Floundering Fish lets QPR get away

Queens Park Rangers, who let slip a two-goal interval lead at home to Ipswich last season and lost 4-2, hung on this time for their opening victory of the campaign.

They scored their first goals in the process, and those efforts from Kevin Gallen and Martin Rowlands in the last nine minutes of the first half left Ipswich with too much to do during a rousing second period.

"It was one of the best performances one of my teams have ever given," Rangers' manager Ian Holloway said.

Even so, Ipswich could doubtless blame their defeat on Mark Fish's disappointing debut. The on-loan South African international looked vulnerable even before allowing Gallen the room to turn and score.

Fish, nursing a knock on the head from a collision with Paul Furlong in the build-up to the second goal - volleyed in by Rowlands from Gareth Ainsworth's cross - failed to reappear after the interval.

An improved Ipswich reshuffled and hit back when Sam Parkin curled in his first goal for the club.

Nicholas Harling (Daily Telegraph)