil Town at the weekend. Fixtures such as these will help shape the league table and Rangers respective ambitions.
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FINAL WHISTLE: QUEENS PARK RANGERS 1-0 BIRMINGHAM CITY |