Charlie Austin issues QPR claim | OneFootball

Highlights

Charlie Austin praised his former club Queens Park Rangers for grabbing a 'very good' result against Cardiff last weekend - though he admitted there is still a long way to go in the current season which could see them slip behind the rest of the pack.

Youngster Sinclair Armstrong grabbed his first goal in blue and white since joining QPR back in 2020, and that was followed up with a second-half strike from Kenneth Paal. Whilst Ike Ugbo threatened to upset the apple cart with his late strike, the R’s held on for their third win in their previous five games under Gareth Ainsworth, including the tail end of last season’s Championship campaign.

But Austin, who became a QPR legend between 2013 and 2016 with 45 league goals in just 87 games at Loftus Road, has admitted that it's only the start for his former side - and that they need to continue their form before getting carried away.

Football League World via Sky Bet, Austin was buoyant about his former club's chances of staying in the Championship. He said: “There’s a long way to go [of the season]. The Championship is a very tough league, and you need to get points on the board.

"They had a very good result on the weekend [beating Cardiff 2-1 away from home] and there is a long way ahead.”

Why are Queens Park Rangers seen as one of the favourites to go down in the Championship?

The answers are on a postcard, really. QPR's dreadful run of form in the post-Michael Beale era has seen them go from promotion hopefuls to relegation candidates.

Following Beale’s departure last season when he left Loftus Road for Glasgow Rangers, the R’s took eight points from eight in Neil Critchley’s opening eight games in what was seen as a steady beginning to his tenure.

But a torrid run of form, which saw them pick up just one win and nine losses in 10 games - including a 6-1 thrashing at relegated side Blackpool - had them fighting until the bitter end of the second-tier season.

A shock 2-1 win at eventual winners Burnley in late April secured survival with three games to go, but with key departures this summer in the form of Seny Dieng, Rob Dickie and more - alongside only experienced ‘veterans’ coming in with no exciting youngsters entering the fold, they are expected to be in the bottom half of the table once again this season under boss Gareth Ainsworth. The former Wycombe man even admitted at the start of the season that his squad would be up against it.

What has Gareth Ainsworth said about his Queens Park Rangers squad?

After the opening day 4-0 loss to Watford in which his team conceded after just 30 seconds of the season, the long-haired gaffer admitted that his team ‘were going to have a tough season’.

He said: “Thank you for the fans who stuck around to the end,” he said. “And to those who didn’t, I totally understand.

“It’s the first game and we’ve lost it heavily. I’ll take full responsibility for that. I know it’s going to be tough this season and I’ve learned a lot today. We’ve got to get better.

“We’ve had heated discussions in the dressing room afterwards but we’ve got to stick together and go again.”