If anybody knows how Rangers failed to win this game can they please share it? This was one of the most comprehensive batterings we have handed out this season yet there was only one point to show for it. We were lucky that Bristol City lost as it meant that the dropped points were not so costly.

Holloway had the rare luxury of being able to pick the same starting eleven for two games on the spin. Culkin started in goal behind the first choice back four of Forbes, Carlisle, Gnohere and Padula. Once again it was Rowlands, Bircham, Johnson and McLeod across the middle, with Gallen and Thorpe up front. Marcus Bean made a welcome return to the subs bench after his recent injury and he got a great reception when his name was read out. Funny how some people can't appreciate a player until he has gone isn't it?

Rangers started at a tremendous pace and clearly wanted to get Oldham on the back foot before they could start kicking lumps out of them. Gallen tested Pogliacomi in the first minute but the Aussie was up to the task, Thorpe was the next to test him and once again he saw his shot repelled. Pogliacomi would go on to have one of those days all keepers have once in a while, he made a succession of saves, half of which I am not sure he new much about.

Martin Rowlands was next to hit the target, but his left footed effort was more of a back pass than a shot and posed no problems. With a little over half of the first period gone Rangers produced the best moment of the game with some vintage champagne football. Bircham played the ball into Gallen on the edge of the box and his first time lay off found Thorpe. Gallen was on the move to take the return pass before sending a volley onto the top of the bar with Pogliacomi beaten. It would have been a wonderful goal had the shot been six inches lower.

Minutes later Oldham mustered their first shot on target through David Eyres. Eyres found some space on the left side and rather than collapse under a challenge in his usual fashion decided he would have a strike at goal. He sent a wicked volley toward the target and Culkin had to be alert to get down low to his right and beat the ball away. Soon after there was a significant moment when Chris Killen went through the back of Carlisle as he cleared the ball and collected a yellow card.

Rangers were still pressing for the opener and Richard Johnson screamed a volley over the bar before Gallen drew another save from Pogliacomi. This time he couldn't hold the ball though and Rowlands' follow up somehow found Pogliacomi's midriff rather than the net.

On the stroke of half time Oldham took the most undeserved of leads. A long throw was sent into the Rangers box and the ball was only half cleared as far as Paul Murray. The former Rangers midfielder took aim with his left foot and struck a volley that went through a ruck of players leaving Culkin helpless to intervene. Murray had barely used his left foot in his five years at Loftus Road so the goal came as something of a shock. At least he showed enough class not to come running up to The Loft and just turned to take the credit of his team mates.

Now came the true test, a goal down at half time to a poor team at Loftus Road, surely the team would be roundly booed and leave the field to the usual catcalls. But no, they were applauded from the field, by most people anyway, and when they reappeared for the second half they immediately set about Oldham as they had in the first. Gallen and Rowlands both went close in the early exchanges until the R's were handed a lifeline.

Kevin Gallen played a lovely ball into the feet of Thorpe and he turned his man and made a break for the by-line. Before he could get there he was tripped and Rangers had their first penalty of the season! I am not sure what the record is for games without one but that was our first one since 8^th March 2003 in the home game against Bristol City! Gallen took and scored that one and did exactly the same with this. His powerful penalty to Pogliacomi's right gave the Oldham keeper no chance and drew the R's level.

Rangers were rampant now and twice in the space of five minutes people broke clear and squared the ball across the six yard box only to see nobody attacking it. First Thorpe then Rowlands played in delightful crosses that nobody had managed to read. Olly soon made his first change when McLeod left the field to be replaced by Furlong but not before there had been another scare. A sliced cross from Eyres looked to have Culkin in trouble and the big keeper had to tip the ball onto the bar to avert the danger.

Curo was soon thrown into the fray as Holloway took off Thorpe. He was barely on the pitch before he was having a go for goal. He worked himself an opening from twenty yards and saw his shot deflected wide of the goal with Pogliacomi struggling once again. Cureton then flashed yet another cross along the six yard line and you had to feel that no matter what we did we were simply not going to win this game.

Bircham went close with two late efforts either side of the goal. One of them hit the side netting but the other was too wide to require the keeper's attention. Rangers were buoyed further when Oldham were reduced to ten men with five minutes to play. Chris Killen, booked earlier for mowing Carlisle down, was attacking the goal when he theatrically threw himself over Arthur's leg. This was the third rank bad dive that Killen had perpetrated and he was showing that he was lighter on his feet than Duncan Norville. Referee Tanner was having none of it and showed him his second yellow. Pogliacomi was also booked moments later for time wasting, how we would have loved this ref against Port Vale last week!

Clarke Carlisle had now been deployed as an auxiliary striker and, as was the case in the Peterborough game, was making a nuisance of himself. He got up for a flick on that fell into the path of Furlong in the dying minutes. Furs calmly sidestepped Pogliacomi but his shot was poor, Rowlands tried to seize on the rebound only for the Oldham stopper to snake out an arm and gather the ball. And that was that, a game that has to be viewed as two points dropped although this was a fine performance that more than merited the win.

Despite the nature of the display there were some disappointing elements. Both full backs were poor in terms of distribution, which is so vital. Gino in particular had as bad a game as I can remember for a long time. Forbes was improved on last Tuesday and made a couple of good covering challenges but he needs to improve some way yet. Johnson didn't achieve much although you could never accuse him of trying to hide when things are not going his way and McLeod was as ineffective as we have come to expect in recent weeks.

On the plus side Gallen and Thorpe gelled well again and their interplay with Martin Rowlands is always great to watch. Culkin was solid, although I don't doubt he will still get a load of stick as he is not Chris Day. The two centre backs were solid; Arthur and Clarke seem to be gelling now, although the partnership still needs a couple more games to bed in properly. There is still the odd moment when they seem to leave it to each other but the understanding will only get better as they play more games alongside one another. Bircham was an absolute dynamo in the middle of the park and must have run himself to water.

A very tricky game now awaits at Hartlepool and we will have to be at our best to get a win that we desperately need if we are to overhaul the stuttering Bristol City. If we can dig out another display like this then I think we may just do it, but our home form and our away form are two very different animals. I for one cannot fathom the gulf between the two, let's hope Olly can.  

simon@qprnet.com