One Year Ago Today...QPR 0 Charlton 3

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And Holloway wasn't happy! And when you see the players and you think of the turnover on and off the field in the past year (with more players going)...And a few days later, QPR defeated Birmingham http://www.qpr.premiumtv.co.uk/page/News/NewsDetail/0,,10373~692679,00.

July 26, 2005: QPR OFFICIAL SITE MATCH REPORT

QPR 0 CHARLTON 3
A Darren Bent hat-trick was the undoing of Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road this evening.The former Ipswich striker netted twice in the first half before converting a penalty with ten minutes to go to complete his own personal milestone.But in truth, Charlton were the better side all over the pitch and thoroughly deserved a comfortable pre-season victory.Ian Holloway will be happy for the opportunity to give a large proportion of his squad a good run out against Premiership opposition and he will doubtless have learned from the experience.

Holloway gave a run out to Ugo Ukah, Dominic Shimmin and the well again Marc Bircham.Between the sticks, Jake Cole was given a rare start against Simon Royce's former club after the stopper suffered a back problem last week.

It was Georges Santos playing up front who had Rangers' first effort on goal. Making his way into the box, he squeezed the ball round Stephen Andersen in the Charlton goal and picked it up on the other side.With a dink towards goal, Santos' effort was goalbound but for the last ditch clearance from Jonathan Spector.But it was the Addicks who took the lead when a fine passing move between Danny Murphy and Dennis Rommedahl finished with Darren Bent shooting from the edge of the box and landing in the opposite corner of the net.

Up the other end of the park, Aaron Brown was trying to get Rangers back on level terms, but his shot blazed over the bar.Charlton were not content with sitting on their lead and were still pushing on up front. Danny Murphy hit a vicious volley just wide of the target after 20 minutes as the Addicks looked to extend their lead.Three minutes later, Murphy dispossessed Martin Rowlands in midfield and tried an audacious lob from 35 yards that sailed over a relieved Jake Cole's cross bar.Charlton doubled their lead three minutes before the break when Rommedahl's ball across the face of goal was met by Bent.From a tight angle, he fired the ball goalwards and the ball ricocheted off the unfortunate Cole before looping over the goal line.

Ian Holloway made multiple changes in the second half in a bid to see as much of his squad as possible.Rommedahl got the second half off to yet another attacking start, bending his effort in towards goal from the right wing but just missing the target.

Dan Shittu then had the fans in the lower Loft ducking for cover when he sent in a venomous 35 yard effort that crashed back off the cross bar.Charlton nearly added to their lead with 18 minutes to go when Bent's cross was met by a rising first time effort from Rommedahl.But substitute keeper, Wayne Henderson got a hand to it and deflected the ball onto the cross bar when it appeared destined for the back of the net.Charlton were then given the chance to extend their lead further when Marcus Bent stepped up to the penalty spot after Marcus Bignot fouled Spector in the area.Bent was not going to be denied his hat-trick and coolly slotted the ball into the bottom right corner.There was no coming back from this scoreline for Rangers, but the run out for the majority of Holloway's squad will no doubt have served it's purpose two weeks before the Championship season starts.

Rangers: Cole (Henderson 45), Ukah (Bignot 45), Rose (Hislop 45), Bean (Cook 45 (Brown 57)), Shittu, Shimmin, Rowlands, Bircham (Doherty 45), Furlong (Nygaard 62), Santos (Gallen 45), Brown (Miller 45)

Charlton: Andersen, Young, Hreidarsson (Fortune 76), Kishishev, Perry, Spector, Rommedahl, Murphy (Thomas 62), Bent, Smertin (Holland 71), AmbroseSubs: Fortune, Keilly, Hughes, Euell, Sam, Jeffers, JohanssonScorers: Bent 17, 43, 80Att: 3,256
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