McClaren savours QPR’s first-ever victory at Forest

Steve McClaren hailed defenders Darnell Furlong and Toni Leistner after QPR’s first-ever win at Nottingham Forest.

Leistner’s goal ended Rangers’ long wait for victory at the City Ground and left them 10th in the Championship table, just four points away from the play-off places.

Furlong, primarily a right-back and having recently recovered from a knee injury, played alongside Leistner at centre-back in the absence of the likes of Joel Lynch.

The pair were outstanding and manager McClaren said: “Furlong waited for his chance, played right-back and centre-back last week. I thought they were immense, the pair of them.

“Centre-back is not Darnell’s ideal position but it was a great performance, and Toni Leistner too.”

Following last weekend’s win against promotion-chasing Middlesbrough, the result means maximum points from home matches against Ipswich and Reading would put QPR in the thick of the play-off race.

And McClaren, who has consistently dismissed their play-off prospects, admitted: “We’re just going one game at a time, because I don’t know exactly how far this team could go.”

The former Forest boss added: “It’s got to get its feet on the ground because we don’t want to waste these good results against Ipswich on Boxing Day.

“I’d like to see what this team does now in the next two home games.

“All I want is a performance out of the players and to work for each other and be competitive in every game, and I think we’re doing that.

“It’s an unbelievable result for us and I’m so proud of the players.

“It was a great team effort and that’s the key to it. It wasn’t about one outstanding individual, but everyone doing their job.”