Memory Match: QPR 4 PNE 0, October 17, 2009

Preston's visit to the capital ended in bitter disappointment as they were well beaten by Queens Park Rangers in October 2009.
Paul Parry strikes at goal during the match against QPRPaul Parry strikes at goal during the match against QPR
Paul Parry strikes at goal during the match against QPR

Alan Irvine’s men rarely looked like getting anything at Loftus Road and they slipped to their heaviest Championship reverse of the campaign.

Adel Taarabt set QPR on their way with a stunning strike early on, before three second-half goals saw the hosts romp to victory.

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Akos Buzsaky hit the second from the penalty spot, Jay Simpson and Wayne Routledge completing the scoring late on.

Chances at the other end were few and far between, North End’s attacking play poor to say the least.

QPR’s opener came in the 11th minute, and while a quality finish from Taarabt, he was allowed to move forward far too easily to get into a shooting position.

He cut in from the left and curled a right-foot shot into the far top corner from 25 yards beyond the despairing dive of Andrew Lonergan.

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Three minutes later, a slip from Michael Hart, making his first league start of the season, gave Simpson a sight of goal, but Lonergan was alert to the danger and blocked with his legs.

At the other end, Hart’s cross from the right picked out Chris Brown in the box, but his header went straight at keeper Radek Cerny.

Neil Mellor drove a shot from the left side of the box into Cerny’s gloves, while Ross Wallace was only just too high with a curling effort as North End looked for a way back into the game.

Lonergan saved North End’s bacon in the 38th minute after the nippy Routledge shrugged off a challenge from Neill Collins to leave himself clear in the box. But the PNE keeper saved with his feet.

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North End had a shout for a penalty waved away in the 42nd minute when a Mellor shot looked to hit Damion Stewart on the arm.

But referee Russell Booth signalled it had struck the defender on the chest. Six minutes into the second half, Lonergan pulled off another top drawer save, this time to deny Buzsaky.

He let fly with a 25-yard shot which the keeper tipped behind at full stretch, Lonergan later producing a more routine save to hold a low shot from Simpson.

Brown had North End’s clearest opening just before the hour, but his low angled shot was pushed behind by Cerny.

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QPR went 2-0 ahead in the 63rd minute after Mellor tripped Taarabt in the box, referee Booth pointing straight to the spot.

Up stepped Buzsaky to hammer the penalty low into the corner.

It was 3-0 in the 75th minute, hesitancy from Youl Mawene just outside the box allowing Simpson to steal in and curl a low shot into the net off the inside of the far post.

The fourth arrived five minutes from time, the impressive Routledge advancing from midfield before finishing with a shot from 20 yards.

North End: Lonergan, Jones, Mawene, Collins, Hart, Sedgwick, Chaplow, Shumulikoski, Wallace, Mellor, Brown. Subs: Carter, Chilvers, Parry, Parkin, Nolan, Elliott, Henderson.