Queens Park Rangers set an unwanted Football League record as their winless run at the City Ground stretched to 29 matches with a heavy defeat.

The omens were not good for Rs, who had not beaten Nottingham Forest by the River Trent in any competition in 33 matches, stretching back to their first meeting in 1934.

But manager Ian Holloway had not tasted defeat on six previous visits, earning four wins and two draws, and his side went into the match on the back of a 1-0 win over leaders Sheffield United in midweek.

Jake Bidwell saw a shot blocked inside two minutes, but the home side took the lead on 13 minutes when Kieran Dowell released Tyler Walker and he slotted past Alex Smithies.

The same two players combined again soon after, but Walker fired wide of the far post on this occasion.

And the returning Joel Lynch had to make a block on the line to deny Walker’s driven effort, after the Forest player had escaped the clutches on Bidwell.

Dowell continued to pose a threat for the visiting defence and doubled Forest’s lead just before the break as he rounded Smithies and found the net for his fifth goal in five starts.

Daryl Murphy flashed a header wide in stoppage time and Holloway made a double change during the interval, sending Jamie Mackie and Matt Smith on for Idrissa Sylla and David Wheeler.

Mackie headed wide from Conor Washington’s cross within three minutes of the restart, but Rs then conceded a third goal on 52 minutes when Barrie McKay slammed home at the far post.

Smith headed straight at the Forest keeper after good work from Alex Baptiste and Luke Freeman, while Mackie fired well over on 61 minutes.

And Freeman made way for Yeni N’Gbakoto with 16 minutes remaining, soon after being shown a yellow card for a late tackle just inside the Forest half.

Murphy missed a great chance to make it 4-0, sliding a shot wide of the far post on 78 minutes, while Smith had a shot blocked just inside the Forest box five minutes later.

But the hosts claimed their fourth goal of the game six minutes from time as Walker struck for the second time and that was how it ended on another disappointing away-day for Rangers.

Their 29th successive failure to win at the venue ensured they eclipsed Grimsby’s 28-match winless run at Blackburn Rovers and Holloway’s men return to action after the international break with a home match against Aston Villa at Loftus Road on November 18.

QPR: Smithies, Baptiste, Lynch, Robinson, Bidwell, Wheeler (Mackie 46), Luongo, Scowen, Freeman (N’Gbakoto 74), Sylla (Smith 46), Washington. Unused subs: Furlong, Cousins, Manning, Lumley.

Attendance: 24,021.