With poor form in the Championship of late for Queens Park Rangers and manager Steve McClaren, tonight was a distraction as we faced Premier League side Watford in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
Angel Rangel and Geoff Cameron had already been ruled out of the tie and Joel Lynch was set to be assessed ahead of the tie at Loftus Road, but the expectation was a few changes given it’s our third game in six days.
It was still a strong squad though and although we lost 1-0 on the evening, we edged chances even if they had possession. Both sides only managed one shot on target though and sadly their’s counted.
I think McClaren will take the positives from the tie though, especially defensively as we didn’t give a lot up in the battling encounter so it’s something we can surely build on. But Toni Leistner will certainly believe, especially in those circumstances, it’s should’ve been goal number three and then we’re talking a different ball game.
Speaking to the BBC following the fulltime whistle, McClaren said of the tie.
“We’re not far away. We just need the rub of the green. We have to keep working hard and eventually our luck will turn. Five games ago we were talking about the play-offs, we need to get players back from injury and finish the season strong.”
💬 Read Steve McClaren's reaction in full after a frustrating night for #QPR.
▶️ https://t.co/ZRm2jHQFo2#QPRWAT pic.twitter.com/fZPySkpoHd
— QPR FC (@QPR) February 15, 2019