QPR stop the rot with a draw in Marti's W12 overture

QPR (0) 0

Bristol City (0) 0

Baby steps.

In the battle of the new manager bounce it was honours even at Loftus Road as Marti Cifuentes marked his home debut as boss with a point against a City side also under new management.

The game got the result ot deserved. It was far from scintillating. But the Spaniard will have been encouraged by his side's greater composure and control in the second half, even if a goal at the Loft End eluded them.

Given that Rangers had lost five of their opening six games in the Championship in W12 so far, this must count as a little moral victory. It is also good to have stopped the abject run of losses to the Robins on home soil. The visitors had won five in a row here and not lost a league fixture since Idryssa Sylla got the winner in 2016.

Cifuentes talked in his programme notes about getting his team to control possession more - typical of the Spanish footballing mentality of course - creating an identity and making Loftus Road the fortress it has simply not been in the past year.

It is unlikely to be achieved overnight but he has something to build on and the spirit looked good.

The Hoops remain in 23rd place - one off the bottom - five points from safety, but there is plenty of time for that to change for the better.

There was a welcome return to some semblance of form from Chris Willock and a cameo from sub Sinclair Armstrong to remind us all of a what a thrilling prospect he remains.

The first half was devoid of serious goalmouth action - a snatched attempt by Lyndon Dykes the closest either side came in a forgettable 45 minutes which did little to suggest either club is on the cusp of a ground-shaking era under new management.

The incursions of Paul Smyth down the right were a feature, but there was never an end product. By contrast, Rangers developed some seeds of ambition and pressure after the break and were much improved.

They didn't get the win, but the outcome was better than most have been this season.

Hoops: (4-3-3) Begovic - Kakay, Dunne, Cook, Paal - Dozzell, Colback (Richards 82), Field - Willock (Kelman 90), Dykes (Armstrong 74), Smyth (Dixon-Bonner 83)

Robins: (4-2-3-1) O'Leary - Tanner, Vyner, Dickie, Pring - James, Conway (Cornick 71) - Sykes, Knight, Mehmeti (Bell 60) - Weimann (Gardner-Hickman 60)

Attendance: 17,540