QPR 3 Bury 0 by Phil Thorp: THE controversial first half dismissal of defender Steve Redmond was too big a hurdle to surmount for Andy Preece's Shakers as they went down to a comprehensive defeat at Loftus Road.

With six midfielders missing through injury and suspension the trip to Second Division form team Rangers was always going to be a tough one and although the Shakers stuck doggedly to their task the numerical disadvantage proved too much.

The home side opened the scoring after 18 minutes when Redmond failed to get in a telling tackle on the lively Leroy Griffiths who played Richard Pacquette in on goal.

The youngster looked a good couple of yards offside when he blasted his effort against Kenny but after the Bury defence failed to clear, Griffiths followed up to lash a low drive through a forest of legs into the net.

Redmond's sending off, just before the half hour mark, was the turning point and the evergreen defender will, justifiably, argue that he played the ball before making contact with Rangers striker Doudou who lost his boot in the collision. Referee Tomlin saw it differently, however, and Redmond became the sixth Bury player to take an early bath this campaign.

Strangely enough the incident seemed to give the Shakers a lift and they might have gone in level at half time with a bit of luck.

Skipper Jon Newby found space on the left but fired a low drive wide and David Borley, restored the the team after injury, brought a magnificent save out of Fraser Digby with a 25 yard free kick that was destined for the top corner.

The home side's crucial second goal arrived 10 minutes after the interval and was a gem. Doudou completely wrongfooted the Shakers defence with a sweet back-heel on the edge of the box and Pacquette did the rest with a powerful first time shot that gave Kenny no chance.

Despite being two down the Shakers still pushed forward and Rangers boss Ian Holloway praised their endeavour in his after-match interview.

The out-of-sorts Gareth Seddon had a goalbound effort blocked by Rangers skipper Steve Palmer but as they pushed forward the pacy home strikers always looked capable of adding to their tally on the break. And so it proved. The home side ended the day on a high when, in stoppage time, former Crewe favourite Marcus Bignot, 20 yards out wide on the left, curled a superb chip over Kenny and in off the underside of the bar to wrap the game up.

"It's always going to be hard for you when you are reduced to 10 men," said Preece. "Redders should have cleared the ball before the first goal then when he did what he should minutes later he got sent off for it.

"Although we were a player down I still felt we could get something out of the game.

"We didn't give Rangers too many chances and their keeper was as busy as ours so credit to the way the lads battled. I couldn't ask too much more from them."

The result drops the Shakers back into the relegation places for the first time in weeks and it's vital they pick up some points in their two home games this week against Huddersfield and Tranmere.

BURY FORMGUIDE: Kenny 6, Nelson 6, Swailes 7, Redmond 5, Unsworth 6, Connel 6, Borley 6, Clegg 7, Stuart 7, Newby 6, Seddon 5. Subs: Preece (for Connell, 74), not used: Garner, Murphy, Hill and Lawson.

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