QPR Crush Colchester (1-0)

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QPR vs Colchester

11,000+ saw QPR defeat Colchester 1-0 with Ray Jones scoring QPR's only goal in the 36th minute.

League Table - Table

Starting Lineups
QPR: Royce, Bignot, Ward, Gallen, Lomas, Cook, Kanyuka, Stewart, Jones, Blackstock, Mancienne. Subs: Cole, Rehman, Baidoo, Bailey, Furlong.
(In the second half Baidoo came on for Ward; Furlong came on for Jones)

Colchester: Gerken, Halford, Brown, Watson, Duguid, Cureton, Izzet, Iwelumo, Baldwin, Barker, McLeod.
Subs: Davison, Jackson, Garcia, Guy, Richards.

QPR Official Site - Match Report
Ray Jones proved his undoubted class with the match-winner against high-flying Colchester United.
The teenage striker bagged his fifth league goal of the season, as the R's ground out back-to-back victories at Loftus Road.
In truth, the final scoreline flattered the visitors, who played second fiddle to John Gregory's men throughout the 90 minutes.
Rangers hit the woodwork and has numerous shots saved by U's custodian Dean Gerken, in what was an encouraging start to 2007 for the R's.
The Hoops led 1-0 at the break courtesy of Jones' towering header.

Arriving on to Lee Cook's inviting cross, the teenage striker directed a superb glancing header into the top right hand corner of the net.

Jamie Cureton - playing against his former club - twice went close at the end of the first half, but it was Rangers who came out all guns blazing at the start of the second period.

Nick Ward, Dexter Blackstock and Jones all went close in the opening ten minutes of the half and although the second goal failed to materialise, gaffer John Gregory would have been thoroughly satisfied with both the result, and the performance.

Gregory made three changes to the side which succumbed to a 1-0 defeat at Carrow Road two days earlier.

Pat Kanyuka, Ward and Blackstock were all recalled to the starting XI, as Mauro Milanese, Martin Rowlands (injured) and Paul Furlong made way.

Colchester boss Geraint Williams named an unchanged side and it was the U's who created the first chance of the match on eight minutes, when former Hoop Kevin McLeod got free down the left flank.

Thankfully for the R's, his out-swinging left foot cross came to nothing, despite Simon Royce puching at thin air as the ball flew across the six-yard box.

Steve Lomas talked his way into the referee's notebook on the quarter hour, after Mr Walton had harshly adjudged his tackle on Kemal Izzet to be a foul.

Moments later, Cook teased the sought-after Greg Halford one way and then the other before firing straight at Gerken from the edge of the 18-yard box.

Cook was proving a constant threat and when Ward fed him the ball, this time on the right flank, Jones and Blackstock were just inches away from adding the all-important killer touch at the back post.

The R's were enjoying the lion's share of possession by now and when Kevin Gallen threaded a neat pass into Ward's path, the Aussie took one touch to set before forcing Gerken into a fine smothering save at his near post.

Colchester became more of an attacking threat as the clock ticked towards the half hour mark and after being gifted time and space on the edge of the box, Richard Garcia shaved the outside of Royce's right hand post with a piercing right foot drive.

Kanyuka was enjoying a productive return to the side and when he soared above a static Colchester rearguard on 33 minutes to meet Cook's corner, only a poor connection cost him.

Undeterred, Rangers were soon back on the front foot and in some style too.

Cook again provided the catalyst, delivering an inch-perfect cross into the path of Jones, who glanced a delicate header beyond Gerken and into the back of the net for his sixth goal of the campaign.

Cureton was keen to prove a point against one of his former club's and when he unleashed a fearsome 15-yard volley on the stroke of half-time, only a stunning block from Kanyuka prevented him from adding to his impressive goals tally.

There was still time for Colchester to create another chance as the clock ticked down, but after Chris Barker teased an inviting cross across the face of the six-yard box, Cureton and then Garcia failed to connect.

The second half was just ten seconds old when Ward smashed a thunderous volley on to the frame of the goal.

Capitalising on Colchester's failure to clear their lines, the Australian midfielder thumped a stunning effort on target, only for Gerken to fling himself full length to his right to tip the ball onto the crossbar.

Rangers were firing on all cylinders at the start of the second half and when Cook left Halford for dead yet again moments later, Gerken flapped at the cross, only for Blackstock to head over from little more than a yard.

The chances were arriving thick and fast for the hosts and when Blackstock raced through one-on-one after chasing down Wayne Brown's clearance, a moments hesitancy cost the former Southampton striker, whose shot was well saved by the onrushing Gerken.

Jones and Cook were proving a real handful and when the latter rose like a salmon to meet the former's free-kick on 52 minutes, Gerken was perfectly placed to smother the striker's header at his feet.

The Jones and Cook show continued three minutes later, when from a carbon copy move, the R's goalscorer headed high and wide at the back post.

As the chances continued to fall the hosts way, Gallen scuffed the ball wide after breaking from midfield, before Gregory introduced Shabazz Baidoo at the expense of Ward.

Fans favourite Paul Furlong entered the fray with 17 minutes remaining, but it was another substitute - Colchester's Johnnie Jackson - who had the next effort on goal, heading wide after a neat exchange between Halford and Garcia down the right flank.

Furlong and Blackstock combined effectively at the other end minutes later, with the latter forcing Gerken to smother at the second attempt from fully 25-yards.

The evergreen striker went close again in the dying moments, firing into the side-netting from Blackstock's near post flick-on.

QPR: Royce, Bignot, Ward (Baidoo 59), Gallen, Lomas, Cook, Kanyuka, Stewart, Jones (Furlong 76), Blackstock, Mancienne.
Subs: Cole, Rehman, Bailey.
Goals: Jones 36
Bookings: Lomas 15 Attendance: 11, 319 QPR