Paul Smyth commended QPR fans for their involvement in Wednesday night’s 4-1 victory over Derby County at Loftus Road.

Julien Stephan’s team has had a good start to the season, albeit they went into the game against the Rams having not won in five games, including four straight draws.

However, with Derby struggling, it appeared to be an excellent opportunity for QPR to get back on track – and that is exactly what they did, putting on a ruthless performance to defeat the Midlands outfit.

QPR blow Derby County away with a fantastic first-half performance.

The R’s got off to a fast start, going two goals up after 22 minutes as Derby struggled to deal with the hosts’ style of play.

That dominance continued for the first 45 minutes, with the Rams hardly matching QPR’s attacking threat.

So, when Harvey Vale made it 3-0 just before halftime, the Londoners deserved it, and while they eased off the throttle a little in the second half, Paul Smyth added a fourth, before Lars-Jorgen Salvesen scored a consolation deep into stoppage time.

Paul Smyth hails QPR fans following Derby County’s win.
It was a terrific night for QPR, as Smyth once again played a key role for Stephan’s side, putting up another solid performance.

The Northern Ireland international has not always been a popular figure among fans, but they are all pleased with his efforts this season.

With his relentless work rate, the attacker is important to the side’s pressing, and he carries the ball well, while his end product has improved in the first few months of the season, as evidenced by the three goals he has scored in nine games.

Smyth is certainly enjoying his football right now, and the supporters are impressed with how the 29-year-old and the club are doing.

Speaking to QPR’s media team after the win, Smyth highlighted that the supporters had a significant influence in the team’s three-point victory, particularly the fast start.

Championship Table

Pos

Club

Points

Swansea City has 23 points, Middlesbrough has 21, West Ham United has 19, Birmingham City has 17, QPR has 17, and West Brom has 17.

Southampton: 16 – Stoke City: 16

“I’d like to thank the fans again. The crowd were fantastic, encouraging us to keep doing what we did.

“I think the boys, from the start, from the first 15 minutes, put it on them, and we scored two goals.”

QPR will believe that promotion is possible this season.

As previously said, QPR had been very good this season, but a run of four straight draws slowed their progress.

As a result, the Derby was an excellent opportunity for the R’s to pick up a much-needed three points, and to their credit, they delivered a superb performance, following a good performance at West Ham the previous week.

QPR now sit fifth in the table, having only lost one game this season, demonstrating their competitiveness.

Smyth has been a significant part of it, so he will be pleased with how things are going this season, and everyone connected to the club will believe they can truly challenge for promotion this season.