Gareth Ainsworth’s QPR transfer gold: Julien Stephan now has surprise Loftus Road weapon | OneFootball

Paul Smyth has been a top performer for Queens Park Rangers in recent weeks. He joined QPR from Leyton Orient during Gareth Ainsworth's tenure.

Queens Park Rangers have struggled for consistency in the Championship this season, but boss Julien Stephan can be proud of, and grateful for, some aspects of his first campaign managing in English football.

The R's endured a particularly mixed bag of results in March, as they were beaten 4-0 by Middlesbrough, but also enjoyed an emphatic 6-1 triumph over Portsmouth.

QPR made a strong start to April, as they defeated Watford 2-1 on Good Friday, and drew 1-1 with Preston North End on Easter Monday.

Stephan has been working with a mixture of players he signed, and those acquired by his predecessors such as Marti Cifuentes and Gareth Ainsworth.

Paul Smyth emerges as key QPR man

Ainsworth's time as QPR boss was ultimately unsuccessful, and he was sacked in October 2023, prior to the appointment of Cifuentes.

The former Wycombe Wanderers manager chose to sign winger Paul Smyth in the summer of 2023, after he scored 10 goals in League Two for Leyton Orient.

Smyth had already played for the R's earlier in his career, but failed to make an impact in West London before moving to Orient in 2021, following loan spells with the likes of Charlton Athletic and Accrington Stanley.

As reported by BBC Sport, when the winger re-joined QPR, Ainsworth said: "Paul was one of the outstanding talents in League Two last season.

"He was a big reason why Orient won the league and why they were so potent going forward. When he left Wycombe there was still development work to do and now I believe he's getting close to the finished article.

"We are going to see the best of Paul Smyth. Maybe three or four years ago, it was just a little early to make his mark in this division, but I am sure he is going to do that now."

However, several R's supporters remained unconvinced that the former Linfield man would be able to produce the goods at Championship level.

He went on to score just three goals in the 2023/24 second-tier campaign, before producing an even less inspiring return of one goal in the league last season.

Under Stephan, though, Smyth has hit new heights, and has already produced his best-ever Championship return, which will please the Loftus Road faithful, despite their previous doubts.

The 28-year-old was particularly impressive in the aforementioned thrashing of Portsmouth, notching two goals and an assist.

Smyth then scored a goal and produced an assist in the Good Friday victory over Watford, which concluded QPR's three-game winning streak.

His goal contributions against Portsmouth on 21 March marked his first since scoring in a 1-0 win at Blackburn Rovers in November, but his subsequent performance against the Hornets proves that he is beginning to establish consistency.

It would do Smyth and Stephan even more good if the winger can get himself on the scoresheet in their upcoming clashes with Millwall and Ipswich Town, who are both competing for a place in next season's Premier League.

After being clinical against relegation-threatened Portsmouth and fellow mid-table club Watford, the next step for the former Orient man to take is to prove that he can also perform against some of the Championship's best teams.

Paul Smyth can help inspire QPR to long-awaited feat

Since being relegated from the Premier League in 2015, the R's have never landed a Championship play-off spot, and the West London club will be especially disappointed that they have failed to finish in the top half for each of the last four seasons.

Meanwhile, Smyth's recent form suggests that he now has the quality to help QPR finish 12th or higher, and he will be keen to continue delivering.

Favourably, Stephan's men play both Bristol City and Derby County before the end of the season, who are also among the clubs vying to finish in the top half.

Smyth scored when the R's defeated the Robins 2-1 at Ashton Gate back in October, and will be eager to trouble the West Country outfit yet again on Saturday.

The winger never delivered for the R's under either Ainsworth or Cifuentes, but the evidence suggests that Stephan has got the best out of the former Orient man, and can continue to do so.