Holloway made a couple of changes to the team that had won the previous match. Royce was in goal behind Bignot, Rose, Shittu and Milanese. Ainsworth, Rowlands, Langley and Cook made up the midfield with Nygaard and Baidoo again partnered in attack.

Rangers seemed to start the match brightly and it was clear that the decrepit pairing of Frank Sinclair and John McGreal had no answer to the blistering pace of Baidoo. Sinclair felled the youngster on the left wing and Ainsworth powered Langley’s excellent delivery wide. Sinclair then did Baidoo again on the edge of the box and Cook curled the freekick a mile over the top.

Just before the ten minute mark though Burnley were ahead thanks to a fabulous strike from eighteen year old Chris McCann. He had managed to shimmy his way through some seriously limp challenges from the R’s midfield but he still had plenty to do when he turned goalward. He sent a sumptuous curling strike past the dive of Royce and into the net. Rarely do opposition goals draw applause from The Loft but this one did such was its quality.

Marc Nygaard was forced from the field minutes later with yet another in a farcically long line of injuries. Furlong came onto replace him in a like for like swap as Rangers looked to get back into the game. The problem with this is that the midfield was being completely overrun by their five Burnley counterparts. The ball was being surrendered far too easily and Lee Cook was having an absolute disaster on the left wing.

Rangers were struggling to create anything. Baidoo was buzzing around up front making runs and trying to hold the ball up but with little support from anyone other than Furlong. Burnley were managing to create chances such was the lack of bite in our midfield and crosses into the box nearly undid us twice. Firstly McGreal headed over when well placed before McCann forced Royce into a save from a header from six yards. In between these chances he had tried a forty yard speculator that was easily held by Royce.

A couple of minutes before the break Royce really came into his own with two breathtaking saves. Firstly Wade Elliot burst clear of the R’s defence and sent an inch perfect ball across the six yard box straight onto the foot of the odious Ade Akinbyi. It seemed a simple chance for the dreadlocked striker and he made a good connection and was almost wheeling away to celebrate when Royce appeared from nowhere to block and hold his shot. It was easily as good as his save up at Derby from Idiakez although Akinbyi must be wondering how the hell he hadn’t notched.

Almost as soon as the ball was out of the box it had been surrendered again and this time he had to intervene when O’Connor for his head to a Duff cross. It proved to be vital as Rangers managed to force an undeserved equaliser deep into first half stoppage time.

Shittu had the ball deep in his own half and launched a monstrous cross field ball at Ainsworth. He saw than Jon Harley was dallying and attacked the ball. Giant keeper Brian Jensen had come haring off of his line and was powerless to intervene as Ainsworth’s well placed header sailed over him into the net. It was the wingers fifth of the season and took him to top spot in the R’s scoring charts.

This seemed to revitalise the home side and they started the second half as quickly as they had started the first. Furlong headed goalward from a Cook freekick and forced Jensen to tip it over the top. From a long range freekick soon after he sent in a low shot that the Danish keeper fielded easily.

The game was still scrappy though and it seemed that Rangers’ best hope of a breakthrough was still Baidoo. His movement and pace had forced referee Stroud to show the yellow card to McGreal and Sinclair for persistent fouling. It was a great through ball from the young striker that should have produced a second for Rangers. He sent a great ball into Furlong’s path but the veteran’s composure deserted him and he slashed a wild shot into the crowd.

Shortly afterwards Royce was at it again when he produced a plunging save to his left to turn away a shot from Burnley sub Graham Branch. Holloway immediately made two changes, one by choice and one enforced. Rose had gone lame yet again so Santos came on in his place and Langley was hauled off after a poor display to be replaced by Scott Donnelly. This was Donnelly’s home debut after two substitute outings on the road last season. Langley’s poor display had an awful lot to do with a brilliant performance from Micah Hyde in the Burnley midfield. He didn’t allow Langley any room and was all over him all day. When he gets home tonight he will probably find Hyde wearing his slippers, smoking his pipe and watching his telly!

Donnelly had an immediate chance to show what he could do when Baidoo won another freekick outside the box. The youngster cleared the wall with his freekick but it was too pacy and failed to hit the target. The game had become incredibly scrappy now and decent football was at a premium. The only real bright spot of the final quarter of an hour came when Donnelly tricked his way past Hyde and delivered a ball that was just too strong for Ainsworth to get a decent ball in.

In injury time Rangers forced a corner and Cook’s ball in wasn’t dealt with properly. Rowlands managed to loop a header at goal and their seemed little danger until Jensen misjudged it completely and allowed it to bounce back off the bar. In truth it would have been an undeserved win had it gone in so justice was probably served.

This looked like a game that none of the players involved needed today. I am not totally sure why the Coca Cola leagues had to play games to cater for players appearing at The World Cup. I don’t think it would have hurt anyone to have moved one of these games to a midweek later in the season. As it was this game ran out of steam shortly after the break and was not brilliant fare for the paying public. Anyone that thought it was an evening kick off might have been better out of it!

The defence and keeper were sound today and they certainly seem a far steadier unit when Milanese is in the side. The midfield was awful for long periods and Langley and Cook in particular had stinkers. The winger was off the pace all afternoon, weak in the tackle and generally disinterested. Donnelly looked bright when he came on but he had little chance to impose himself on the game. Up top Baidoo was excellent again as he ran the legs off of two ageing centre halves that had to resort to kicking and holding him whenever he got within range.

The FA Cup awaits now and a less than mouth watering trip to face Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park. Who knows what sort of team we will be able to field as the injury curse seems to have struck the usual crocks again. This is a game that we will probably get little from so maybe the focus should stay on the league and getting important players for the premier competition.

simon@qprnet.com