Attendance 12,486

Eight years ago QPR finished fifth in the Premiership ahead of Arsenal, Liverpool and Leeds. Next season they will be scrapping with the likes of Brentford, Brighton and Bury after their worst league campaign in 34 years. But it is not just the humiliation of dropping down to English football's third tier that will hurt QPR. Financially, especially for a club in administration and losing £570,000 a month, the cost of relegation will be huge.

From next season the Football League's £350m three-year television deal with ONdigital and ITV to screen Nationwide football begins. That will bring each First Division club £3m a season, but by contrast QPR will pick up £750,000 in the Second Division. With other revenues estimated to fall by £1.8m as a result of dropping into the Second Division, the total cost of relegation is estimated at £4m.

To compound these problems QPR are still looking for a new owner, 22 players are out of contract at the end of the season and their sponsors, the troubled mobile phone company Ericsson, look likely to abandon them after this campaign.

For QPR's distraught manager Ian Holloway the situation is clearly a big worry. "I've got a one-year contract but that is not security in this game," he said. "I came here with a long-term plan and wanted to put certain things in place, so I'll have to do that in the Second Division now.

"What you want is stability and there has got to be some sort of plan, but I'm disappointed that the people I had an interview with aren't going to be here next season."

Although QPR's demise has been on the cards for some time, the manner of their defeat on Saturday was unkind. A rip-roaring first half saw Huddersfield take the lead through a deflected Dean Gorre shot. But the visitors stuck manfully to their task and were rewarded two minutes before the interval when the deadline-day signing Andy Thomson lobbed Nico Vaesen to score his fourth goal in four games.

However, a second period of numbing tedium was brought to a dramatic conclusion in the third minute of injury-time when Delroy Facey slotted home Lee Harper's save from an Andy Booth shot to condemn QPR.

That goal could prove to be priceless for Huddersfield, who now sit three points clear of third-from-bottom Crystal Palace.

Their manager Lou Macari believes that three points from the last three games should secure safety. But with testing fixtures against West Bromwich Albion, Wimbledon and Birmingham ahead, Huddersfield could yet join QPR in the Second Division.

QPR Match Results 2000-2001

28/04/01 - QPR 0 - Stockport 3

21/04/01 - Huddersfield Town 2 - QPR 1

16/04/01 QPR 2 - Tranmere Rovers 0

14/04/01 Portsmouth 1 - QPR 1

31/03/01 Notts Forest 1 - QPR 1

24/03/01 Burnley 2 - QPR 1

17/03/01 QPR 0 - Grimsby Town 1

10/03/01 Fulham 2 - QPR 0