QPR Win at Cardiff!

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Cardiff 0 QPR 1 - Sub Jones in the 88th minute. - QPR Travelled to Cardiff tonight for the televised game. Ward came on for Ainsworth after 15 minutes... At Half-time the score was 0-0...In the second half Blackstock came off to be replaced by Jones. Then in the 87 minutes...Jones put QPR ahead! Final score Cardiff 0 QPR 1, QPR Move up to 13th with 24 points from 18 games

League Table After Tonight's Game (and before tomorrow's games!) - Table
Teams at Kickoff
QPR: Royce, Bignot, Rehman, Ainsworth, Cook, Bailey, Stewart, Nygaard, Blackstock, Smith, Mancienne.
Subs: Milanese, Ward, P Jones, Baidoo, R Jones.
Cardiff City: Alexander, McNaughton, Purse, Loovens, Chopra, Thompson, McPhail, Parry, Ledley, Scimeca, Gunter.
Subs: Johnson, Howard, Cooper, Campbell, Kamara.
QPR Official

John Gregory - Post Match Comments - QPR Official Site
John Gregory was on cloud nine after the R's made it five games unbeaten with victory against league leaders Cardiff.
The R's gaffer had just seen his side win 1-0 at Ninian Park, thanks to a last gasp Ray Jones goal.
"Ray Jones will grab the plaudits, but each and every one of the players were fantastic,'' Gregory told www.qpr.co.uk.
"It's a great night for QPR. To come here and keep a clean sheet is one thing, but to perform as well as we did is something else.
"The lads deserve huge credit and I'm delighted for every one of them.''
QPR Official Site

Post Match Comments from Cardiff Manager Dave Jones - Cardiff Official Site
Post match reaction from Dave Jones following his sides defeat to QPR:
"I thought we started poorly and we finished poorly. We just never got going, we never got any rhythm going. Our attacking play was poor, which is unusual for us. We never had enough attempts on goal.
"If you are not going to win it then I've always maintained that you don't lose it.
They got the goal without any sustained pressure. It was bad defending on our part.
I just feel that it wasn't going to be our night.
"Why? I haven't got a clue because they worked so hard this week and tonight we couldn't put two passes together and that's not like us.
"We have to regroup and go again.
"I thought Chris Gunter had a great debut. He didn't do anything wrong, he got a couple of challenges in the first half. I thought we could have played him in more with some of our cross field balls. He had a good debut and it was unfortunate that we didn't win the game for him. He gave a good performance and didn't look out of place whatsoever.
"Sometimes you've got to dog your way into the game and we just never got into it. Our passing was poor and our attacking play didn't have an edge to it today.
"I felt we played into QPR's hands a little bit. We been done and maybe that's how the game was going anyway.
"We've just got to get our heads up, get going and go again.
Cardiff Official Site

QPR OFFICIAL SITE - QPR Win
Ray Jones came off the bench to bag a late, late winner, as the R's registered their third win on the spin in Wales.
Jones arrived bang on cue to slot home Nicky Ward's sublime 86th cross, as the R's completed a smash and grab raid at Ninian Park.
It was all square at the break, at the end of a half which the R's just shaded.
Lee Cook and Dexter Blackstock each tested Cardiff custodian Neil Alexander, while at the other end, Simon Royce didn't have a single shot to save.
John Gregory named an unchanged side for the trip to the league leaders, with Marcus Bignot retaining the captaincy.
The Bluebirds handed 17 year-old right back Chris Gunter his senior debut, as Rangers went gunning for a third win on the spin.
Rangers were on the front foot from the first whistle, with man of the moment Jimmy Smith curling an ambitious 18-yard effort wide of Alexander's right hand post inside the opening 60 seconds.
There was an early injury scare for the R's a minute later, when Gareth Ainsworth required treatment on his knee after an overzealous challenge from Kevin McNaughton.
The former Cardiff man was clearly in some pain and after trying to run it off, he was eventually forced to leave the fray, with Nicky Ward replacing him in the 14th minute.
Despite the setback, it was the R's who continued to create the best opportunities, with Blackstock heading wide in the 17th minute from Cook's sublime cross.
It was the lively Cook who single handily created the R's next chance three minutes later.
After leaving three in his wake with a neat piece of close control on the edge of the box, only a splendid full length save from Alexander denied the R's winger a goal to remember.
Cardiff's loyal fans were made to wait until midway through the first half to cheer their first effort on goal, but Joe Ledley scuffed his shot wide from an acute angle.
Rangers should've been in front on 32 minutes, but after chasing down and then blocking Alexander's attempted clearance, Blackstock fired straight at the Bluebirds keeper from eight-yards.
It was a tricky chance for the R's top scorer, but he would've expected to do better, especially given his rich vein of form away from home.
With the clock approaching the 40 minute mark, Paul Parry fired a fearsome drive over the bar from fully 30-yards, yet despite that brief foray into Rangers territory, John Gregory would've been by far the happier manager at half-time.
After a tetchy opening to the second half, Cardiff created the best opportunity of the match on 55 minutes, but thankfully for the R's, Kevin McNaughton's curling effort cannoned off the face of the bar, with Royce seemingly beaten all ends up.
Undeterred, play quickly switched to the other end, with Bignot firing straight at Alexander after fine build-up play involving Cook.
Cardiff were in the groove now and when the otherwise quiet Chopra beat Stefan Bailey to a loose ball, the former Newcastle striker fired high and wide.
Rangers were being forced to weather the storm, with the linesman's flag coming to their rescue when Chopra fired past Royce from an offside position in the 65th minute.
Sensing the game was slipping away from his side, Gregory introduced Ray Jones at the expense of Blackstock with 25 minutes left to play.
It was certainly a bold substitution from the R's gaffer, and as if to respond to his opposite number, Cardiff boss Dave Jones soon made a change of his own, introducing Malvin Kamara.
Sandwiched in between of those changes, Ricardo Scimeca fired over for the Bluebirds, while Smith's snap shot was deflected wide for a corner.
The Bluebirds had vocal appeals for a spot-kick waved away four minutes from time when Stewart tangled with Darren Purse, but there was soon another twist in the tale at the other end.
Ward received the ball on the right hand flank and having left two in his wake with brute force, the Aussie cut inside and his cross come shot was tapped home by the unmarked Jones.
It was a sensational end to a game in which Rangers more than matched their high-flying opponents, as the R's moved to within two points of the play-off's.
QPR

Cardiff Match Report
Cardiff Official Report

Sky Sports - JONES STRIKE SINKS BLUEBIRDS
By James Pearson
Ray Jones' last-gasp strike earned QPR a surprise 1-0 win over Championship leaders Cardiff City.
The Bluebirds were heavy favourites to see off John Gregory's Londoners at Ninian Park, but it proved a frustrating night for Dave Jones's side.
The visitors had the better of the first half effort with Dexter Blackstock heading Lee Cook's cross wide, with Neil Alexander superbly saving Cook's shot shortly after.
Cardiff were much improved after the interval and only the woodwork kept the scores level when Kevin McNaughton's distance shot struck the crossbar.
The home side did have the ball in the net shortly after the hour mark when Paul Parry netted from Michael Chopra's through-ball, but the effort was right ruled out for offside.
Seconds after Cardiff were denied a penalty in the closing stages when Darren Purse went down in the area under a challenge from Zesh Rehman, the visitors snatched the points.
The visitors broke and Nick Ward nipped between two defenders before playing a delightful ball into the area that Jones slid home past Alexander.
Sky Sports

Sporting Life Cardiff 0 QPR 1
Teenager Ray Jones struck in the 88th minute to pilfer the points for QPR and leave Coca-Cola Championship leaders Cardiff stunned.
The 18-year-old slid in at the far post to convert a teasing low cross from fellow substitute Nick Ward and condemn the Bluebirds to their first home defeat of the season.
Rangers' gameplan worked to perfection as they reduced Cardiff to a night of frustration before hitting them with the late sucker-punch.
A much-improved second-half saw Cardiff hit the bar, have a goal disallowed and also see a seemingly legitimate penalty appeal turned down.
However, Rangers will feel they deserved their victory as Cardiff's promotion hopes were dealt a significant blow.
Sporting Life

Sporting Life - Cardiff 0 QPR 1
Teenager Ray Jones struck in the 88th minute to pilfer the points for QPR and leave Coca-Cola Championship leaders Cardiff stunned.
The 18-year-old slid in at the far post to convert a teasing low cross from fellow substitute Nick Ward and condemn the Bluebirds to their first home defeat of the season.
Rangers' gameplan worked to perfection as they reduced Cardiff to a night of frustration before hitting them with the late sucker-punch.
A much-improved second-half saw Cardiff hit the bar, have a goal disallowed and also see a seemingly legitimate penalty appeal turned down.
However, Rangers will feel they deserved their victory as Cardiff's promotion hopes were dealt a significant blow.
John Gregory's men were the more threatening of the sides in the opening period and fashioned four goalscoring opportunities which could have put them ahead.
The loan signing of Chelsea midfielder Jimmy Smith has worked wonders for the Loftus Road club and he came close to finding the net inside the second minute.
The 19-year-old, who has already scored five times since joining Rangers in September, showed delightful skill on the edge of the 18-yard box.
He turned Riccardo Scimeca all too easily and thrashed a left-foot strike narrowly wide of Neil Alexander's far post.
Rangers were dealt a blow in the 15th minute when midfielder Gareth Ainsworth was forced off through injury and replaced by Ward.
But two minutes later they should have led after Dexter Blackstock headed wide an excellent left-wing cross from Lee Cook.
Midfielder Cook emerged as a key influence and his superb 20-yard strike in the 20th minute drew a fine fingertip save from Alexander.
Cardiff went into the game with an impressive record of six wins and two draws from eight home games this term but they showed little sign of a team leading the table.
Rangers - 18th in the Championship before the game - continued to create the better chances and were unfortunate not to lead in the 31st minute when Blackstock fired straight at Alexander after a miscued clearance from the Cardiff goalkeeper.
The pendulum began to swing in Cardiff's favour as half-time approached.
Paul Parry fired over from 20 yards and 11-goal Michael Chopra saw his penalty appeals turned down after hitting the ground under challenge from Damion Stewart.
Cardiff quickly upped the tempo after the restart and Stephen McPhail fired in a fierce shot which Blackstock blocked bravely.
The Bluebirds began to dominate but they continued to struggle to find the killer touch in front of goal.
Luck deserted them in the 55th minute when Kevin McNaughton drilled a shot against the bar but Rangers remained a threat on the counter-attack.
Marcus Bignot forced Alexander into a fine save and Darren Purse looked to have won a penalty late on as he tumbled in the box.
The usually clinical Chopra wasted another opportunity shortly before the hour mark and it ultimately proved crucial as Rangers claimed the late winner.
With just two minutes remaining, Ward showed neat footwork to glide past two opponents on the right flank and send over the low cross which Jones clinically dispatched to leave Gregory punching the air in celebration.
Sporting Life

BBC - Cardiff 0-1 QPR
Championship leaders Cardiff fell to their first league home defeat of the season after QPR substitute Ray Jones slid in to score an 88th minute goal.
Australian Nick Ward played a key part in the goal, beating Joe Ledley and Kevin McNaughton, before crossing to Jones who poked the ball home.
McNaughton had come desperately close to giving Cardiff the lead after he struck the bar with a curling shot.
QPR had the best first-half chances, notably through a Lee Cook shot.
BBC

Sporting Life

QPR Official Half Time Report
BBC - Minute by Minute report