Reduced Rangers hold out

Queens Park Rangers 0 Bristol City

No goals, but the glory on a damp west London night most definitely went to Queens Park Rangers. Down to 10 men for virtually the entire second half, Ian Holloway's side at times made their guests look like the team trying to make up the numbers.

Displaying spirit in adversity, Rangers might even have snatched all three points. With 67 minutes gone, Doudou, the midfielder paid for by two Rangers fans, wasted one good chance and soon after his side were denied a penalty claim for handball as City clung on.

In the first half, for two teams playing football that was pleasing on the eye, they both still failed to provide an end product. The Rangers manager, Ian Holloway, had noted in the programme that his team have been goal-shy so far this season, with only three goals to their credit, and his new loan signing Robert Taylor did not provide compelling evidence on his home debut that he was the answer to that particular problem.

Bristol City, with last season's free-scoring Tony Thorpe in their ranks, had no such excuses but it was he who squandered the opening period's best chance, lobbing a shot tamely into Chris Day's hands in the first minute.

Holloway has had to effect something of a slash-and-burn exercise upon his squad in the past three months but despite several new and younger faces they soon took the game to City, who came into this game with a perfect record after their first three games of the new season.

But with Taylor failing to shine, it was the defender Paul Bruce who forced Mike Stowell to break sweat in the City goal with two long-range efforts inside the first 15 minutes before Steve Jones went close at the other end with a header.

QPR's task was made harder less than two minutes after the re-start when Aziz Ben Askar, one of Holloway's summer free transfers, was sent off. Having been booked in the first half for kicking the ball away, the French central defender was cautioned again for wrestling Steve Jones to the ground. Seven minutes later City almost took advantage when Thorpe met Carey's cross only for his header to thump the crossbar and rebound safely out.

Queens Park Rangers (4-4-2): Day; Bruce, Palmer, Askar, Forbes; Perry, Connolly (Bonnot, 86), Bignot, Doudou; Taylor (Griffiths, 56), Thomson (McEwen, 56). Substitutes not used: Bull (gk), Wardley.

Bristol City (3-5-2): Stowell; Carey, Lever, Hill; Bell, Clist (Matthews, 64), Tinnion, Brown, Murray; Thorpe, Jones. Substitutes not used: Matthews, Burnell, Hulbert, Amankwaah, Attwell (gk).

Referee: L Cable (Woking).