QPR 0-0 Millwall

The Lions found themselves under pressure from the confident Rs for the majority of the game, but a stellar defensive performance, led by man of the match Paul Robinson, put an end to the side’s recent losing run.

Manager Kenny Jackett was forced into two changes from the side which suffered defeat in Cardiff on Saturday, with the injured Kevin Lisbie and the suspended Liam Trotter making way for Danny Schofield and Chris Hackett

Rangers, undefeated and atop the Championship table coming into this midweek derby, had the first decent chance with just sixty minutes on the clock when a fierce cross from Kyle Walker was headed wide by Heidar Helguson.

Further chances came the way of Akos Buzsaky and Hogan Ephraim in the opening ten minutes, before Scott Barron failed to get enough on Schofield’s cross at the other end for the Lion’s first close call.

After sustaining heavy pressure early doors, however, the visitors began to slowly make their way into the game though they failed to make a series of free kicks and corners count.

However, the QPR threat wasn’t absent for long periods, and the home fans were outraged at many of the decisions made by referee Lee Probert.

Most of Probert’s calls were the right ones from the press box point of view, in particular the unfortunate meeting between Tony Craig’s foot and in-form Jamie Mackie’s genitals which, in Craig’s defence, came as he cleared the ball with good intentions.

While the shots on goal from the opening stages were nowhere to be found, the scattering of minor incidents sent both sets of fans into another gear as Loftus Road raised the volume in anticipation of an opener.

The closest they came to this was in the dying moments of the half, as Walker left two Millwall defenders for dead with a dazzling run before pulling the ball back to an unmarked Mackie in the box.

His low first-time drive was blocked by the legs of David Forde, and after somewhat of a nervy scramble, the ball was cleared with the whistle for the break arriving shortly after.

To the surprise of few, the hosts picked up where they left off following the interval. Taarabt remained the architect with a series of tantalising deliveries.

Fortunately for the Lions, one cross was a little too fast for Mackie, two were cleared by a sea of gold shirts and a corner from the right was somehow headed over by an unmarked Clint Hill.

Two more Taarabt corners came in quick succession, with Forde thwarting Helguson and Craig flinging himself at Matthew Connolly’s close range effort.

Helguson and Forde had a to-do following their exchange, with Forde looking fortunate to remain on the pitch when he appeared to hit out at the Icelandic forward as the two squabbled over retrieval of the ball.

Though a fantastic day at the office from the Millwall back line was keeping them in the game, the visitors also had a couple of chances themselves following the shrewd switch by Jackett to bring Neil Harris on for Barron.

Harris soon found time to launch a shot well over, while minutes later Morison came extremely close with a header at the far post forcing a good parry from Paddy Kenny.

The final ten minutes saw the Hoops pour on the pressure in an effort to maintain their perfect home start to the season, but Robinson and Craig were again throwing themselves at every last shot coming towards the Millwall goal.

Schofield and Hackett had chances of their own at the opposite end stopped by Kenny and Hill respectively, and a final roll of the dice from the right flank by the home side missed a couple of potential targets in the box.

Mr. Probert blew up for full time with the 2,490 visiting fans who’d made the short trip across the water by far the happiest with the stalemate.

Millwall: Forde, Dunne, P.Robinson, Ward, Craig, Schofield, Hackett, Mkandawire, Abdou, Barron (Harris 64), Morison. Subs not used: Mildenhall, Henry, Grimes, Smith, Laird, T.Robinson. Att: 15,325