Bolton Wanderers took all three points in this Sky Bet Championship affair, as goals from Will Buckley and Callum Connolly saw Phil Parkinson's men beat QPR 2-1 at Loftus Road.
Team News
Manager Phil Parkinson made three changes to his starting line-up from the last time out against Wigan Athletic.
For this Sky Bet Championship clash, an injured Jason Lowe was replaced by Pawel Olkowski, with Clayton Donaldson and Jack Hobbs swapped out for Sammy Ameobi and David Wheater
First Half
This game took a while to get going, but Sammy Ameobi's shot from 25 yards darted across the floor, with R’s keeper Joe Lumley dealing with the effort.
QPR came back at the Trotters immediately, when Pawel Wszolek played in Angel Rangel, who produced a tantalising delivery across the box that neither side could get on the end of.
Steve McClaren’s men had many set-pieces during the majority of the first period, most notably when Josh Scowen ended up with the ball just inside the box and cannoned his strike off the post – Wanderers’ Remi Matthews left routed to the floor.
Hoops skipper Luke Freeman stepped up to a free-kick moments later, with his eventual strike peering wide of the mark.
Pawel Olkowski nearly took the lead for the Whites, as he shifted his way into a shooting position before hitting a weaker footed shot just over the crossbar.
Freeman connected with a shot on the half-volley just prior to the half hour mark, but Matthews wasn’t troubled by the clever piece of play.
But as if by magic, Wanderers took the lead through Will Buckley on the 35th minute.
A fantastically floated delivery into the area from Joe Williams found Josh Magennis lingering at the back post.
He nodded the aerial threat across goal, with Lumley parrying the ball straight into the path of Buckley who bundled the ball over the line.
Tomer Hemed tried to pull one back just before the half time interval, but his guided header on goal did not find the target.
Second Half
After the break, QPR started brightly, as Osayi-Samuel broke through on goal, cut inside past Wheater and stung the gloves of Remi Matthews.
A Freeman corner was latched onto by second half substitute Toni Leistner, who powerfully heads at goal but could not find the target.
Wanderers nearly doubled their lead minutes prior to the hour mark, as an outside of the boot cross from Sammy Ameobi found Josh Magennis, who could not get the ball out from under his feet before QPR regained possession.
Magennis had a speculative shot from distance for the Whites that missed the target soon after, with Wanderers playing more of a counter attacking style in the second period.
On 66 minutes, Phil Parkinson’s men should’ve taken the lead after a prolific period of chances.
Ameobi fired the ball across goal towards Buckley, who smashed the crossbar from close difference before Andrew Taylor hit a strong effort at goal which Lumley saved extremely well.
The Trotters were firmly in this game, with chances coming at either end, with both goalkeepers needing to be on their toes.
But then, Wanderers doubled their lead through Callum Connolly.
A brilliant effort on goal from Sammy Ameobi was parried out by Lumley into the path of Connolly, who did the rest and sent Trotters fans into rapturous applause.
Nahki Wells broke into the area in a quick responsive move, as his strike battered the hands of Matthews, as the Wanderers shot stopper got up quickly to make a second save from Osayi-Samuel.
The R’s found a goal with nine minutes remaining of regular time, as Nahki Wells managed to worm his way into a goal scoring opportunity before bending the ball around Matthews and into the corner of the goal.
Massimo Luongo nearly had the equaliser near enough straight after the first, as his shot comes through an entanglement of players, with Matthews seeing it late and saving low to his left.
Wanderers were defending valiantly heading into added time in this back and forth fixture.
QPR were throwing bodies forward but it wasn’t enough, as the referee calls time and Wanderers take all three points!
Full Time
Wanderers XI: Matthews, Taylor, Beevers, Ameobi (Donaldson 89), Buckley (Noone 80), Olkowski, Connolly, O’Neil, J. Williams, Magennis, Wheater (C).
Unused subsitutes: Alnwick, Little, Oztumer, Wilson, Connell.