Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between Coventry City and Queens Park Rangers at the Coventry Building Society Arena on Saturday | Morgan Fox ends long goal drought as Hoops end with a win
Saturday 4 May 2024 16:11, UK
Morgan Fox's first goal for more than four years helped QPR finish the Sky Bet Championship season with three successive wins, courtesy of a 2-1 victory at Coventry.
Fox's scruffy finish followed a stunning opener from Ilias Chair at the Coventry Building Society Arena, before Jamie Allen's first goal of the campaign ensured a close finish.
It is a season both teams can look back on with some fondness, with QPR recovering superbly to pull themselves to safety from relegation under manager Marti Cifuentes.
Although Coventry's league campaign fizzled out during the run-in, last season's beaten play-off finalists still have the memories of their run to the semi-finals of the FA Cup.
Lucas Andersen had the game's first threatening effort for QPR in the eighth minute with a strike from distance that was straight at Coventry goalkeeper Brad Collins.
His opposite number, 22-year-old Joe Walsh, was making his first start for the Hoops and he was called into action for the first time when he pushed away Callum O'Hare's low shot from just outside the area.
The match fell into a lull before Chair livened up proceedings after 33 minutes when the Moroccan turned into space before unleashing a shot from 25 yards that flew past a helpless Collins.
Coventry were almost level five minutes later when Jake Bidwell's cross picked out Milan van Ewijk, whose header was pushed away by Walsh.
Instead, QPR doubled their lead five minutes before half-time when Andersen's free-kick reached Fox at the back post and the defender bundled in his first goal for the Hoops, and his first for anyone since January 2020.
Josh Eccles then wasted a great chance to pull a goal back for the Sky Blues just ahead of the break when he scooped Haji Wright's pullback well over the target.
The hosts began the second half strongly, with Walsh again denying them in the 54th minute when he did well to push Ellis Simms' powerful effort on the turn over the bar.
Coventry captain Liam Kelly then shot just wide from outside the area before Walsh continued his impressive performance by getting down low to push out O'Hare's effort from just inside the box.
Albert Adomah was then brought on for his final appearance for QPR, who appeared to have weathered the storm from the Sky Blues.
Chair almost made the Hoops' lead an unassailable one after 72 minutes when he was again given time to shoot from outside the area, with his effort this time coming back off the post.
Allen then gave Coventry hope two minutes after being brought off the bench when he nodded in Wright's cross from close range with seven minutes left, but there was no more late drama.
Coventry's Mark Robins:
"We were spent, we've been spent for a few weeks now.
"After the Manchester United game, there's just nothing left in the tank, and they've tried their best - they're tried there - and we've just come up short in the games that we've had.
"Really, you draw a line under it and move on, and whatever's happened has happened and what we do next is most important.
"For me, it was always going to be difficult, and that's not a cliche, that's to do with the fact that it's well-documented now that we've not really had quite enough.
"We've not had enough luck, to be honest with you, because we've picked up injuries. But that's to do with the fact that we've not been able to rotate when we've needed to, when people have needed to come out and keep their level."
QPR's Marti Cifuentes:
"Definitely a good way to finish the season, with a good result against a very good team that showed how good they have been this season.
"They perhaps didn't get the results they wanted, but they've been challenging the play-offs for a lot of games and then almost getting to the FA Cup final.
"So, I'm glad for the guys to finish in that way, especially after the emotional week after the Leeds game.
"We wanted to give something else to the supporters who came here today, and we managed to achieve that, so I'm very glad for that.
"I'm very happy with the performance of the guys we dropped in.
"I think Reggie [Cannon] today managed a stable 90 minutes, I think Eljiah [Dixon-Bonner] showed he's a good young player who can develop a lot and Walshy [Joe Walsh] has been working so hard."
