QPR to face Oxford in friendly

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QPR will assess Paul Smyth’s fitness before Saturday’s pre-season friendly at Oxford United.

Smyth, who this summer returned for a second spell at Rangers, has missed their recent friendlies.

Meanwhile, new signing Morgan Fox might well sit out the game at the Kassam Stadium.


Fox signed for the R’s this week but has been building up his fitness, having been without a club at the start of pre-season.

Rangers believe Smyth, Fox and Jake Clarke-Salter are on course to be available for their opening match of the new Championship campaign, at Watford on 5 August.

Clarke-Salter, who was unavailable for much of last season, went off with a calf problem just 17 minutes after coming on as a substitute against Slavia Prague in QPR’s opening pre-season friendly and has not played since.

One player who is in line to feature this weekend is 21-year-old defender Trent Rendall.

The academy product, previously commonly known as Trent Mahorn, impressed Gareth Ainsworth in a behind-closed-doors game against Reading this week.

It was Rendall’s first match action for six months. He was sidelined by injury in January and this summer was given a new short-term contract.

Rendall is a no-nonsense centre-back – the type of which Ainsworth very much favours – and the Rangers boss is keen to involve him again.

Dominic Gape is also expected to feature.

The midfielder, 28, is with the club on trial ahead of a possible move to Loftus Road, having recently been released by Ainsworth’s former club Wycombe.