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QPR snatched a point from the jaws of defeat, as two second-half stoppage time strikes from Patrick Agyemang and Jamie Mackie earned the R's a dramatic share of the spoils at Pride Park.

On a rollercoaster afternoon for the Hoops, the Rams took the lead five minutes before half-time when Kris Commons expertly tucked away Paul Green's cutting centre from close range.

Rangers started the second half brightly, but they were further behind on 59 minutes when James Bailey put the hosts two goals to the good.

Tomasz Cywka found space down the left before squaring the ball back to James Bailey on the edge of the penalty area, who swept the ball home into the bottom right-hand corner.

However, such is the spirit in the R's camp at present, they bounced back with two injury-time strikes in the second half to clinch a point.

First, Agyemang stole through on goal to slot home from 10-yards out following Leon Clarke's flick-on.

And four minutes into stoppage time, the comeback was complete.

Mackie evaded two challenges before bursting into the area and smashing the ball low past Stephen Bywater to send the travelling R's masses into delirium.

Rangers remained unchanged in a 4-2-3-1 formation for the trip to hosts Derby.

Paddy Kenny was in goal for the R's, behind a back four of Bradley Orr, Matt Connolly, Kaspars Gorkss and Clint Hill.

Shaun Derry and Alejandro Faurlin were in defensive midfield, with Mackie, Adel Taarabt and Hogan Ephraim operating in more advanced positions.

Frontman Heidar Helguson led the Hoops attack.

In front a healthy and loud R's following in the East Midlands, QPR were straight out of the traps and only a splendid one-handed save from Stephen Bywater ensured the match remained without a goal.

Hill's clearance from deep was superbly controlled by Ephraim, who in turn touched the ball to Taarabt. The Moroccan magician danced past two players and into the area before unleashing a stinging low drive that was excellently beaten away from the target - but only as far as Mackie.

The R's attacker looked certain to net from the follow-up, only to see his shot blocked away on the goal-line for a corner kick.

Moments later, the Rams fashioned their first effort at goal. Commons picked up possession midway into the QPR half before running at the visitors' defence and drilling an effort just wide of Kenny's bottom left-hand post.

It was to be a lively opening 15 minutes to the fixture, with the pre-match hype surrounding the much-anticipated clash of Taarabt and Robbie Savage living up to its billing at Pride Park.

Taarabt was then soon involved again, firing a ridiculously ambitious free-kick just wide from all of 35 yards from the target.

The clash may have started at quite a pace, but a period of lull was soon to follow, as a midfield battle began to ensue in the driving late summer rain.

It was a battle that the Rams momentarily took control of as they raced into a 40th minute lead - the first goal that QPR have conceded this season.


Paul Green played the architect, doing well to slip past his marker down the left and cut the ball back into the area in the direction of Commons.

Unmarked at the back post, Commons remained as cool as a cucumber to dink the ball over the diving Kenny and into the back of the net.

Just before the interval Taarabt again tried an audacious free-kick effort from 35-yards out, but his shot sailed handsomely over the goal.

Mindful of being a goal down, QPR came out for the second period with a spell of neat, intricate football in the opening five minutes.

Indeed, super possession play between Gorkss, Hill and Taarabt set Ephraim free down the left before the R's wing wizard was brought down on the left-hand side of the box for a free-kick.

From the resultant set-piece, Taarabt's lovely, out-swinging corner needed only a touch to find the target before the ball was nodded behind for a corner.

However, though they made a positive start to the closing half, QPR found themselves two behind on 59 minutes.

Fantastic endeavour from substitute Cywka saw the striker beat his marker down the left-hand channel before he laid the ball back to James Bailey on the edge of the penalty area.

Bailey took a touch before executing a fantastic finish, curling the ball around Kenny and into the bottom right-hand corner of the goal.

In an attempt to reduce the deficit, R's gaffer Neil Warnock made three changes in next ten minutes that were to follow, with Derry, Helguson and Taarabt making way for Akos Buzsaky, Agyemang and Clarke respectively.

The substitutions didn't have an immediate impact, but as stoppage time approached Rangers would defy the odds to snatch a remarkable point.

It was to be one of the substitutes who hauled QPR right back into the affair.

Following a long ball from deep, Clarke rose highest midway into the Rams half to nod the ball on for Agyemang.

The striker did brilliantly to beat his marker - and his finish was even better, tucking the ball away from an acute angle and past Bywater.

If anyone deserved a point for their individual display it was the hard-working Mackie, whose determination was ever-present even when the R's were dead and buried.

And he got his reward in some style in the fourth minute of added time.

Mackie picked up possession just outside the box, before muscling his way past two challenges and drilling the ball low past Bywater and into the bottom left-hand corner - cueing absolute carnage amongst the R's faithful in the visitors' end.

Derby County: Bywater, Brayford, Roberts, Green, Barker, Leacock, Savage, Commons (Cywka 45), Bailey, Moxey (Ball 90), Doyle (Martin 57).

Subs: Deeney, Buxton, Pringle, O'Brien.

Goals: Commons (40), Bailey (59)

Bookings: Moxey (33)



QPR: Kenny, Orr, Hill, Derry (Buzsaky 61), Taarabt (Clarke 70), Helguson (Agyemang 62), Faurlin, Mackie, Gorkss, Connolly, Ephraim.

Subs: Cerny, Leigertwood, Ramage, German.

Goals: Agyemang (90 +1), Mackie (90 +4)

Bookings: Hill (37)

Referee: Mr M Haywood

Attendance: 25, 874 (1655


www.qpr.co.uk/page/MatchReport/0,,10373~52763,00.html

Team P Pts Goals
Diff Goal
Scored Current
Score
QPR 4 10 9 11 2-2 FT v Derby
Cardiff 4 10 7 9 2-0 FT v Portsmouth
Ipswich 4 10 5 8 2-0 FT v Bristol City
Millwall 4 9 7 11 3-1 FT v Coventry
Burnley 4 7 3 5 0-1 FT v Swansea
Leeds 4 7 2 6 1-0 FT v Watford
Norwich 4 7 2 6 1-1 FT v Nottm Forest
Coventry 4 7 1 7 1-3 FT v Millwall
Doncaster 4 7 0 6 3-1 FT v Hull
Barnsley 4 7 -1 6 2-0 FT v Middlesbrough
Sc**thorpe 4 6 1 5 3-0 FT v Crystal Palace
Swansea 4 6 1 5 1-0 FT v Burnley
Watford 4 5 0 5 0-1 FT v Leeds
Derby 4 4 -1 6 2-2 FT v QPR
Middlesbrough 4 4 -3 2 0-2 FT v Barnsley
Sheff Utd 4 4 -3 2 1-0 FT v Preston
Hull 4 4 -4 3 1-3 FT v Doncaster
Nottm Forest 4 3 -1 3 1-1 FT v Norwich
Reading 4 3 -1 3 0-0 v Leicester
Crystal Palace 4 3 -4 4 0-3 FT v Sc**thorpe
Preston 4 3 -6 1 0-1 FT v Sheff Utd
Leicester 4 2 -4 2 0-0 v Reading
Bristol City 4 2 -5 4 0-2 FT v Ipswich
Portsmouth 4 1 -5 1 0-2 FT v Cardiff
www.sportinglife.com/football/live/tables/cc_champ.html

Telegraph

Derby County 2 Queens Park Rangers 2: match report
Read a full match report of the Championship game between Derby County and Queens Park Rangers at Pride Park on Saturday Aug 28 2010.

Published: 5:24PM BST 28 Aug 2010

Last gasp: Jamie Mackie (left) scored at the death to give QPR an unlikely draw at Pride Park Photo: ACTION IMAGES



Queens Park Rangers struck twice in injury-time to rescue a dramatic 2-2 draw and preserve both their unbeaten record and top spot in the Championship.

Trailing to goals from Kris Commons and James Bailey, Neil Warnock's side looked beaten but substitute Patrick Agyemang scored what looked like a consolation goal in the second minute of added time.

Jamie Mackie then struck with virtually the last kick of the game to leave Derby deflated.

The Rams went into the game having lost their last three matches in all competitions since beating Leeds on the opening day of the campaign, while Rangers arrived at Pride Park with a 100% league record.

Adel Taarabt, who shone in this fixture last season, was denied by a fine save from Stephen Bywater following a mazy run early on.

Perhaps Derby had learned their lesson of almost 12 months ago as Nigel Clough used Robbie Savage to man-mark the Moroccan for long periods and that was as dangerous as he was all afternoon.

The Rams should have gone ahead after 13 minutes when Conor Doyle's cross was deflected into the path of Savage who laid the ball off to Shaun Barker, but the big defender shot into the side-netting.

Alejandro Faurlin threatened either side of the half-hour mark but failed to work Bywater on both occasions.

Paul Green and Dean Moxey linked up well to create the opening goal for Commons after 40 minutes. The Scotland international latched on to Moxey's pass from the left before casually lifting the ball over the advancing Paddy Kenny.

It was the first Championship goal that QPR had conceded this season.

Bailey put Derby 2-0 up just before the hour mark when he found the bottom corner with a shot from the edge of the area.

Clough's side looked comfortable but Agyemang, a 62nd-minute replacement for Heidar Helguson, beat Barker for pace before firing the ball beyond Bywater.

Kenny kept Rangers in the game with a fine parrying save to thwart Bailey before the visitors broke and, to the amazement of everyone inside Pride Park, levelled through Mackie's 18-yard shot in the six-minute of injury-time

www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/competitions/championship/7969571/Derby-County-2-Queens-Park-Rangers-2-match-report.html

Basically these reports are all the same except for official ones.

Warnock Comments Audio - BBC
newsvote.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/q/qpr/8952576.stm

BBC


Warnock cools QPR's promotion expectations

Warnock is keen to bring in two players at QPR
QPR manager Neil Warnock played down suggestions his side are among the favourites for Championship promotion, after a nail-biting draw with Derby.

Warnock's men came back from 2-0 down with two dramatic stoppage-time goals to share the points and stay top.

"How we can be amongst the favourites to win the division with eight new players in the squad is beyond me," said Warnock.

"I think we're [likely to finish in] sixth to 10th position at the moment."

Kris Commons and James Bailey had put Derby ahead at Pride Park and they looked on course for victory until Patrick Agyemang and Jamie Mackie struck in the 92nd and 95th minutes for the visitors.

"I think a lot of teams might have packed up at that late stage," added Warnock.

"But I said to the players before the game that there are going to be times this season when we go two or three-nil down.

"I always think that we can get a result because I believe we are capable of scoring goals in a split second.

We can't finish games off and we can't quite hang on at the other end

Derby boss Nigel Clough
"I didn't realise it was going to be 90-plus minutes when we scored two goals but it just goes to show that you never give in.

"I thought we were poor in the first half but all credit to the players, we went positive with the substitutions and Paddy [Kenny] made a great save at 2-1 so it was a great team effort to scrap and get a result.

"It feels like a win when you score so late in the game."

Warnock also revealed he will be attempting to reinforce his squad before the transfer deadline at 1800 BST on Tuesday.

"I still want to bring two players to the club," he said. "I've got four strikers and three wide players on my list and I'd like one of each.

606: DEBATE
What are your thoughts on the game?
"We just need a couple more to add to the options we've got."

Derby boss Nigel Clough believes his side need to learn how to close out games but tried to take the positives from their display.

"It's frustrating. We played so well for so long and then we got punished at the end but that's been the story of the last three league games," said Clough.

"There have been three good performances but we've not quite got our reward for them.

"I thought that we should have finished it off and made it 3-1 in stoppage time but, at the moment, we can't finish games off and we can't quite hang on at the other end.

"They [the players] are going to have a few days in Spain so that will help them to get over this

"It would have been nice to go into the break with three points but I think that when we sit down and analyse it and put it into context the performance and the effort that has gone in was absolutely magnificent."

news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_div_1/8952630.stm

And sweet words from a sour man

Robbie: "We're Devastated"

Derby Official Site

Posted on: Sat 28 Aug 2010
"We're devastated" were the words from the lips of Robbie Savage after Derby County's 2-2 draw with Queens Park Rangers this afternoon.

Derby led 2-0 going into injury time at Pride Park, but the visitors hit back with two goals to take a share of the spoils.

The Rams skipper admitted Derby should have seen the game out, after being in the driving seat for the majority of the afternoon.

Speaking to dcfc.co.uk, Robbie said: "I don't know what to say to be honest; we are devastated right now.

"At 2-0 up we should have seen the game out and it feels like we lost in all honesty.

"I suppose we were a little naive attacking in the 90th minute and we left Agyemang one-on-one with Shaun Barker to pull a goal back.

"After that we knew it was going to be a tough few minutes, and it is so disappointing we let the equaliser in.

"We should have won and yet again we've played well and not taken the points.

"QPR didn't get a kick for most of the game, and remember we were down to the bare bones again.

"We're suffering badly with injuries, and the lads are devastated in the dressing room.

"It hurts right now, but there are so many positives to take from today.

"It will be a long two weeks until the Sheffield United game, but we will just keeping working hard and hopefully we will get our rewards against them."




www.dcfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10270~2138260,00.html

News of The World

CLOUGH LUCK ON DERBY STATUES
Derby 2 QPR 2


DRAMA: Mackie celebrates his late equaliser by taking his shirt off
By Tony Leighton, 28/08/2010

DERBY froze in injury time, throwing away a two-goal lead on the day they unveiled a monument to legendary boss Brian Clough.

Just like Old Big 'Ead, the nine-foot bronze statue of Cloughie and managerial partner Peter Taylor is larger than life.


Cloughie's son Nigel, in charge of the Rams 37 years after his dad's departure, cuts a more modest figure.


And he was certainly not as incensed as his father would surely have been after seeing his team concede two stoppage- time goals to level a game they should have comfortably won.


The Derby players who were First Division champions under Clough in 1972 would have got a right ear-bashing. But Clough junior was more forgiving.


He said: "It was frustrating. We played so well for so long then got punished at the end.


"That's three league games in a row now that we've not got our rewards. Their first goal changed the game totally but we should have then finished it off by making it 3-1.


"That would have been game over. But the effort was magnificent and I can't ask for any more. We scored two very good goals and there was certainly encouragement there for the next 42 games."


QPR boss Neil Warnock saw his team's 100 per cent record bite the dust but was delighted to grab a dramatic point.


Derby were coasting after goals by striker Kris Commons and midfielder James Bailey put them in compete control.


But the home side retreated in injury time and it cost them.


Substitute Patrick Agyemang reduced the arrears then right-winger Jamie Mackie levelled the scores in the fifth minute of added time.


Warnock said: "We've had three good wins but now you've seen the other side of us. We had to fight for everything.


"'Never say Die' is a motto of mine and a lot of teams might have packed up.


"Funnily enough, I said before the game there'd be a time when we went 2-0 down and would have to battle back.


"But I know we can score in a split second, I just didn't reckon it would be so deep into stoppage time.


"It's a point but it feels like a win with the goals coming so late. It's a hard lesson for Nigel, they must have thought they were home and dry."


The Rams should have been lapping up a victory after dominating most of the match.


They had an early scare when keeper Stephen Bywater had to make a fine one-handed save from QPR's Adel Taarabt.


But they soon took over and Commons and centre-back Shaun Barker both went close.


And Commons did put the home side ahead in the 40th minute, guiding the ball in from four yards after Paul Green and Dean Moxey combined to create the chance.


Bailey then bagged his first Derby goal since arriving from Crewe just before the hour.


Taking a short pass from sub Tomasz Cywka, the midfielder expertly curled a 20-yard shot just inside a post.


At 2-0 up, the home side were content to sit on their lead. But they were stunned in the second minute of added time when Agyemang burst into the penalty area to clip an angled shot past Bywater.


Mackie then broke Derby hearts when he collected a long boot upfield by keeper Paddy Kenny, brushed off two weak challenges and fired a low cross-shot into the far corner.


Despite his team's unbeaten start to the season Warnock refused to talk up the league leaders' promotion chances.


He said: "Why we are up in the favourites, I haven't a clue.


"We're a sixth to 10th team at the moment and I need to bring in more players - hopefully a striker and a wide player before the end of the transfer window on Tuesday."


Clough's day was not altogether wrecked by the result after driving into the ground past the statue of his celebrated dad.


The Rams boss said: "It would have been nice to have unveiled the statue on a day we kept a clean sheet.


"The statue means a lot to both families. It was the supporters' idea and they pushed the project through - and I'm very grateful to them."

www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/sport/football/match_reports/championship/924299/CLOUGH-LUCK-ON-DERBY-STATUES.html

For once Pride Park didn't come before a fall

Watching Savage after the final whistle was great!

Whilst we didn't deserve much from the game the referee was terrible and ruined it completely.

Photos from the Derby site (All Derby)
www.dcfc.co.uk/page/Gallery/0,,10270~2130866,00.html

Five years Ago today