Queens Park Rangers 1 Chesterfield 0
Despite midfield enforcer Abou Diaby’s (centre) sending off, Rangers came out on top
Chesterfield
has slumped to their sixth consecutive loss of the season with a 1-0 defeat to
Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road, thanks to a clinical Didier Ya Konan finish.
The loss leaves the Spireites in the relegation
mire early in the season.
The
first half was epitomised as a cagey affair however Chesterfield carved out an
early opportunity with Pablo Hernandez’s high ball which was met by Kevin
Vogt’s head, only for Ranger’s keeper Diego Benaglio to parry the header away. But
Rangers would make their mark on the match with a low ball played to the feet
of Ivorian striker Didier Ya Konan who took it first time and powerfully placed
the ball past Spireites keeper Claudio Bravo.
The
defining moment was in the second half when Rangers midfielder Abou Diaby
received his second yellow card for a badly timed challenge on Leon Britton and
was given his marching orders. What followed was a Spireites barrage on the
Rangers goal with a Leon Britton through ball which was met by Spanish striker
Rodrigo who fired a shot at goal and was denied by QPR keeper Diego Benaglio who
got down low to stop the shot.
Rangers’
keeper Benaglio was on call again when Britton put through Korean midfielder Koo
Ja Cheol who drilled his shot, only for the Swiss keeper to dive early and tip away
the effort at goal. The Spireites best opportunity came when English winger
Adam Lallana dribbled into the penalty area to feed Italian striker Alberto
Paloschi who fired his shot aimed at the roof of the net but keeper Benaglio
once again denied Spireites with a wonderful two handed save.
Queens
Park Rangers were left to revel with their heroic ten man display while Chesterfield
will be left to lick its wounds and still seemingly at a loss for answers,
after the Rangers were one man less for 43 minutes, yet they couldn’t find a
way to score a goal. Despite a solid defensive effort, the Spireites suffered
from another problem, a lack of clinical finishing.
Whilst Chesterfield’s
performance had improved overall, there was still something left wanting.
Questions
have been raised whether manager Glory Days is paying for his commitment to
youth players with notable and somewhat harsh criticism of the like of
Alexandre Coeff looking out of his depth against superior opposition however
Kevin Vogt has shown a resilience that typifies the Spireites mentality,
However
the underperformances of Rodrigo who hasn’t scored since opening day which was
six matches ago and defensive duo Mikel San Jose and Marcos Rojo have left some
wondering whether enlisting some more experience is necessary to pull
Chesterfield out of the mire.
Manager
Glory Days is adamant that too much pressure is heaped on youngsters coming
through but admits that the Spireites performances need to improve and fast
“I
think the media have been over the top with their criticism of younger players,
they should be given an opportunity to learn and grow and as young players do,
they will make mistakes. It’s noted that some criticism may be necessary to
give players perspective but when it comes to the point of being destructive,
who does that benefit?
Our
performance was solid throughout the 90 minutes but there is still a lot left to
be desired. Our team is progressively getting better and while we understand
the fan’s frustration, we ask that they preserve through this tough period with
us”
Chesterfield
will face a testing period with promotion favourites Ipswich Town, Sheffield
Wednesday in the English Cup then surprise packets Plymouth Argyle and Yeovil
Town with a heated rivalry Shield match against Dagenham Redbridge and
finishing off with a strong Northampton Town however on the bright side,
creative spark Mehmet Ekici will return to the squad whilst the long awaited
debut of $6 million transfer Rickie Lambert is expected to play a part against
Sheffield Wednesday.
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