Queens Park Rangers vs Reading. Sky Bet Championship.
Loftus Road StadiumAttendance15,048.
Saturday 15 October 2016 19:10, UK
QPR's wait for a home win continues after a 1-1 draw with Reading at Loftus Road.
Polish winger Pawel Wszolek scored his first goal for Rangers but Danny Williams' equaliser earned the Royals a deserved point.
Rangers, without a home victory in the league since the opening day of the season, went ahead on 14 minutes. After Reading gave the ball away in midfield, Olamide Shodipo charged towards the penalty box and scooped the ball through to Wszolek, who netted from close range.
Gareth McCleary set up the equaliser soon afterwards for Reading by sending in a fine cross from the left towards Williams, who sneaked behind Joel Lynch and steered the ball home at the far post. Rangers were dealt another blow when Grant Hall limped off injured 10 minutes before the interval.
After a stale start to the second period, QPR boss Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink made a change, bringing Conor Washington on for Shodipo. The hosts then enjoyed a spell of pressure during which Sebastian Polter headed narrowly wide from Tjaronn Chery's right-wing corner.
But Reading remained a threat and keeper Alex Smithies did well to get down to his right quickly enough to keep out a shot from Beerens after the Dutchman was given time and space near the edge of the penalty area.
Smithies was soon called into action again, this time to deny McCleary following a Reading counter-attack. And Yann Kermorgant headed wide from McCleary's cross as the visitors continued to cause problems for QPR's vulnerable defence.
With that defence offering little protection, Smithies then took matters into his own hands by acting as sweeper to sprint from his line and clear the danger after McCleary yet again got in behind the Rangers back line.
The result leaves Hasselbaink's side with just one win from their last eight matches. The home fans' frustration was palpable and many greeted the final whistle with jeers. But it would have been worse for Rangers had Smithies not rescued them during the second-half spell when Reading were well on top.
QPR boss Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink:
"It's very frustrating and that's why we really tried to go for it today. It's better to win three and lose one than win one and draw three. We really tried to get the three points.
"My boys gave everything and we were very positive in our substitutions, and on another day it might have worked."
Reading manager Jaap Stam:
"I think we should have won it. If you look at the game and how we played, we should have scored a second goal. They tried to make it difficult for us by pressing us high up the pitch, but there was still a lot of space for us.
"When you give the ball away and then concede a goal it makes it difficult, but we came back well and managed to get an equaliser quickly.
