Having won at Coventry just two days ago it was inevitable that Gregory would tweak the starting XI slightly. With none of the injured players back though, his choices were limited to a reshuffle of the sixteen on duty at The Ricoh. Camp was in goal behind Kanyuka, Cullip, Stewart and Bignot. Ainsworth, Lomas, Bolder and Moore were in midfield with Nygaard and Blackstock up front. Despite scoring the winning goal on Saturday the impressive Jimmy Smith had to make do with a place on the bench. 

Rangers started sluggishly and it was the division’s basement club that looked the more threatening. Firstly Matthew Spring, back from his sojourn at Watford, saw a shot deflected wide. From the corner Chris Coyne and Markus Heikkinen made late runs into the box to evade their markers and the latter headed wide from eight yards when he should have done much better. 

Stefan Moore had Rangers first effort but it was barely worthy of the name as Hatters keeper Brill saved easily. Camp required some treatment to his left ankle when he was caught on the sly by Drew Talbot as he cleared the ball. It was a late, snidey challenge from Talbot and referee Penton should have shown him a yellow card for it.  

With a little over twenty minutes played Gregory was forced into a change when Ainsworth landed awkwardly following a shuddering collision with Coyne. The all action winger tried to walk off what later turned out to be a fractured fibula! Ainsworth’s season is now over and with the rumours that Cook could also be out for the season the squad is now desperately short of wide men. Smith came on in his place and took up station on the right flank.

Stefan Moore created a great chance for Lomas soon after as he left Keith Keane for dead and squared the ball for the Ulsterman to strike. Lomas conspired to have a complete air shot though and Rangers’ best chance of the half so far had gone begging. 

Luton went to the other end and Talbot found himself denied by the linesman’s flag for the third time in two games after poking the ball in at the far post. Rangers just weren’t at it at all and the two tough games earlier in the week seemed to be taking their toll. Luton looked the more likely side to score but then four minutes before the break Rangers took a lead they scarcely deserved. 

Steve Lomas took a long throw that was cleared straight back out for another one. He took it again but the ball dropped low toward Nygaard and he did well to hook it over his head into the danger zone. Moore managed to get the ball back across at the far post and Blackstock was on hand to calmly slot the ball home for his twelfth goal of the season. 

As the four minutes of first half stoppage time were being played out Luton got themselves back on level terms. David Bell was afforded far too much space on the right wing by Bignot and he sent a near post cross into the box. Coyne made an unopposed run to the near post and got the merest of touches to divert it past Camp. At the time I didn’t think he had got anything on it at all but he has been credited with it so I suppose he must have. 

Rangers had the first chance of the second half when Blackstock shot on target but Brill saved easily. Then, as they had done in the FA Cup tie at Loftus Road back in January, Luton hit the front. First half sub Dean Morgan sent the ball into a packed penalty area and Marc Nygaard, for reasons best know only to himself, decided to punch the ball away. It was the most blatant of blatant penalties and a moment of staggering stupidity from the Danish striker. David Bell stepped up and cracked a great pen to Camp’s left and in. 

It could have been 3-1 shortly after when Drew Talbot was played in with only Camp to beat. He didn’t seem to make the best connection with the shot though and Camp was able to bat the ball to safety. There would have been no way back from that so poor were Rangers to this point. Everything that had been working so well against Preston and Coventry was now going awry. But this side has some bollocks about it now and won’t just roll over.

When Kanyuka went down after being caught a few minutes earlier whilst clearing a ball, Sami Timoska was sent on at right back in his place. A couple of minutes later Nygaard was hauled off and replaced by Furlong. Nygaard got a terrible reception leaving the field, despite his idiocy in his own box no player deserves to be booed off in front of his own fans. 

The flurry of substitutions continued when Kevin Blackwell made the change that seemed to fire everyone in the ground up. Dean Morgan made way and the two bob stroller Langley came on to a chorus of booing and suddenly the crowd were up again after being in the doldrums for a while. 

There was now a genuine threat for Rangers as balls into Furlong were sticking whereas they had been bouncing off of Nygaard at all angles. Furlong went to ground under a challenge from Heikkinen but referee Penton waved away the penalty appeals. In truth I thought Furlong was lucky not to be booked for his efforts as he went down in instalments. 

The same two players were tangling in the box again minutes later as Furlong looked to get onto the end of Bolder’s angled ball in. The Finnish defender was climbing all over the back of the veteran hitman and you don’t need to tell Furs when it is time to let the old legs go from under him! Penton had no choice but to award the pen and Heikkinen was booked for his protests. 

Blackstock placed the ball on the spot but the taking was delayed as Calvin Andrew and Jimmy Smith had a spat on the edge of the box. Whilst Penton sorted this out Langley was chirping away at Blackstock trying to get inside his head before he stepped up. When the referee blew his whistle Dexter was calmness personified as he stepped up and rolled the ball Yakubu style to Brill’s left with the keeper going the wrong way. 

Loftus Road was rocking now and only one team was likely to win the game. Most people would have been happy to settle for the point such had been the poor nature of the R’s display. The game was entering injury time as Moore released Lomas down the left wing and the midfielder sent in a left footed cross in the direction of Furlong. The striker rolled back the years as he adjusted his body and stooped in at the ball to direct a perfectly placed header past Brill into the bottom corner and Loftus Road exploded! Furlong was buried under a pile of players; Gregory was buried under a pile of subs and staff! 

“There’s only one Furlong” was now being sung at deafening levels as Luton tried desperately to mount one last attack. Timoska was harshly adjudged to have felled Bell in the corner but the winger decided glory was what he wanted as he decided to shoot from the acutest of angles instead of getting the ball in the mixer. The ball was hacked to safety and referee Penton blew for full time.  

Although the mathematicians would say otherwise surely this win must have secured safety for Rangers. A few weeks ago I didn’t see how we would reach 45 points let alone the 49 that we have now amassed with four games of the season left to go. Another win will make it absolutely certain and I feel sure that the Cardiff game will be the one that does it now that their season seems to be falling away into mid table obscurity. 

This was a poor game but I don’t suppose anyone really cares about that. The biggest thing in this game was the spirit the players showed, they knew as well as we did that it wasn’t going to plan but they never gave up and when the genuine chances came they were taken clinically. On to table topping Sunderland for Rangers now, wouldn’t it be nice if we could put a few flies in a few teams’ ointments before this season is out. 

Man of the Match – Paul Furlong. The introduction of Furlong gave the team a genuine focal point to work off of. He won his penalty expertly and he took his chance brilliantly.

simon@qprnet.com