By Ben Kosky THIS time last year, Radek Cerny was preparing for Wembley – now he is dreaming of a return trip with QPR in the play-offs. Cerny sat on the bench as Tottenham overcame Chelsea to claim the Carling Cup a year ago but, should Rangers qualify f

By Ben Kosky

THIS time last year, Radek Cerny was preparing for Wembley - now he is dreaming of a return trip with QPR in the play-offs.

Cerny sat on the bench as Tottenham overcame Chelsea to claim the Carling Cup a year ago but, should Rangers qualify for the Championship showpiece final come May, he will surely go one better.

So it would have seemed until recently... but the Czech goalkeeper's hamstring injury appears to have reopened the door for former number one Lee Camp.

Now Cerny is racing against time to reclaim his shirt for the Rs' home clash with Ipswich on Saturday and he admitted: "This injury is going slow and I can't say whether I will be ready for the next game.

"I had a similar injury in pre-season and now it's happened again. In my football life I've never had many injuries, but hopefully I'll get through this and everything will be okay.

"I don't think it matters who is in the team - every player has to work hard anyway. My experience is that you always have to give 100 per cent and if you do this, good things will come."

After quitting Spurs to sign for Rangers last summer on a free transfer, Cerny stated that a play-off spot was his minimum aim for the season.

With more than two thirds of the Championship programme completed, that goal is certainly, he feels, attainable - even though QPR are slightly behind on the points target they set themselves.

"Our aim is to finish in the top six and we still have the chance to do it," Cerny observed. "But there are still 15 games until the finish, lots of points and anything could happen.

"Before the season began we were talking about the aim to take 10 points from every six games. The manager hasn't said anything about how many points we need, but the chairman mentioned 77.

"There are so many who could get into the play-offs and it's difficult - the league is very close. But if we win four games in a row, for example, I think we will get through and to go to Wembley would be very nice."

Cerny, who turned 35 this week, rates Reading as the best side in the league and believes that Steve Coppell's team, along with Wolves and Birmingham, will occupy the top three places at the end of the season.

"Reading are a very good team, well organised and they have lots of good players who can score goals," he added. "Wolves also play good football and Birmingham started well, but haven't been so good since then.

"I think these teams are better than the others - but Burnley played very good football against us and when we played Swansea away their football was unbelievable, on the floor, one or two touches, and it was difficult to play against them.