Rangers blew a two goal lead as Burnley made it yet another miserable Tuesday night at Loftus Road. Tracy Stent was there for LFW...

A football cliché I know, but this was truly a game of two halves. We played possibly some of our best football so far this season in the opening half hour of the game, went 2-0 up, and then proceeded to go on to lose it 2-4. The thing is, after Saturday’s win at Southampton, I was concerned about this game, in fact a while ago when some of us were chatting about forthcoming games, I did say how I feared the Burnley midweek match could be a potential banana skin. On bumping into Q block Pete and his very nice webmaster from their site inside the ground, we spoke about this very issue, and sadly I was proved right. However, tonight’s game has taught us a lesson in many ways, which at least gives us the chance to now go on and learn from them.

We started the game with making two changes from the side that started at Southampton with Damion Stewart coming in for Michael Mancienne, and Akos Buzsaky starting in place of Kieran Lee. This meant a starting line up of: Camp; Delaney; Stewart; Rehman; Connolly; Ephraim; Rowlands; Mahon; Buzsaky; Vine and Agyemang. Burnley were starting with Andy Cole and Robbie Blake up front, which meant Ade Akinbiyi was on the bench for them.

The game started at a ferocious pace, and with us gaining two corners and a free kick within the first four minutes of kick off, it seemed that we were looking to pick up from where we’d left off on Saturday with both Buz and Hogan trying their luck early on. There was some nice football going on and with 15 minutes gone on the clock, we took the lead.

Rowan Vine played a lovely ball out to Agyemang who had made a run on the right; he turned the Chelsea reject John Harley the wrong way, looked up and put a perfect pass across into the area where Gavin Mahon of all players was running in unmarked and headed in. 1-0 to the Superhoops and the place was buzzing; there was some beautiful football going on out there with Rowlands in particular being instrumental in feeding the ball to the likes of Buz, Ephraim and Vine; whilst the defence were each to a man holding their own.

On the half hour mark we doubled our lead; Damien Delaney took the ball out of our area, he turned and found himself with space to run so he took himself off on a blazing run up field, saw that Agyemang had run on ahead, he then played a simply wonderful ball towards him, and Agyemang, with their keeper, Jensen, committed to coming out, took the ball past him and coolly slid the ball home into an empty net to make it 2-0 to us. We at this stage were in a Rangers wonderland and it could have only been 60 seconds later that we could have gone 3-0 up after Buz attempted a long distance volley which only just went wide of the bar. We were playing with a swagger which was delightful at that particular stage, and lo and behold, who decided to try a piece of the action next? None other than our Zesh, he had made a run on the right, and he cut inside and shot at goal, he was unlucky to see his shot saved by Jensen.

However, with five minutes to go until half time, we had to make a change which in my opinion, went towards changing the nature of the game. Rowlands had to go off (didn’t see what happened to him, though he looked to be running off the pitch ok) and he was replaced by Leggy. At the same time, Burnley had just won a free kick a few yards outside our penalty area. Whilst we were waiting for the change to take place, some of the R’s fans decided to taunt Andy Cole, who up until then, had been having a quiet game. The resulting free kick was taken, and as the ball flew into our area, Cole stuck out his leg and the ball rebounded into the net off this. The first thing he did was to turn around to cup his ear to sections of the home crowd, but worryingly for us, this had given the Clarets a bit of an upper advantage going into the break because at 2-0 down, you’re facing an uphill battle, whereas 2-1 down, you know that all it takes is a sniff at goal for something to happen to bring you right back into it.

Burnley manager, Owen Coyne, decided to introduce Adi Akinbiyi at the start of the second half and to be fair, we tried not to give Akinbiyi and his team mates a sniff initially at the start of the second half, with Hogan Ephraim forcing Jensen to make a couple of early saves. About ten minutes into the second half and there was a bizarre protest taking place on the pitch courtesy of a couple of protesters holding a banner proclaiming that Campbell causes leukaemia. There was around 30 seconds of them holding this banner up on the pitch (the Paddock side) before, with the fans from both sides booing and heckling the protestors to get off the pitch, a handful of stewards decided to wake up and ran on to escort them away.

I’m not blaming that incident, but it couldn’t have helped with our already faltering concentration levels, because just after this Burnley drew level. Cole played a ball outside to Akinbiyi on the right, he turned Delaney (who up until then had been having a competent game) put the ball into the middle, and who was there ready and waiting to pounce? None other than Cole the goal, though it has to be said his shot did hit the bar initially and then bounced back down to fall into the back of the net. So, a brace for Cole and from finding ourselves 2-0 up, and having played like Brazil during part of the first half, we suddenly lost our composure, went to pieces, and started to play like the local pub side.

It was a great, great shame, but Burnley (as I had said to the others before the game) did not start this game one point off a play off place for nothing; they are more than a decent side, and this was proved when Elliott decided to try his luck with a 25 yarder which hit the post and with Camp well beaten.

On the 77th minute, they took the lead. There’d been a scramble in our goal mouth, we’d cleared it, the ball came out, it was played back in and as it looped over every single player in our area, there was Akinbiyi ready and waiting to finish off. 2-3 to them, and with the Burnley fans going mental down their end, and singing their Adi song, Gigi decided to make a change for us by taking off Ephraim, and bringing on Dexter Blackstock. This meant Vine going wide on the left, with Dexter coming central to join Agyemang. To be honest I would have taken off either Buz (who had kind of gone below par once Rowlands had to go off) or Vine (who had begun to look a little lost out there) but it was all to be to no avail anyway because whilst we huffed and puffed, the Clarets decided to finish us off well and truly. And who was it to provide the killer goal? Yep, Cole the goal, who secured his hat trick in fine style when he swooped to finish off at the near post. I have no idea who, if anyone, in our defensive line was to blame, but to be honest, it was all elementary by that time because Andy Cole had taught us a lesson in that if an opposition team collectively go to sleep, then a pro like him will always take advantage.

He went off to a standing ovation by the Burnley fans, whilst many of the home fans, myself included, applauded a player who at the age of 36, and who has won many club honours over the years, would have deservedly taken the match ball home with him.

By the time he went off, the game had only a couple of minutes to go and when the final whistle was blown, many of the home fans had already departed. Agyemang and Blackstock were the players that came over to acknowledge the fans left, and whilst we departed the stadium desperately disappointed that we’d chucked away a two goal lead, from a personal point of view I was not too concerned because two months or so ago, we would have found it hard to have scored the two goals we got tonight. The players now have a break (in the sunshine of Portugal apparently) to regroup and it will be interesting to see how we respond by the time we play Sheffield United a week on Saturday.

Players performances:

Camp: He’ll be very disappointed to have let in 4 goals tonight which will have taken the tally to 9 against in 4 games. There was absolutely nothing he could do about the first goal, but have no idea if he could have done better with any of the three goals scored down the other end! Didn’t look it to me, but will be interesting to see the replays. 6

Delaney: He had a cracking first half, and then proceeded to lose his way in the second. Whilst Wade Elliott gave him a bit of a hard time, he was tackling and intercepting well inside the area, and that run he made in the first half which led to Agyemang’s goal was top class. Trouble is, when Akinbiyi came on up against him, making runs etc, there was panic on that side of the pitch. 7 for the first half, 5 for the second.

Stewart: He held firm in the first half but seemed to get pulled apart in the second. A shame he didn’t latch onto the ball in the Burnley area during the second half when it was 2-2 as there was a golden opportunity galore, but he seemed to take a step too far. 7 for the first half, 4 for the second.

Rehman: For the first 60 minutes he was our man of the match. He was winning everything in the air; his distribution was good; that run and shot he had, my word if only that had gone in; and whilst he had a couple of wobbles, he did really really well. In the second half, with so much pressure being put on the defence, and with the introduction of Akinbiyi, he was doing his best to hold firm, but it was his positional sense at set pieces which let him down a tad. But he will know this and if we have a decent defensive coach at the club, then Zesh Rehman will be a more than steady eddie type of defender for us. 8 in the first half, 7 in the second.

Connolly: Lafferty is a whizz on the left for them and whilst Connolly seemed to have him under control in the first, as with the rest of them, he lost his way in the second. A fine strike by him mind in that second half which could have put us 3-2 up. 7 in the first half, 6 in the second.

Ephraim: A good first half, and kept trying in the second, hence his couple of attempts at goal. Whilst he may have looked a tad lightweight, I don’t think I would have taken him off because much of our creativity was coming from him in that second half. 7 in the first half, 6 in the second.

Rowlands: Was working very hard in that opening half an hour and much of what was happening was as a result of him playing the ball out etc. The game changed when he had to go off. 7

Mahon: A good performance by Mahon tonight. He took his goal well and came/went forward on several occasions. He was winning balls in the first half, and looked very comfortable alongside Rowlands. In the second half he was still doing his best and I would say was a workmanlike performance from him. He was announced towards the end of the match as the QPR man of the match, and no arguments from me on that one tonight, though if we’d have kept the scoreline down, then Zesh would have been a very close call. 8 (for both halves).

Buzsaky: A tad below par tonight, especially once Rowlands went off as they seem to feed off one another. What a shame his strike in the first half didn’t go in though. 7 in first half 5 in second.

Vine: He was a real handful in the first half, taking on defenders, playing some lovely balls, and the understanding between him and Agyemang looked top class. In the second half as with others, he dropped off and couldn’t seem to re-find his first half form, though once he was moved to the wing, it was going to be difficult for him to find a way through. 8 in the first half, 5 in the second.

Agyemang: Felt sorry for him at the final whistle because he’d done his utmost to play his part tonight, including his apparent obligatory goal per game for us. He was chasing and running down so many lost causes but once we were effectively shut down by the opposition in the second half, he did not receive any further service really, though a couple more inches into the area, and he would have won us a penalty after being fouled just outside. 8 in the first half and 7 in the second.

Substitutes:
Leggy: Felt for him tonight because he is such a different type of player to Rowlands, and coming into this game having to play alongside a similar player to himself (Mahon) we were always going to find it difficult creativity wise in the centre of the field. He hasn’t played much first team football either since his suspension, and he looked a bit off the pace which could be a fitness issue? 5

Blackstock: Another player I felt for because by the time he came on we were chasing the game at 3-2 down. He had no service to look to from Ephraim because he’d gone off, and to be honest, he was chasing a lost cause. Again, a shame. 5

Photo: Action Images

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