Ipswich go up as QPR end season with fourth straight loss
Ipswich 3Hirst (3′)
Philogene (9′)
McAteer (85′)
QPR 0
Two early goals helped Ipswich to see off QPR and seal a return to the Premier League.
George Hirst opened the scoring and the Hammersmith-born Jaden Philogene doubled the home side’s lead. Kasey McAteer added a late third.
Rangers ended the campaign with four consecutive defeats, without a win in their final six matches, and finished 15th in the Championship table with 58 points – the same as last season but with two more points this time around.
Their previous form suggested an early capitulation in the face of an onslaught from their promotion-chasing opponents was highly likely.
And they duly went a goal down in the third minute and were two down within nine minutes.
A slick Ipswich move culminated in Leif Davis on the left sending a low ball in towards Hirst, who got between Rangers defenders Jake Clarke-Salter and Rhys Norrington-Davies to score from close range.
Hirst helped set up the second, laying the ball off to Philogene, who beat Amadou Mbengue with ease and slotted past keeper Joe Walsh.
Rangers were better in the second half, largely because of lively half-time substitute Paul Smyth, who was twice denied by keeper Christian Walton.
Daniel Bennie, who played as a lone striker, missed a decent chance to pull a goal back when he volleyed the loose ball over the bar after Walton had parried Smyth’s strike.
Ipswich were comfortable, even before Ronnie Edwards’ attempted trickery on the ball near the edge of his own penalty area led to the third goal, with McAteer tapping in after Walsh had denied Jack Clarke.
QPR: Walsh, Mbengue, Edwards, Clarke-Salter (Smith 46), Norrington-Davies, Varane, Morgan, Madsen (Smyth 46), Chair (Saito 62), Vale (Alemayehu 80), Bennie (Scarlett 85).
Subs not used: Salamon, Adamson, Esquerdinha, Hayden.
