Doncaster Rovers 2 QPR 0
By Ben Kosky IF it ain t broke, don t fix it . That maxim may have run through Jim Magilton s mind after watching his reshuffled Rangers side capitulate on Saturday. The list of bizarre loan signings at Loftus Road in recent years is already a lengthy on
By Ben Kosky
'IF it ain't broke, don't fix it'. That maxim may have run through Jim Magilton's mind after watching his reshuffled Rangers side capitulate on Saturday.
The list of bizarre loan signings at Loftus Road in recent years is already a lengthy one and it seems likely that the names of Tommy Williams and Steven Reid will soon be inscribed on it as well.
It's anyone's guess as to why Magilton would choose to drop Gary Borrowdale, arguably his most consistent player this season, in favour of Williams - whose defensive shortcomings have already been witnessed at QPR in a lower league.
And Reid, who was understandably rusty after long periods of inactivity at Blackburn, added little to a central midfield role that Mikele Leigertwood could have performed instead.
It may have made little difference at Doncaster, where several members of the Rs side were below-par - but surely this was a case of unnecessary tinkering with a generally successful formula.
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It might have been different had Rangers taken either of the chances they forged at the start of both halves, but veteran Doncaster keeper Neil Sullivan never had a save to make.
Akos Buzsaky spurned the first of those opportunities in the fifth minute, attempting a lob that sailed wide after Wayne Routledge's cross was cleared.
Routledge's speed frequently gave him the better of Rovers left-back Gareth Roberts (pictured left), but that was rarely translated into chances.
At the other end, Dean Shiels gave Rangers problems with darting runs from deep, but never put anything like enough power behind his attempts at goal to trouble Radek Cerny.
It was thanks to Cerny, though, that the first half remained scoreless, as he dived low to parry John Oster's free-kick and later beat away a thumping left-foot drive from the same player.
Rangers sent on Adel Taarabt at the interval and 90 seconds later he stroked a pass into the path of Jay Simpson, but the striker put it wide - and Doncaster took the lead just six minutes later.
A Shiels effort was deflected behind and Rangers failed to react to a quickly-taken short corner as Shiels clipped the ball into the centre for Bill Sharp to hook a volley past Cerny.
Magilton responded with a double change - but, before Patrick Agyemang or Alessandro Pellicori could make any impact, the Rs were two down, Shiels pouncing on a slip by Williams to rifle into the net with the aid of a deflection.
Rangers fell apart in the final 20 minutes and were lucky not to concede a penalty when referee Tony Bates somehow missed Pellicori's palpable handball in the box.
The only remaining question was whether Doncaster could add to their tally, but Cerny prevented them doing that as he fielded James Coppinger's 30-yarder and foiled the Rovers striker again late on from point-blank range.