QPR COME OUT FIGHTING FOR McCLAREN

a DeBuT goal for a striker and a crucial first league win of the season. steve McClaren’s beaming grin was back, only four days after being taunted by his own supporters about getting sacked. Tomer hemed, a midweek loan signing from Brighton, struck in the 35th minute to haul Queens Park Rangers off the foot of the table and snap their four-game losing streak. McClaren, who partnered hemed with another loan signing in nahki Wells from Burnley, tipped his hat to les Ferdinand, the club’s director of football, for providing two players who he will build his team around. ‘les and the owners have worked for three or four weeks to bring two strikers in of that quality,’ McClaren said. ‘We’ve had to bang down doors to make sure we get them. The fans must know that if they could spend £100million, they would. They can’t (due to Financial Fair Play) but they’ve put their hand in their pocket and got us two quality strikers.’ and McClaren is hopeful of adding further to his squad ahead of Friday’s loan deadline. ‘We’re looking all over,’ he said. ‘We don’t need numbers here, we need quality. There is a week to go, let’s see what we get.’ McClaren’s rotten start at Rangers hit a new low on Tuesday when fans called for his head during the 3-0 home defeat by Bristol City. While saturday’s performance was scrappy, there were encouraging signs of recovery beyond hemed and Wells. McClaren dropped goalkeeper Matt Ingram for Joe lumley, who made a superb onehanded save after 15 minutes to keep out Josh Windass, making his first Wigan start. a defence that shipped 13 goals in four games looked more resilient and McClaren was also delighted with his midfield’s work-rate and rightly so. It encapsulated the display of a team fighting for its manager. hemed struck after Wigan failed to clear a corner. as the ball bounced up in the six-yard box, he swivelled acrobatically and scooped the ball high into the net from six yards. Wigan boss Paul Cook was livid that an apparent push on Chey Dunkley went unnoticed in the build-up. ‘I pride myself on not giving referees criticism but I can’t see how he gets that wrong,’ Cook said.