Beale hopes for good news after worrying injuries in QPR defeat

QPR boss Mick Beale is hoping Jimmy Dunne and Leon Balogun have not sustained serious injuries after the defenders were forced off in the 3-1 loss at Luton.

Balogun went off after 14 minutes, having landed awkwardly on the base of his spine after jumping for a header, with Dunne picking up a concerning-looking leg injury after colliding with Seny Dieng in the lead up to Luton’s killer second goal.

“We are hopeful it (Dunne’s leg) is not broken and hoping it is just a contact injury, but Jimmy is in a lot of pain, so fingers crossed on that one,” Beale said.

“Losing the three points and having a bad performance is enough to take on the chin.

“We are hoping the same with Leon, that it is just a contact injury. It was disappointing, but I don’t want to talk about QPR’s issues today as I thought Luton were good and better in both boxes.”

The defeat was QPR’s first since losing 1-0 at Swansea on September 3 and Beale refused to criticise his players but said he expects a much better display against Cardiff at Loftus Road on Wednesday.

“It was a really bad afternoon. Even before the game there were one or two things in the background with one or two not feeling well, but that is no excuse,” he said.

“I thought Carlton Morris in the first half was very good for them and we didn’t get to grips with him. We spoke in the week how the game would look, so we were aware of it but I thought their two centre-forwards gave my centre-backs some real issues.

“We went with Leon at right-back, where he has played for other teams I have coached and also in the Bundesliga, to go with the extra height, and he gets injured in the first challenge of the game.

“But over the last four games, we have had three away from home and picked up nine points, so I don’t want to go overboard.

“We have had some big days on the road so I am not going to bash my players, but I will be looking for a response on Wednesday.”