With so many players coming back from injuries and suspensions and a full squad to pick from Olly sprang a few surprises. Culkin kept his place in goal, leaving a peeved looking Chris Day watching from the dugout. Padula returned at left back alongside Forbes, Shittu and Carlisle. The anticipated returns of Bircham and McLeod didn't happen either as the quartet of Ainsworth, Bean, Palmer and Rowlands started again. As expected, Gallen and Thorpe continued their burgeoning partnership up front. The strength on the bench was impressive with Day, Rose, Bircham, McLeod and Furlong to throw on if needed. Hartlepool came into the game with a very refreshing attitude, they wanted to play. Manager Neale Cooper had said in the build up that they would get battered if they came to defend, as it was they came to attack and got battered anyway! The Monkey Hangers saw a lot of the ball in the opening ten minutes but found themselves continually falling foul of the linesman's flag. Joel Porter in particular did not seem to have the faintest idea about how to time a run and it would become the comedy theme of the day. Ainsworth was the first player to test the 'Pool keeper when he was played in after a neat interchange between Gallen and Thorpe. The way these two are now able to find each other is bordering on the telepathic; they are starting to remind me of the way Cole and Yorke used to play at Manchester United. Ainsworth went close again with a header before he created the chance that should have seen Rangers hit the front. Sporting his new sleek hair do, Ainsworth was looking for work and finding plenty of it on the right flank. He managed to work some space to fire over a tantalising cross that opposite winger Martin Rowlands attacked in the air. He made a great connection with the ball and Jim Provett was well beaten and was grateful for Joey Woodwork's intervention. The pressure being brought to bear on the Hartlepool rearguard was growing and you sensed that it would only be a matter of time before a goal came. Following ten minutes of almost incessant pressure it did, via the head of Kevin Gallen. As so often seems to be the case at the moment Thorpe was the provider with a dinked cross that Gallen met to head past Provett for a deserved lead. You knew that this wouldn't be the last of the scoring and we only had to wait another seven minutes for the second. Gareth Ainsworth set off on yet another barrelling run down the right and managed to win a corner following a heavy challenge. Padula came across to take it and the hapless Provett palmed his fierce delivery in at the near post. This is the second corner that Gino has scored direct this season and that was his fourth goal in all. He celebrated with his trademark jig of delight in front of his adoring public. Hartlepool were all but done for now and when the third goal came seven before the break you could see any fight they may have had left visibly drain out of them. This was the goal of the game and once again Gallen was the man on target. Thorpe picked the ball up deep and fed Ainsworth on the right. He managed to thread a peach of a ball into Gallen's path and he took one touch to steady himself before firing in a low shot off of Provett's left hand post. Neale Cooper's half time tongue lashing must still have been ringing in his players' ears when they shipped the fourth five minutes after the break. Padula was the architect once more as his superb right wing delivery found Ainsworth who hurled himself headlong at the ball to head past Provett for his seventh of the season. Rangers were on easy street now and it showed as they took their foot off the gas rather than giving Hartlepool the chasing their display thus far had warranted. Despite having a fair bit of the ball in the second half Hartlepool were struggling to create a decent chance. Joel Porter stunned everybody by managing to make a run without being flagged for offside and dragged his shot wide of Culkin's goal. A few minutes later they managed to grab a consolation goal after some really shoddy defending. After having an initial attack cleared Hartlepool worked the ball to the left and Chris Shuker knocked the ball across the six-yard box. Shittu watched as it went past him and Rowlands and Padula did likewise allowing former Torquay striker Eifion Williams the chance to fire a fine shot past Culkin. Although they had been handed a lifeline it wasn't enough to force Rangers into any undue panic. Holloway had the luxury of taking Thorpe and Gallen off with fifteen minutes to go and letting Furlong and McLeod have a run out. Martin Rowlands displayed his versatility once again by playing up front for the last part of the game. Chances were few and far between now although Ainsworth warmed Provett's hands with a volley from a tight angle after latching onto a McLeod cross. There was even a chance to continue Matthew Rose's rehabilitation as he got another seven or eight minutes to get back into the swing of things as a late sub for Padula. At the whistle Rangers were understandably pleased with the result and would have been even more so if Swindon could have shut up shop for another thirty second rather than allowing Plymouth the latest of winners. We now find ourselves six points clear of third and that is extremely satisfying with a little over half the season to go. If we can manage to be twelve clear of third come 4.45 on May 8th then I will be even happier. Man of the Match - Gareth Ainsworth. Ainsworth showed today why Holloway was so keen to bring him to the club in the summer. Scored one, made one, won the corner for another and gave the left back a real going over all game. This was Ainsworth at his belligerent best. QPR: Culkin, Forbes, Padula (Rose 83), Carlisle, Shittu, Ainsworth, Palmer, Bean, Thorpe (McLeod 77), Gallen (Furlong 77). Subs not used: Day, Bircham. Goals: Gallen 27, 38; Padula 34; Ainsworth 50 Bookings: None Sent Off: None Hartlepool: Provett, Barron, Nelson, Westwood, Robson, Byrne (Robinson 45), Humphreys, Strachan, Shuker, Porter, Williams. Subs not used: Konstantopoulos, Clarke, Brackstone, Wilkinson Goals: Williams 71 Bookings: Humphreys Sent Off: None By Simon Skinner www.queensparkrangers.net |