Queens Park Rangers headed to Deepdale to face Preston North End earlier today as the Championship campaign of 2018/19 kicked off for real.
A newish face in the dugout, a competitive debut for summer signing Toni Leistner and delight amongst the fans, as they saw Luke Freeman take his place in the starting line up following the speculation about his future the last week and a bit.
All that was needed then was a win.
Somebody hadn’t told the hosts that though and after a goalless first half, they seized advantage five minutes into the second period. There was plenty of huffing and puffing from the QPR team though, but clear-cut chances were at a premium and the players largely struggled to test their goalkeeper other than on two isolated occasions.
A 1-0 defeat to open the season will leave plenty disappointed but looking at the stats from the match, you can hardly begrudge Preston their win. Manager Steve McClaren will be looking for a quick response in the next fixture as he continues to seek his first victory – but the opening game of a season isn’t all defining.