IN-TUNE TYLER HOPING TO GET QATAR
Roberts eyeing World Cup call-up
TYLER ROBERTS hopes his first league goal for QPR will be an important step towards playing in the World Cup finals.
The 23-year-old Wales international (left) missed the second half of last season with parent club Leeds because of a thigh problem.
A loan move to QPR in July has also been hampered by injury. So his first Championship strike for Rangers, a far post volley to put his side 2-0 up at Ashton Gate, sparked a joyous celebration. Roberts said: “It’s always a relief to get your first league goal for a club. Hopefully this will kick me on and I will score a few more.
“Being in the Wales squad for the World Cup is a massive aim. I joined Rangers to try and ensure I was out there on matchdays so I could prove myself.
“I was a fringe player at Leeds, but I wasn’t pushed out. It was more of a mutual agreement that I moved to get more first team games. If I hadn’t become more of a main player for a team, it would have damaged my hopes of World Cup selection.
“This was my first 90 minutes in goodness knows how long. I feel fit and strong again.”
Roberts’ 22nd-minute goal, from a Kenneth Paal cross, built on Stefan Johansen’s strike three minutes earlier.
The Rangers skipper was on hand to net after Chris Willock’s shot came back off a post and the body of Bristol City goalkeeper Dan Bentley.
Former Rangers striker Nahki Wells halved the deficit on 61 minutes, shooting home from close range after the visitors failed to clear an Andreas Weimann cross.
The goal maintained Bristol City’s record of scoring in every game this season, but did nothing to alter the view of boss Nigel Pearson (left) that his team were out of sorts.
“Too many players were below par,” he said.
“It was our third successive defeat by a narrow margin, but this time we contributed so much to our own downfall.
“Individual errors all over the pitch cost us. You can’t gift teams in the Championship a two-goal start.”
Rangers boss Mick Beale hailed a brilliant early save by Seny Dieng from Zak Vyner’s header as a key moment.
“The first goal was always going be important and if Bristol had scored then it might have been an entirely different outcome,” he said.