Anxious QPR unsure when Austin will return

QPR are unsure how long Charlie Austin will be sidelined with a hamstring problem.

He missed the 0-0 draw at Watford, where Rangers played most of the match without recognised striker because neither Andy Johnson nor Bobby Zamora were deemed fit enough to start.

Niko Kranjcar played in an unfamiliar role as lone forward before Johnson was sent on for the final 20 minutes.

Austin also failed a fitness test ahead of the Boxing Day defeat at Nottingham Forest and there are fears he could miss out against Doncaster on New Year’s Day.

“We don’t know,” admitted Rangers’ assistant manager Kevin Bond.

“We look at him every day and before the Forest game he was no good and it was the same today.

“The problem is for us that we could risk him and then instead of two or three matches he could miss six or seven. He needs to be right.

“I couldn’t say when he’ll be fit. We’ll have him back as soon as we can.”

Rangers were also without ill skipper Clint Hill at Vicarage Road, where they dominated possession but were unable to break the deadlock.

“It’s the same old story for us,” said Bond.

“I thought in the first half, playing without a centre-forward as such, we had a plan and it worked really well. I thought we dominated.

“It [not scoring] has been our problem and we’ve spoken about it before. Then Watford were a bit more direct in the second half.

“Charlie has done such a great job for us this season in terms of scoring goals and leading the line.”

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