Summer shake-up in store after win secures Championship survival

Queens Park Rangers Ian Holloway admitted a sense of relief after his team’s Sky Bet Championship status was confirmed - and promised a summer of rebuilding.

Goals from Conor Washington and Joel Lynch sealed a 2-0 home win over Nottinngham Forest and ended QPR’s six-game losing run, ensuring the London club will stay up with one game to spare.

“It’s a relief for everybody, but the job starts now,” said Holloway.

“It (the threat of relegation) has been on everybody’s mind, including the supporters.

“I’m delighted with the lads. They needed the fans and the fans were absolutely brilliant - they must have felt nervous but it didn’t transmit to my team.

“I didn’t want to go to Norwich on the final day needing a point or three. I’m really pleased we’ve got over the line.

“I can’t wait to have the summer and a pre-season. They need to be fit and they’ll have a chance to develop a way of playing.

“Are we going to spend masses of money? No. And I wouldn’t want to do that anyway. But we will be moving the club forward.

“I know I haven’t won enough games. But no-one wants it more than me and I want this club to move forward.”

Forest created chances, particularly in the final 25 minutes, but were unable to find the net.

Boss Mark Warburton insisted his side have enough quality to stay in the division, after wins for Blackburn and Birmingham left Forest one place above the drop zone, ahead of Rovers only on goal difference.

It means Forest, who are at home to Ipswich next weekend, must at least match Blackburn’s final-day result in order to stay up - Rovers are away to Brentford.

Warburton said: “We had to expect other teams to win. We know what we have to do. We’re at home and our focus is now on preparing well and getting a good performance.

“We have been in it (danger) for a number of weeks now and every time they’ve played the players have had the talk of the threat of relegation and I’ve been saying they’re handling the pressure very well.

“But we’ve got to take our chances. We looked more desperate and hungry to score after we conceded and we had chances and didn’t take them.

“The game is about goals. You can have all the possession in the world but you have to take your chances when they come.

“It’s up to us. We’re at home. We can’t control what happens away from us, and we have enough quality.

“It’s an honest group of players we’ve got. I can’t question their work ethic, and I want them to get their rewards.

“They’re professionals. They know what’s involved. They have a responsibility to themselves, their families, the supporters and the club - we all do.”