QPR pull six points clear, Danny Graham haunts Boro
If you can’t be good, then be lucky.
Queens Park Rangers have been really good at times this season — their six-point lead at the top of the Championship proves that — but on Saturday their poor first-half performance meant that lady luck, or maybe just a human force-field around their goal, came to their rescue, as they somehow got in all square at half-time against Doncaster.
Three second-half strikes from the R’s, two from Kaspars Gorkss (pictured right) and an Adel Taarabt penalty, continued the hosts impeccable record this season of taking 22 points from a possible 24 and only conceding two goals in that period.
However, Doncaster could and should have been in command after dominating the first period. Martin Woods’s near-perfect free-kick was somehow clawed onto the bar by Rangers goalkeeper Paddy Kenny, and then James O’Connor’s effort was miraculously cleared off the line by Clint Hill. Truly heroic defending from the hosts and the run of not conceding at Loftus Road this season continues. At this rate it could go on all season.
Cardiff moved back into the automatic promotion places thanks to a late winner from on-loan striker Andy Keogh against Millwall. The Lions had taken an early lead through Scott Barron but Jay Boothroyd equalized just before half-time before Keogh struck late on to give Cardiff’s their first win in three games.
Former Middlesbrough trainee Danny Graham came back to haunt his former employers as he took only 17 seconds to give Watford the lead to send them on their way to a 3-1 victory. Jordan Mutch grabbed the second before Graham struck once again to seal the points for the Hornets. An Adrian Mariappa own-goal was a mere consolation for the visitors, who still have failed to register a win on the road.
Simon Grayson came out on top in the battle against his former teammate as his Leeds’ side grabbed a 1-0 win over Gary Speeds’ Sheffield United. It was a fiery local derby played out in front of 33,622 people at Elland Road, the biggest crowd in the Football League so far this season, where Robert Snodgrass and Jamie Ward were both sent-off. Bradley Johnson notched the winner ten minutes from time.
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