Queens Park Rangers 2-1 Lincoln City: Championship Match Report

Queens Park Rangers started the day in 11th with 21 points from 14 games, six points ahead of 19th placed Lincoln City on 15.

QPR came into the game with two home wins, 4-1 against Derby County and 5-0 against Swansea City, followed by away defeats at Birmingham City 0-3 and Southampton 1-4 last Saturday, and a 1-1 home draw with lowly Burnley on Tuesday night.

Lincoln City had beaten Burnley 4-1 at home and drawn 2-2 away at Millwall, but lost away at Sheffield United 0-3, at home to West Ham United 0-6 and Birmingham City 1-3 last Saturday, and 0-1 at Watford on Tuesday night.

QPR manager Julien Stephan started with a 4-4-2 formation with Pierce Charles in goal, a back four of Kealey Adamson, captain Jimmy Dunne, Ronnie Edwards and Boy Kemper, a midfield four of Harvey Vale, Jonathan Varane, Glen Kamara and Paul Smyth, and Kwame Poku and Richard Kone up top. Stephan made two changes, with Poku and Kemper coming in for Koki Saito and Dennis Cirkin.

Lincoln City manager Chris Cohen also went 4-4-2 with George Wickens in goal, a back four of Deji Elerewe, captain Sonny Bradley, Dom Jefferies and Adam Reach, a midfield four of Daniel Oyegoke, Yunus Konak, Conor McGrandles and Reeco Hackett, and Freddie Draper and Mikkel Ladefoged up front. Cohen freshened the team up with five changes, bringing in Reach, Hackett, McGrandles, Jefferies and Ladefoged for Andrei Coubis, Callum Elder, Tom Bayliss, Ben House and Chiedozie Ogbene.

The two teams had met only six times before, with QPR winning four, drawing one and losing one. QPR won the first meeting 2-1 at home in the FA Cup in December 1929, and won 2-0 at home in League Division 2 in November 1948 before a 0-0 draw at Sincil Bank in April 1949. Lincoln City won 3-1 in W12 in League Division 3 in October 1961, QPR won 5-0 at Sincil Bank in April 1962, and the last meeting before Saturday was a 4-2 QPR win at home in the League Cup in October 1971.

That made it 55 years since the two sides last met and 65 years since Lincoln City's last League visit to W12.

Queens Park Rangers kicked off the first half after the players and crowd had observed a minute's silence and the bugler played the Last Post for the Remembrance service ahead of the start. QPR were in their traditional blue and white hoops whilst Lincoln City were in a changed strip of all grey with yellow trim.

Conor McGrandles was yellow carded for a bad foul in the opening minute after a two footed challenge. Perhaps had VAR been in operation it would have been overturned into a red card.

Queens Park Rangers came forward through Kwame Poku and Harvey Vale early in the opening exchanges and pressed Lincoln City back. Paul Smyth was yellow carded for a soft challenge in the eighth minute.

Queens Park Rangers opened the scoring in the 11th minute as Richard Kone headed in from close range from a rarely seen headed assist by Boy Kemper to make it 1-0 to the Hoops.

A Queens Park Rangers corner in the 20th minute to the near post was cleared by Lincoln City defender Dom Jefferies as far as Paul Smyth, who was on the edge of the box, and he volleyed over the crossbar from the edge of the penalty area in the 21st minute.

In the 24th minute a rare Lincoln City attack saw Freddie Draper fire a long range effort wide of the target. Lincoln City pulled a goal back in the 29th minute through Dom Jefferies with a right footed shot from the centre of the penalty area to the left corner of the net beneath Pierce Charles following an assist by Freddie Draper after a fast counter attacking break away.

After the equaliser Lincoln City went close through a left footed shot by Reeco Hackett from an assist by Mikkel Ladefoged, which was tipped over the crossbar by Pierce Charles after the shot was deflected in the 31st minute. Then with Lincoln City's next attack Reeco Hackett saw another left footed close range shot blocked from an assist by captain Sonny Bradley.

Yunus Konak was the second Lincoln City player to be yellow carded after a poor challenge in the 33rd minute.

In the 38th minute a Boy Kemper left wing cross into the Lincoln City penalty area was headed wide of the target by Harvey Vale as QPR pressed for a second goal before the half time interval.

Pierce Charles' distribution from the back to Kealey Adamson and Boy Kemper was immense for the Hoops. It was as if the Northern Ireland international goalkeeper was a defensive sweeper, and he played as if he was an outfield player when QPR came forward.

The teams went in level at 1-1 at the half time interval which was a fair scoreline on the balance of play.

Lincoln City kicked off the second half with the score at 1-1 with neither team making any substitutions. Lincoln City started the second half well and took the early play to QPR.

Reeco Hackett started to cause further problems for QPR with some intricate wing play and runs at Boy Kemper. Harvey Vale came forward for QPR in the 48th minute and he saw a long range left footed effort saved well by George Wickens in the Imps goal.

QPR came back strongly and with their next attack Glen Kamara saw a solid right footed shot saved by George Wickens in the 51st minute. Lincoln City's first opportunity of a long throw-in was in the 52nd minute but Adam Reach decided against using the Lincoln missile into the penalty area.

Paul Smyth saw a right footed shot from inside the penalty area saved by George Wickens in the 57th minute. QPR manager Julien Stephan brought on Ilias Chair for Harvey Vale in the 59th minute and Lincoln City brought on Rob Street for Mikkel Ladefoged in the 59th minute.

A QPR corner in the 62nd minute taken by Ilias Chair to the back post was gathered by George Wickens. Adam Reach fired wide after a fast counter attack in the 63rd minute for the Imps.

After the introduction of Ilias Chair QPR started to turn the screw as Lincoln City were forced into soaking up pressure from the Hoops. Ilias Chair cut in from the left and saw a right footed shot fired narrowly wide of the far post in the 66th minute.

Lincoln City forced a corner in the 67th minute taken by Reeco Hackett but it came to nothing for the Imps. QPR substitutions in the 69th minute saw Boy Kemper replaced by Dennis Cirkin and Kwame Poku replaced by Karamoko Dembele.

Lincoln City made a double substitution with Yunus Konak replaced by Tom Bayliss and Reeco Hackett replaced by Tom Hamer in the 73rd minute. Freddie Draper saw a shot blocked in the 74th minute.

Rob Street saw a right footed shot blocked in the 76th minute. QPR replaced Paul Smyth with Koki Saito and Richard Kone with Justin Obikwu in the 77th minute.

With time running out for QPR Glen Kamara fired home with a left footed shot from inside the penalty area after a lovely assist from Ilias Chair to make it 2-1 and send the QPR fans wild with joy in the 80th minute.

Lincoln City's last throw of the dice was to bring on Chiedozie Ogbene and Tanto Olaofe for Daniel Oyegoke and Dom Jefferies in the 83rd minute.

QPR held firm to achieve a deserved three points although the Imps played rather well, especially after equalising and before going behind.

QPR went up to 8th spot with the win whilst Lincoln City dropped to 21st, just above the bottom three.

Both teams now go into the international break with Queens Park Rangers' next game an away London derby against Millwall at The Den on 21 November while Lincoln City host Wrexham at Sincil Bank the same day.