Turf Moor
Attendance 14,018

First half strikes from Burnley duo Paul Smith and Gareth Taylor gave the Clarets a win they hardly deserved in a scrappy affair at Turfmoor. The result leaves Queens Park Rangers slipping further towards relegation but they were left to wonder how they managed to lose.

A 52nd minute response from Marcus Bignot was all Rangers had to show for their dominance. Rangers, still without a victory under Ian Holloway, missed six clear-cut scoring chances and also hit the woodwork twice. Burnley remain in the chase for a play-off place come the end of the seasonof the promotion could not have asked for a better start. A smart move down the right involving Glen Little and Ian Moore ended with Smith volleying the ball home from six yards for his first goal of the season.

Immediately Rangers squandered a chance when Jermaine Darlington screwed a shot hopelessly wide. But Rangers were punished for their slack finishing three minutes before the interval when Gareth Taylor made no mistake in front of goal to give Stan Ternant's men a two goal lead going into the break.

Paul Murray and Peter Crouch both missed when it looked easier to score and Ian Baraclough was unlucky to see a free-kick bounce out after hitting the post. Rangers' luck deserted them again in the second half when a header from Crouch hit an upright but the goal they deserved finally arrived courtesy of Bignot.Crouch and substitute Andy Thomson combined and Bignot accepted the chance gleefully.

However this was never going to be Rangers' day against a poor Burnley outfit and the only consolation for Holloway is on this evidence his team look anything but a relegation outfit, although he knows that time is running out in the fight for survival.

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