QPR 2 Huddersfield Town 1: Austin makes Town pay for spurning chances

After QPR had moved into second place thanks to Charlie Austin’s brace, Robins said: “On the one hand we played really well but on the other we’ve not got that point, so it’s difficult to swallow.

“In the first half I thought we were brilliant. That’s no surprise to me, because we’re good. We came here and took the game to them.

“We’ve done well, but we had clear-cut chances and should really have been 3-0 up at half- time.

“We didn’t take those chances and you know they are then going to come at you in the second half.

“We conceded a poor goal from a defensive point of view and then they got the winner from a set-play after we had clawed our way back in with the goal from Nahki.

“To make that next step we’ve got to play like we did in the first half for the whole of the game. But I still thought we were good value for at least a point.”

QPR assistant manager Kevin Bond admitted they would be “very vulnerable” without Austin, who took his tally for the season to 14 after opening the scoring and then restoring the lead after Wells’s equaliser.

QPR want to sign at least one forward during this month’s transfer window.

“That search is still continuing – that’s all I can say at this stage,” said Bond. “Of course it’s a concern. We haven’t scored as many goals as we ought to for a side that’s where we are in the table.”

Huddersfield caused plenty of problems and missed excellent chances to score before Austin struck the opener after 55 minutes, firing home after Clint Hill’s lofted ball forward had been flicked on by Niko Kranjcar and Andy Johnson.

Wells headed in Adam Hammill’s cross to level in the 68th minute, but Austin’s header from Benoit Assou-Ekotto’s corner gave Rangers the points.

Queens Park Rangers: Green, Simpson, Dunne, Hill, Assou-Ekotto, Henry, Carroll, O’Neil (Phillips 46), Austin, Kranjcar, Johnson (Traore 81). Unused substitutes: Wright-Phillips, Onuoha, Diakite, Zamora, Murphy.

Huddersfield Town: Smithies, Smith, Gerrard, Wallace, Hammill (Gobern 78), Hogg, Norwood (Scannell 67), Clayton, Dixon, Wells, Ward (Vaughan 51). Unused substitutes: Woods, Bennett, Lolley, Holmes.

Referee: S Hooper (Wiltshire).

Man of the match: Charlie Austin.