By Dave McIntyre QPR remain in serious danger of dropping into League One after their Easter Monday mauling by play-off chasers Leicester. Rangers face a crucial relegation showdown with Neil Warnock s former club Crystal Palace on Saturday – and defeat c

By Dave McIntyre

QPR remain in serious danger of dropping into League One after their Easter Monday mauling by play-off chasers Leicester.

Rangers face a crucial relegation showdown with Neil Warnock's former club Crystal Palace on Saturday - and defeat could leave them above the drop zone only on goal difference.

But the Rs boss retained a positive outlook after his side's thrashing at the Walkers Stadium, saying: "Three of the last four games are at home, and we just need to get to the finish line and then look to next season.

"We need a few new players, but we have to keep on going with what we've got for now."

Rangers have gone 17 away matches without keeping a clean sheet, and it took Leicester only five minutes to breach their lacklustre defence on Monday.

Richie Wellens' cross was headed on by Steve Howard to Andy King, who fired past keeper Carl Ikeme.

Despite a second game in the space of 48 hours, Warnock made only one change to the side that had started against Sheffield Wednesday.

And it was Lee Cook - restored to the starting line-up at the expense of Tamas Priskin - who had Rangers' first sight of goal when Adel Taarabt's pass picked him out, only to be denied by Wayne Brown's well-timed challenge.

Cook also sent a free-kick over and Rangers had a goal disallowed when Mikele Leigertwood's drive was diverted into the net by an offside Jay Simpson.

Having had most of the possession, Rangers fell further behind shortly before the break.

Ikeme - playing the final match of his loan from Wolves - sprinted from his line to meet a long ball, but made a mess of the clearance, and Martyn Waghorn embarrassed him by shooting home from 35 yards.

Worse followed only four minutes into the second period when King robbed Taarabt inside the Leicester half and Howard found Waghorn, who let fly with a 30-yarder that went in off the underside of the bar.

Waghorn hit the bar with a free-kick and Taarabt the outside of the post, before Howard scored Leicester's fourth, heading Michael Morrison's right-wing cross into the far corner.

"The first two goals were absolutely diabolical and showed some of our deficiencies," added Warnock.

But he insisted: "You might think I've come from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, but I'm disappointed we didn't win it.

"I thought we were the better side apart from opportunities created, and the timing of the goals really killed us.

"We've lost only two of my nine games in charge - one of those was at Reading with 10 men - and I think we could have won all of those games.

"If Leicester don't go up, then I want to come back here next season with a team that will give them a right good game. It's an exciting prospect.