Not much to write home about as QPR and Birmingham City play out drab draw

QPR 0 Birmingham City 0

Rangers drew a blank for the third game running but claimed a point after a forgettable encounter.

The return from injury of a bleach-haired Lyndon Dykes and a first start for Albert Adomah promised a greater threat from Rangers than they mustered during the lame midweek reverse against Preston.

But both were withdrawn for the final quarter as Rangers struggled to find the net.

Bright Osayi-Samuel had a shot cleared off the line and Dykes went close with a header but there was little from the home side to get pulses racing.

Adomah managed one smart turn around left back Kristian Pedersen in the first half, which led to a cross and some degree of panic in the Birmingham defence but he drifted out of the game.

The game was particularly drab in the first half, in which neither side managed to get a shot on target – which was the case for Rangers over the entire 90 minutes in midweek.

A cut in from the left flank opened up the target for Osayi-Samuel, but he sent a shot flying the wrong side of the far upright.

At least Lee Wallace was spared any repeat of the two penalties he gave away last time out. He limped off after half an hour to be replaced by Niko Hamalainen.

Gary Gardiner might have put Brum ahead at the start of the second half, when he was well placed to latch onto a cross from Jonathan Leko – but his volley flashed just wide.

A couple of shots did finally found the target from Rangers. First Osayi-Samuel had a powerful effort headed off the line by Harlee Dean, then Dykes had a header tipped over by Neil Etheridge.

With the game suddenly a little freer, Seny Dieng was forced to leap to his left to deny Ivan Sunjic and Pedersen almost turned in cross from sub Lukas Jutkiewicz.

For Rangers, Dom Ball came on and rifled just over the crossbar from outside the box and there was a late chance too for Ilias Chair, who was found by a cutback from Osayi-Samuel. But there was nowhere near enough devil from the Hoops to edge it.

QPR: Dieng – Kakay, Dickie, Barbet, Wallace (Hamalainen 30) – Cameron – Osayi-Samuel, Chair, Adomah (Willock 69) – Bonne, Dykes (Ball 69). Subs not used: Kane, Masterson, Bettache, Kelly