Rangers took a step closer to Division 1 football next season with a huge win over promotion rivals Swindon Town. The fact that we won is reason enough to be celebrating but it was the manner of the performance which will have Rangers fans up and down the country purring tonight.

Despite the defeat at champions Plymouth last week Holloway kept faith with the same starting XI. Camp was in goal behind the back four of Edghill, Rose, Carlisle and Padula. Ainsworth, Bircham, Johnson and Rowlands made up the bank of four in front of them with Gallen and Furlong spearheading the attack.

The start Rangers made was electrifying and they found themselves in the lead with less than two minutes on the clock. Gallen worked space well on the right and whipped a dangerous ball across the box. Furlong challenged for the header but could not make good contact but the ball fell into the path of Rowlands. The newly crowned Player of the Season showed nerves of steel to get the ball under control and gun it left footed past former R's loanee Rhys Evans. Loftus Road erupted and from the celebrations anyone would have thought we had already been promoted!

Rangers didn't get carried away though and kept on trying to play there way through the Swindon defence. With the game less than ten minutes old Gallen forced Evans into a terrific save low to his right. Gallen received the ball on the edge of the area and turned sharply before firing in a low shot that Evans was equal to. This was not the slow start that some accuse Gallen of, and I am sure there will be some humble pie eaten in various parts of the world this weekend.

Swindon were trying to get a foothold in the game and the man trying to lead the charge was shaven headed full back Andy Gurney. He was at the heart of everything Swindon tried and he smashed a low shot past the post as he came close to getting them back on terms. At the other end the outstanding Bircham also shot wide after seizing the loose ball following the first of many fouls on Rangers players ignored by the incompetent Chris Foy.

Lee Camp made a save from the rangy Rory Fallon after he had managed to find space at the far post. Miglioranzi tried to knock home the rebound but managed to strike the front of the roof on The Loft instead! This miss could have been so much worse had Ainsworth scored just minutes later. Padula swung over a brilliant cross to the far post and Ainsworth found himself unmarked. His header was firm and true and Rhys Evans had already given the ball up when it somehow hit him and rolled to safety. Nobody in the ground could quite believe he had managed to save it, least of all Evans himself.

The back four were marshalling the Swindon strike force of Fallon and media whore Sam Parkin with aplomb. R's fan Parkin was playing so poorly you had to wonder whether his heart was truly in it. Andy King, another with Rangers connections, must have had harsh words to say to his charges at the break as they started the second half with a flurry of activity. They forced an early corner and Sammy Igoe also tested Camp from distance.

Foy denied Rangers a stonewall penalty on the hour mark when he somehow managed not to see Gareth Ainsworth getting smashed in the head by Alan Reeves as he went up for a header. He played the advantage, although you could argue that the penalty is the true advantage, and Rowlands saw a header saved by Evans.

Rangers were now stamping their authority on the game and Bircham came within a whisker of getting the second. Gallen had a shot deflected into the air and Bircham met it on the volley from a tight angle. Evans was equal to it once again as he turned it away at his near post. Chance after chance was created as Rangers played some great stuff. Gallen headed a Padula corner against the outside of the post and then moments later shaved the same upright with a low shot that just crept wide.

Furlong then had two chances in quick succession but failed to take advantage of them. Firstly he turned well in the box onto a Gallen cross but let the ball run away from him as he prepared to shoot. Moments later he hammered a thirty yard freekick at goal that Evans gathered comfortably. This is the only area in which we miss Langley since his move to Cardiff. We don't have anybody with a bit of guile around the box to really test keepers from freekicks.

Tommy Mooney was now into the fray for Swindon as they switched to three up front in a desperate attempt to grab an equaliser. Mooney only had one chance, a weak shot that didn't trouble Camp unduly. The board went up for three minutes of injury time and this was the signal for Rangers to take the ball into the corners to run the clock down. This is normally a signal for a horrendous balls up that sees the oppositions streaking toward our goal but it was played to perfection. Freekicks, corners and throw ins kept coming as Swindon tried to get the ball into a more attacking area.

The final whistle brought a release of emotions for the 18,000 + packed inside Loftus Road. This was a superb display from Rangers against one of the better sides to have come to the Bush this season. Swindon played their part in a hugely entertaining game and credit must go to their fans that stayed to applaud the R's players at the end.

Everybody played their part from back to front today. Rose and Carlisle were immense at the heart of the defence and when they were beaten, Camp was on hand to save the day. The whole midfield was tireless and Gallen and Furlong did well in the face of bugger all protection from joke ref Foy.

The players got a rousing reception on their walk round the pitch but we have to remember that this is far from job done. We need Barnsley to do us a favour tomorrow against Bristol City, anything other than a City win will see us up, so there will be a few thousand honorary Tykes knocking about in W12 tomorrow!

simon@qprnet.com