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Your support makes all the difference.Queen's Park Rangers. . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Coventry City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0
QUEEN'S PARK RANGERS moved into fourth position yesterday, but their Premier League elevation is attributable as much to Coventry's shortcomings as to the success of their own depleted line-up, and especially to an own-goal of classic incompetence.
Rangers' careful, constructive approach won them early control of the game, with Andy Sinton providing healthy service from the left flank and Bradley Allen proving an explosive danger in the centre. Allen managed to outshine England's new international, Les Ferdinand, whose finest contribution was a 20-yard dribble which totally confounded his marker, Andy Pearce, but which he finished with a poor shot against the legs of the keeper Steve Ogrizovic.
Ogrizovic made two more startling saves - blocking a close volley from Karl Ready and tipping Simon Barker's shot against a post - before Pearce, who already had egg on his face from the Ferdinand encounter, made a total dog's dinner of another encounter with barely an attacker in sight. The resulting own-goal will be hard for him to forget. There was some confusion between Pearce, Peter Atherton and Ogrizovic, which barely explains the lame donkey in Pearce's kick which spun the ball backwards, round Ogrizovic, and into the goal.
Eight minutes later, QPR managed a goal of their own, which came through the strength, rather than stealth, of Darren Peacock. The ball had been knocked in by Andy Impey, and Peacock out-wrestled Brian Borrows for possession, which gave him the chance to score.
Peacock's performance in defence was equally strong and it was an hour before Mickey Quinn, Coventry's super striker, started to make a threat. That was when, finally, Coventry took some control and Quinn had three shots, two missed, and one well saved by Tony Roberts.
Quinn's overall quietness, however, was largely down to Ready, the 20-year-old defender from Neath, who had an impressive first full match of the season.
Queen's Park Rangers: T Roberts; D Bardsley, R Brevett, S Barker, K Ready, D Peacock, C Wilson, A Impey, L Ferdinand, B Allen, A Sinton. Subs not used: A McCarthy, M Doyle, J Stejskal (gk). Manager: G Francis.
Coventry City: S Ogrizovic; B Borrows, P Babb, P Atherton, A Pearce, J Williams, P Ndlovu, M Gynn (S Robson, 64 min), R Rosario, M Quinn, L Hurst. Subs not used: D Busst, J Gould (gk). Manager: B Gould.
Referee: T Durkin (Portland, Dorset).
Goals: Pearce og (1-0, 33 min); Peacock (2-0, 41 min).
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