QPR Grab Another Point Away to Preston (But Stay Bottom)

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BBC - Preston 0 QPR 0
QPR goalkeeper Lee Camp's inspirational performance earned the struggling London side a draw at Preston.
Camp saved Paul Gallagher's poor 33rd-minute penalty and frustrated the home side with a string of fine saves.
Referee Trevor Kettle took his time to award the penalty after a scramble when a QPR defender seemed to strike the ball against Martin Crainie's arm.
Camp rode his luck at times, notably when he fumbled Chris Sedgwick's cross, while a Billy Jones effort hit the bar. BBC

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POST MATCH COMMENTS - Sporting Life - HARFORD DELIGHTED WITH CAMP
By Mark Bowering, PA Sport
QPR caretaker manager Mick Harford paid tribute to Lee Camp after the goalkeeper turned in a superb display to frustrate fellow Championship strugglers Preston.
The former England Under-21 international lit up a tepid goalless affair at Deepdale with a first-half penalty save to deny Paul Gallagher as well as producing numerous other timely stops.
The Hoops may remain rooted to the foot of the table but Harford is adamant there is room for new-found optimism after back-to-back draws against North End and Ipswich at the weekend.
"I thought some of our defending was first class and obviously Lee will get all the plaudits for the saves he made but overall I was delighted with the result," said Harford, who has been in charge at Loftus Road since Rangers parted company with John Gregory at the start of the month.
"Lee is a good goalkeeper and his all-round goalkeeping was good today."
Harford added: "I'm pleased with a clean sheet because this is a difficult place to come. Preston are a good team at home.
"We've only let in one goal in the last three games which is very pleasing and if you can do that you have got a chance of winning games.
"We created some decent openings on the attack and if the final ball was correct we could have won the game. I know Preston had a lot of sustained pressure but on the break we looked very dangerous and it was just our final ball that let us down."
Harford said he was in the dark over his immediate future as speculation mounts over Gregory's permanent successor.
"I've been asked about it over the last few weeks and I can't affect it and all I can do is prepare the team," conceded Harford.
"But no one has said anything to me or reflected on what is going to happen to me."
Gallagher was handed the ideal chance to give North End what would have been a deserved lead when Martin Cranie was penalised for handball.

However, the on-loan Blackburn striker saw his weak effort saved by Camp and Preston boss Paul Simpson was left to rue a third missed spot-kick this season by his side.

"If you get penalties you have to score them and we didn't," said Simpson.

"It's something we need to address because that is three we have missed this season and you can't afford to do that because you have got to be ruthless in everything you do and that includes penalties."

Simpson also bemoaned North End's toothless attack, who were thwarted by Camp's heroics.

He added: "We created enough opportunities to win the game but I'm still disappointed with the performance. We didn't really have any pace in our game and didn't have any drive to go and give them problems.

"They came here to slow the game down and make it as difficult as possible but unfortunately we didn't grab the game by the scruff of the neck which you have to do as the home side.

"But saying that we had six or seven really good opportunities to get at least one goal but we are getting punished by teams." Sporting Life

QPR Official Site
Rangers stretched their unbeaten run to three games, with a plucky point at Deepdale.

Lee Camp's first half spot-kick save proved decisive, as the R's battled heroically to clinch a point in Lancashire.

The hosts left the field to a chorus of boos from their own supporters - clear evidence of a job well done by the visitors.

In an even first half, Rangers were indebted to Camp for keeping them on terms.

The R's number one saved Paul Gallagher's 35th minute penalty, after referee Mr Kettle inexplicably awarded a handball against Martin Cranie.

At the other end, the visitors created a few half chances of their own, with Rowan Vine firing wide and Adam Bolder seeing his deflected header cleared off the line.

Hogan Ephraim went closest to breaking the deadlock in a disappointing second period, but honours ended even.

Caretaker Manager Mick Harford named an unchanged side for the trip to Deepdale, which meant Michael Mancienne was deemed fit enough to play a second match in four days after a six-week spell on the sidelines with a back / hamstring injury.

Midfielder Gareth Ainsworth lined up against his former Club, while Chelsea loanee Ben Sahar returned to the bench, after missing Saturday's showdown with Ipswich Town due to fatigue.

Preston boss Paul Simpson made two changes to the Whites starting XI after Saturday's 1-1 draw with Sheffield United, with Sean St Ledger and Patrick Agyemang returning to the fray.

After an equal opening, Preston created the first opportunity of the night in the seventh minute.

Callum Davidson's in-swinging free-kick from the by-line was flighted into the heart of the R's six-yard box and Karl Hawley glanced the ball a yard wide of Camp's right hand post.

Rangers were enjoying the lion's share of possession though and as the clock ticked towards the quarter hour, Preston custodian Andy Lonergan very nearly gifted them a fortuitous opener.

The Whites' number one was caught in no man's land coming for a Martin Rowlands corner and when the ball fell to Bolder, his header was deflected goalwards, only for Kevin Nicholls to hack the ball to safety.

Buoyed by that opening, the visitors created another decent opportunity five minutes later, when Vine fizzed an angled drive wide of Lonergan's right hand post.

Preston responded in kind moments later though, with Billy Jones making great ground from right back to charge into the box and head wide.

With the half petering towards the break, Rangers were the victims of a particularly harsh penalty decision.

Cranie appeared powerless to prevent the ball hitting his hand as it kicked up off the lush Deepdale turf from point-blank range, but referee Mr Kettle, on the advice of assistant Mr Nolan, pointed to the spot, when the man in the middle previously waved away the feint appeals.

Former QPR target Gallagher stepped up from 12-yards, but Camp guessed correctly, diving low to his right to save the striker's 35th minute spot-kick.

After his heroics in the first period, Camp almost gifted Preston a goal at the start of the second half.

Thankfully for Rangers, Mancienne was in the right place at the right time to clear his lines, after the ball squirmed underneath the R's keeper.

The Whites were in the ascendancy by now and when everyone except Jones missed St Ledger's back post cross, the right back scuffed his volley off the top of the crossbar.

Sensing his side required a pair of fresh legs, Harford again called upon Marc Nygaard in the 55th minute, days after his goalscoring exploits from the bench against Ipswich Town.

However, it was Preston who continued to pose the greater threat in the attacking third, with Karl Hawley bringing the ball down with aplomb from a long punt forward, only to see his deft volley fly inches over the bar, with Camp stranded on the edge of his six-yard box.

Camp had to be at his agile best yet again in the 69th minute, gathering on his goal-line at the second attempt, after substitute Simon Whaley sent a fearsome volley on target.

Play quickly switched to the other end, with Nygaard arching his body to head Hogan Ephraim's header inches wide of the stanchion.

Nygaard was constantly asking questions of the Whites rearguard.

In the 70th minute, his nod down landed at the feet of Vine, who played in Ephraim. The West Ham United loanee took one touch to set himself before firing an ambitious drive off the outside of his right boot, which Lonergan tipped to safety.

Rangers were steadily improving as the half wore on, but their inability to make the most of a couple of decent opportunities was proving costly.

When Mikele Leigertwood broke from deep inside his own half 18 minutes from time, he had options either side in Vine and Ephraim, but he chose to go alone and dragged a poor effort wide, albeit via the aid of a deflection.

Camp's stunning display showed no signs of letting up, with the R's keeper diving full stretch to tip Davidson's 74th minute header to safety.

Rangers went closest to grabbing all three points in the dying stages, with Rowlands heading wide in the final minute of normal time.

Preston North End: Lonergan, Davidson, Mawene, Sedgwick (Mellor 82), Hawley (Ormerod 66), Agyemang, Gallagher (Whaley 66), St Ledger, Hill, Jones, Nicholls.

Subs: McKenna, Neal.

Bookings: Davidson 66, Mawene 78

QPR: Camp, Barker, Stewart, Mancienne, Bolder, Ainsworth (Nygaard 56), Rowlands, Ephraim, Vine, Leigertwood, Cranie.

Subs: Cole, Bignot, Moore, Sahar.

Bookings: Mancienne 14, Bolder 35, Vine 52, Rowlands 64, Stewart 76

Referee: Mr T M Kettle

Attendance: 11, 407 (414) QPR

SPORTING LIFE
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Nicholls is challenged by Ephraim.

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By Mark Bowering, PA Sport

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Lee Camp saved a first-half penalty and produced a superb individual performance to help managerless QPR claim a morale-boosting point at fellow Championship strugglers Preston.

The Rangers goalkeeper kept out Paul Gallagher's poor 33rd-minute spot kick and continued to frustrate the home side with a string of fine saves.

The result may leave the Hoops rooted to the foot of the table but they will be nevertheless buoyed by a dogged display at Deepdale albeit against a toothless North End side wedged in the bottom four.

John Gregory's successor at Loftus Road has yet to be named - former Palermo boss Francisco Guidolin is the latest to be linked with the post - but whoever takes the reins faces a lengthy battle to avoid relegation despite a spirited showing in Lancashire.

The home side had demolished Southampton 5-1 in their last Deepdale outing but there would be no repeat performance this time around despite starting brightly.

An unmarked Karl Hawley flashed a close-range header wide with eight minutes gone after cllimbing to meet Callum Davidson's inswinging free-kick.

Five minutes later, captain Kevin Nicholls rippled the side-netting with a curling 25-yard set piece that never looked like troubling Camp as Paul Simpson's side enjoyed plenty of early possession.

On-loan Birmingham striker Rowan Vine crafted QPR's first chance of note after 20 minutes, showing great athleticism to weave past two defenders before drilling low and wide with an angled 12-yard drive.

Gallagher was then handed the perfect chance to open the scoring as North End were awarded a controversial penalty just after the half hour.

After a frantic goalmouth scramble a QPR defender appeared to strike the ball against the arm of Martin Crainie and a spot kick was eventually awarded by referee Trevor Kettle.

The Berkshire official initially waved play on before halting proceedings after spotting his linesman flagging for an infringement.

Gallagher duly stepped up but his effort was low and weak and comfortably smothered by Camp, a £300,000 summer buy from Derby.

It was the third time this season Preston had failed to convert from the penalty spot and the jeers from the home supporters at half-time spoke volumes.

Camp nearly went from hero to villain three minutes after the restart when he fumbled Chris Sedgwick's goalbound cross through his own legs but he pounced on the loose ball at the second time of asking.

Undeterred by his earlier blunder, Gallagher looked threatening out on the left flank and when he picked out Billy Jones with a far-post centre the former Crewe man appeared all set to score from six yards.

But Jones hit the ball into the floor and it bounced up and skidded to safety off the top of the crossbar.

On the hour Hawley controlled a punted Nicholls pass 30 yards out and could only watch on in anguish as his delicate chip beat the advancing Camp but landed on the roof of the net.

Rangers were now in danger of being run ragged and Simpson opted to introduce Simon Whaley and Brett Ormerod at the expense of Gallagher and Hawley in an attempt to bring some much-needed fresh impetuous in attack.

And it was a double substitution that nearly paid instant dividends as Whaley blasted a 12-yard volley straight at Camp after linking up with former Southampton striker Ormerod.

North End goalkeeper Andy Lonergan denied Hogan Ephraim with a one-handed punch while at the other end Camp produced another fine save.

This time it was to keep out a looping Sean St Ledger header with 13 minutes left and both sides played out the remainder of the game to share the spoils.
Sporting Life