The Latics headed off to London hoping to spoil Mark Hughes’ big day in his first home fixture as boss of QPR, unfortunately it didn’t quite work out our way and we came home on the end of a 3-1 defeat.
A game that had three stunning goals, a penalty scored and a penalty save started brightly enough for the Latics, twice inside the first ten minutes Victor Moses broke clear down the left and sent glorious crosses, hard and low, as usual though no one in a Latics shirt was prepared to gamble and the chances went begging.
Latics were made to pay for those two wasteful chances on 33 minutes, when following James McCarthy inexplicably handling a corner at the near post, Heidar Helguson planted the resultant penalty beyond Ali’s reach, 1-0.
On the stroke of half-time QPR made it two, following an innocuous challenge on Helguson fussy referee Jon Moss awarded QPR a free kick some 25 yards out, up stepped Akos Buzsaky and thundered home a glorious effort, 2-0.
Martinez made a change at half-time, taking off James McArthur and bringing on Conor Sammon. The change gave the Latics a more adventurous look about themselves, on 66 minutes it paid off when, from almost the same spot as Buzsaky’s earlier effort for QPR, Hugo Rodallega scored from a stunning free-kick, 2-1, game on, well you’d have thought so
Gary Caldwell was somehow adjudged to have hauled down Helguson in the box, when it was clear that the QPR striker was backing into Caldwell, justice was done though when Al-Habsi made a spectacular save from the spot kick, making it four penalty saves for the season so far.
With the Latics pressing for an equaliser QPR made a quick counter-attack, Wright-Phillips squared for Tommy Smith 35 yards out and the former Watford and Derby striker was given all the time in the world to smash home the goal of the game, poor closing down though from the Latics midfield, 3-1
A disappointing result that leaves the Latics floundering at the foot of the table, an injection of new blood is needed to freshen up the team, because they do look stale
Teams
QPR: Kenny, Young, Hall, Ferdinand, Hill, Barton, Buzsaky (Derry 82), Wright-Phillips, Mackie, Helguson, Campbell (Smith 45).
Unused subs: Cerny, Orr, Ramage, Bothroyd, Macheda.
Latics: Al-Habsi, Boyce (Stam 69), Gohouri, Caldwell, Figueroa, McArthur (Sammon 45), Watson, McCarthy, Gomez (Crusat 60), Moses, Rodallega.
Unused subs: Pollitt, Lopez, McManaman, Di Santo.
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Disappointing isnt the word