Danny Haynes scored his first senior goal in injury time to grab the Blues a 2-2 home draw with QPR. Stefan Moore had put the visitors ahead on 26, Jason De Vos equalising eight minutes later prior to Paul Furlong reclaiming a lead Rangers kept until Haynes's late header.

Town boss Joe Royle gave Billy Clarke a first senior start up front alongside Nicky Forster, with Dean Bowditch not even included in the 16. As expected, Fabian Wilnis came back into the side at left-back after his one-match ban. Matt Richards moved into midfield with Jim Magilton dropping to the bench.

The most contentious incident of the game came in only the fourth minute. Richard Langley curled a freekick narrowly wide of Lewis Price's right post and, with the ball by now well out of play, QPR striker Paul Furlong followed through on the prone keeper, catching him in the head with his studs.

Price required several minutes' treatment while Richard Naylor and most vociferously Jason De Vos expressed their anger to referee Matt Messias while he decided what action to take. Eventually Messias decided on a yellow card, a punishment which seemed some way short of matching the crime. The Town keeper continued with a bandage round his head, while Furlong was booed for the remaining 86 minutes of the match.

Town came close to opening the scoring in the ninth minute, keeper Simon Royce missing Darren Currie's corner from the left, the ball bouncing across goal and out of play.

Furlong headed a Langley freekick wide in the 12th minute when he should have done better. Soon after, Gavin Williams got his name in the referee's book after committing two fouls in quick succession, Mr Messias continuing to work on his unpopularity with the home supporters.

Chances were rare at either end, although Town were probably enjoying the better of the possession. However, in the 26th minute the visitors got themselves in front after Stefan Moore's break down the middle of the field. The former Aston Villa trainee played the ball wide to the right for Gareth Ainsworth and met the winger's cross with a near-post header which gave Lewis Price no chance.

Town were close to hitting back immediately, winning a succession of corners. From the first, Jimmy Juan's stabbed shot was deflected over the bar, from the second the Frenchman's header was blocked on the line and from the third it was Jason De Vos's turn to see a headed effort stopped on the line.

Then Richard Naylor had a flicked header from a Darren Currie freekick saved. Soon after, Sito was somewhat harshly yellow-carded for a foul.

QPR should have gone two ahead in the 32nd minute when Marcus Bean cut the ball across the Town area to Moore who lashed the ball over the bar when he should at least have tested Price.

It would prove a costly miss as only a minute later the Blues were back on terms. Darren Currie's corners had been pretty much Town's only threat and it was such a set-piece from the left which led to Jason De Vos heading home at the near post.

The game continued to be a scrappy affair with neither side putting together too much of quality and neither keeper was forced into too much action.

QPR's next serious effort came in the 42nd minute and saw them go ahead for the second time. Gareth Ainsworth beat Fabian Wilnis to the byline and sent in a cross which looped over Lewis Price to the far post where Sito appeared to put the ball over the line while under pressure from Paul Furlong, although the QPR frontman claimed the goal.

Darren Currie almost set up another equaliser shortly before the break, Nicky Forster miscuing his cross from the right wide just before the start of the woefully inadequate two minutes of time added on, the injury to Price having stopped the game for twice that alone.

Town were perhaps unlucky to be behind at the break, although QPR had created the better opportunities in open play but the Blues having come close on several occasions from set-pieces.

Billy Clarke, who had had a quiet first half aside from a promising dash down the left in the opening minute, was withdrawn, Ian Westlake coming on at left midfield, Matt Richards switching to left-back, Fabian Wilnis to centre-back and Richard Naylor going up front.

Marcus Bean missed a good chance in the 54th minute, shooting straight at Price when well placed, although Town felt that Wilnis had been fouled by Furlong in the build up.

QPR were having much the better of the opening stages of the second period and Price did well to save Langley's 25-yard freekick.

The former Chelsea and Watford man was in action at the other end soon after, putting in a toe to prevent Jimmy Juan from converting a throw-in which had been flicked on by Jason De Vos.

On 69 Jim Magilton replaced Gavin Williams, who had been injured in an aerial clash with Lloyd Dyer shortly beforehand. Within a couple of minutes, Magilton had hit a freekick into a Rangers wall and out for a corner. From Currie's kick, Naylor's flicked header flashed across the face of goal.

Moore shot wide at one end, then De Vos had a header saved by Royce, a defender clearing for a corner which was delayed as Martin Rowlands required treatment. The Town players and support were becoming increasingly fed up with the visitors' timewasting, Dyer and Langley having taken an age to make their way off the field after being substituted in the 74th minute.

Naylor flicked another Currie corner over, before Danny Haynes replaced Jimmy Juan, the 17-year-old moving to the right wing on his third senior sub appearance and his first at Portman Road.

Ian Westlake rescued a ball which Mauro Milanese was seeing out for a goalkick in the 83rd minute, Richard Naylor sending the ball into the box. Nicky Forster got his shot all wrong, but it landed at the feet of Westlake but his strike flew across the face of goal.

Town were putting on the pressure as QPR sat back on their lead. Sito whipped in a cross in the 87th minute which Haynes headed wide. Another ball in from the Spaniard soon after was headed straight to Royce by De Vos.

As the game moved into four minutes of injury time, Danny Haynes made an intelligent run across from the right into the area and was picked out by Jim Magilton. The FA Youth Cup winner glanced the ball past Royce and into the net for his first senior goal, celebrating in front of the North Stand.

Town went looking for an even later winner and weren't too far away when Ian Westlake's shot was blocked inside the area, the referee turning away appeals for a penalty for handball.

A draw was probably a fair result, Town not really doing enough to deserve the win against a robust and physical QPR side. The game could have been very different had referee Matt Messias decided that Paul Furlong's early assault on Lewis Price was worthy a red rather than a yellow card.

The Blues again failed to create much from anything other than Darren Currie's set-pieces, aside from Haynes's late equaliser, while QPR rarely tested Price and took their chances well.

Even aside from the goal Haynes perhaps made more of an impact than Clarke, who despite his very evident promise seems a little way off establishing himself at first team level. Haynes made a number of pacy and positive runs down the right which may well have Joe Royle considering him for greater involvement at Sheffield Wednesday next week.

Town: Price, Sito, Wilnis, Naylor, De Vos, Juan (Haynes 82), Richards, Currie, Williams (Magilton 69), Clarke (Westlake 46), Forster. Unused: Supple, Garvan. Att: 24,628.

Photo: Action Images

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