Julien Stephan staying ‘humble’ after QPR come from behind to beat Bristol City

Head coach Julien Stephan was keeping both feet firmly on the ground after Paul Smyth’s late winner helped QPR claim a 2-1 victory at Bristol City in the Championship.

The home side took a 32nd-minute lead when Neto Borges did well to volley a deep Mark Sykes cross from the right back across goal and Emil Riis found himself in space to bury a well-placed header past Paul Nardi.

But Rangers hit back after 66 minutes when City’s defence failed to deal with a ball into their box from the right and Richard Kone pounced to smash a fierce volley into the roof of the net from 10 yards.

The winner came after 84 minutes, Smyth outjumping his marker at the far post to score with a pinpoint header from a right-wing cross by Jimmy Dunne.

It extended QPR’s unbeaten run to six games, which have yielded 14 points, and moved them into the top six.

Stephan stressed it was “very early days” in the season and only the beginning of the work he intends putting in to restore QPR to their former glories.

He said: “It is a very good result for us because we were away from home against very good opponents and because it was the first time this season we have turned around a game in which we were behind.

“Over the last six games we have seen confidence grow among the players and this performance will build on that further.

“But we need to stay humble because it is very early days in the season and there is a lot more work to be done if we are to improve further.

“We started this game really well, collectively well-organised, and had chances to go ahead before they scored.

“That meant it was difficult for the players to accept mentally when we fell behind and for 15 minutes or so before half time we struggled a bit.

“But I was really impressed with the spirit and character shown by my players in the second half. There was a lot of intensity and a good press, so for their honesty I believe the team deserved their win.

“When you want to build something, you need time. The Championship is a marathon, a long, long journey, and while we will enjoy the moments, we need to be aware we have to keep working hard.”

City head coach Gerhard Struber was left frustrated by the defeat.

He said: “We have to be sharper in both boxes. We had clear chances to score more goals and failed to defend our own box from crosses.

“These are things we have to work on. But we could also have done with a little help from the referee who did not see a clear push on Ross McCrorie and a foul on Neto Borges, which should have led to penalties.

“These things happen in football and we have to deal with them. For the way we plan to play, every player has to be fully prepared mentally and physically to deal with situations throughout the game.

“There is no room for lapsing from that. Today there were times when it was too easy for them to create from cross balls. We did not apply enough pressure and on the second balls we were not ready.

“I can also recall at least four moments where we have to score from the positions are players were in. Scott Twine, Ross McCrorie, Anis Mehmeti and Yu Hirakawa all had great chances in front of goal.”