BLACKSTOCK LATE SHOW LEAVES SOUSA PROUD AND PRESTON BITTER
Dexter Blackstock came off the bench and headed the winning goal four minutes from time in Queens Park Rangers’ 3-2 victory over Preston North End at Loftus Road to keep alive their hopes of promotion from the Championship. Heidar Helguson had scored twice in the first half for Paulo Sousa’s side but Preston twice equalised – however the Portuguese’s late gamble paid off.
“We needed to take a risk as we wanted to get the three points,” said the 38-year-old who has won all three of his home games since taking charge last month. “It was very important – we had planned for these occasions in training. It was fantastic when Dexter scored and I am proud of my players for getting the three points.”
The Portuguese’s team started the brighter and first tested Andy Lonergan in the Preston goal after only two minutes. Lee Cook, handed a free role behind strikers Helguson and Patrick Agyemang, fizzed a shot from the edge of the area that Lonergan could only parry. First to the rebound was Agyemang, who, having not scored since September, would love to have netted against the club he left last January. But Lonergan was quick to charge down the Walthamstow-born forward and his shot was turned wide of the post.
QPR had their tails up, and with Cook pulling the strings, it was no surprise when they took the lead after 16 minutes. The 26-year-old Cook, whose loan deal from Fulham is set to become permanent in January, was the provider. His delicious cross from the left flank was met by Helguson’s head at the far post, and the Icelandic international cleverly nodded back to the left of the goal, giving Lonergan no chance.
But having scored and dominated the first 20 minutes Sousa’s team relaxed and the travelling side took advantage of their complacency in the 28th minute. Paul McKenna cleverly clipped over a pass from the left that found Chris Sedgwick, who had sneaked in from his right wing. The 28-year-old stole in and skillfully steered his header past Radek Cerny, into the bottom right-hand corner – it was his first goal of the season.
QPR hit back with 10 minutes of the first half remaining. At the far post the hard-working Agyemang headed Martin Rowlands’s corner back across goal where Cook and Helguson were the first to react. From three yards out the pair managed to bundle the ball into the net, though the goal was attributed to Helguson, who scored his first goal for his loan club last weekend in the 1-1 draw with Plymouth and looks to have found his touch.
QPR had chances to put the game to bed, but Preston were handed a lifeline in the second half when referee Alan Wiley deemed that Cerny had felled Sean St Ledger in the area. Callum Davidson stepped up and cracked the ball straight to net his second spot kick of the season.
Sousa threw on leading scorer Blackstock with nine minutes remaining and it proved just the tonic. Cook was awarded a free kick on the left and Rowland’s kick was nodded in powerfully by Blackstock, who scored his tenth goal of the campaign.
Sousa’s opposite man, Alan Irvine, felt hard done by, and said: “In the first half QPR were the better team. I was praying for the whistle to go before any more damage was done. But in the second half we were the better team and I expected us to win the game.
“We deserved something. I thought it was a good game of football but it was disappointing to lose to a late goal. It was harsh to come away with nothing.”
Sousa, whose team are now only three points off a play-off place, picked out Cook, who is due to return to Fulham in January, for special praise. He said of the 26-year-old: “Lee came to us with an injury but is getting better and physically stronger. We need players of Lee’s quality to help us achieve the success that we strive.”
He will hope to extend Cook’s deal, but remained tight-lipped when asked if he would be doing more business in the upcoming transfer window. “I believe a lot in my players. With them I’m sure – I don’t have doubts – my team can get better and better and be more consistent. We can be competitive until the end.”
Man-of-the-match: Lee Cook
The midfielder was behind all that was good about QPR, particularly in the first half.
QPR: 4-4-2
Paulo Sousa 9/10
Cerny 5; Ramage 6 (Blackstock 6 81), Gorkss 6, Stewart 6, Delaney 6 (Hall 6 81); Ephraim 6, Mahon 6 (Leigertwood 6), Rowlands 6, Cook 8; Agyemang 7, Helguson 8.
Subs: Hall, Leigertwood, Blackstock, Ledesma, Di Carmine.
Preston: 4-4-2
Alan Irvine 5/10
Lonergan 6; Nolan 6, Mawene 7, St. Ledger 7, Davidson 6; Sedgwick 7 (Whaley 90), Nicholson 6, McKenna 6, Wallace 5; Parkin 7, Chris Brown 6.
Subs: Neal, Hawley, Carter, Simon Whaley, Jones.
MATCH RATING: 8/10
REFEREE WATCH: Alan Wiley 7/10
Dexter Blackstock came off the bench and headed the winning goal four minutes from time in Queens Park Rangers’ 3-2 victory over Preston North End at Loftus Road to keep alive their hopes of promotion from the Championship. Heidar Helguson had scored twice in the first half for Paulo Sousa’s side but Preston twice equalised – however the Portuguese’s late gamble paid off.
“We needed to take a risk as we wanted to get the three points,” said the 38-year-old who has won all three of his home games since taking charge last month. “It was very important – we had planned for these occasions in training. It was fantastic when Dexter scored and I am proud of my players for getting the three points.”
The Portuguese’s team started the brighter and first tested Andy Lonergan in the Preston goal after only two minutes. Lee Cook, handed a free role behind strikers Helguson and Patrick Agyemang, fizzed a shot from the edge of the area that Lonergan could only parry. First to the rebound was Agyemang, who, having not scored since September, would love to have netted against the club he left last January. But Lonergan was quick to charge down the Walthamstow-born forward and his shot was turned wide of the post.
QPR had their tails up, and with Cook pulling the strings, it was no surprise when they took the lead after 16 minutes. The 26-year-old Cook, whose loan deal from Fulham is set to become permanent in January, was the provider. His delicious cross from the left flank was met by Helguson’s head at the far post, and the Icelandic international cleverly nodded back to the left of the goal, giving Lonergan no chance.
But having scored and dominated the first 20 minutes Sousa’s team relaxed and the travelling side took advantage of their complacency in the 28th minute. Paul McKenna cleverly clipped over a pass from the left that found Chris Sedgwick, who had sneaked in from his right wing. The 28-year-old stole in and skillfully steered his header past Radek Cerny, into the bottom right-hand corner – it was his first goal of the season.
QPR hit back with 10 minutes of the first half remaining. At the far post the hard-working Agyemang headed Martin Rowlands’s corner back across goal where Cook and Helguson were the first to react. From three yards out the pair managed to bundle the ball into the net, though the goal was attributed to Helguson, who scored his first goal for his loan club last weekend in the 1-1 draw with Plymouth and looks to have found his touch.
QPR had chances to put the game to bed, but Preston were handed a lifeline in the second half when referee Alan Wiley deemed that Cerny had felled Sean St Ledger in the area. Callum Davidson stepped up and cracked the ball straight to net his second spot kick of the season.
Sousa threw on leading scorer Blackstock with nine minutes remaining and it proved just the tonic. Cook was awarded a free kick on the left and Rowland’s kick was nodded in powerfully by Blackstock, who scored his tenth goal of the campaign.
Sousa’s opposite man, Alan Irvine, felt hard done by, and said: “In the first half QPR were the better team. I was praying for the whistle to go before any more damage was done. But in the second half we were the better team and I expected us to win the game.
“We deserved something. I thought it was a good game of football but it was disappointing to lose to a late goal. It was harsh to come away with nothing.”
Sousa, whose team are now only three points off a play-off place, picked out Cook, who is due to return to Fulham in January, for special praise. He said of the 26-year-old: “Lee came to us with an injury but is getting better and physically stronger. We need players of Lee’s quality to help us achieve the success that we strive.”
He will hope to extend Cook’s deal, but remained tight-lipped when asked if he would be doing more business in the upcoming transfer window. “I believe a lot in my players. With them I’m sure – I don’t have doubts – my team can get better and better and be more consistent. We can be competitive until the end.”
Man-of-the-match: Lee Cook
The midfielder was behind all that was good about QPR, particularly in the first half.
QPR: 4-4-2
Paulo Sousa 9/10
Cerny 5; Ramage 6 (Blackstock 6 81), Gorkss 6, Stewart 6, Delaney 6 (Hall 6 81); Ephraim 6, Mahon 6 (Leigertwood 6), Rowlands 6, Cook 8; Agyemang 7, Helguson 8.
Subs: Hall, Leigertwood, Blackstock, Ledesma, Di Carmine.
Preston: 4-4-2
Alan Irvine 5/10
Lonergan 6; Nolan 6, Mawene 7, St. Ledger 7, Davidson 6; Sedgwick 7 (Whaley 90), Nicholson 6, McKenna 6, Wallace 5; Parkin 7, Chris Brown 6.
Subs: Neal, Hawley, Carter, Simon Whaley, Jones.
MATCH RATING: 8/10
REFEREE WATCH: Alan Wiley 7/10
Labels: Championship, Dexter Blackstock, Paulo Sousa, Preston North End, Queens Park Rangers
