Warburton: When you are on top you have to take advantage – QPR boss reflects on 3-0 loss at Barnsley
Queens Park Rangers manager Mark Warburton rued his side’s failure to capitalise on early dominance as the Hoops went down 3-0 to Barnsley at Oakwell on Tuesday night.
Rangers have now not won in seven Championship matches – and have failed to score in their past four games.
Their latest set-back came against the Tykes in a game which swung when Rangers’ defender Rob Dickie was sent-off midway through the first half for a foul in the penalty area on Barnsley’s Cauley Woodrow.
The striker put away the resulting spot-kick, and goals from Conor Chaplin and an own goal by Yoann Barbet sealed the home side’s victory.
But Warburton felt things could have been different had the west Londoners capitalised on their early promise in Yorkshire.
He said: “In the first 20 minutes I thought we looked superb. They couldn’t get out of their own half. We did everything bar put the ball in the back of the net.
“When you are on top you have to take advantage, but we were unable to do that this evening and it has cost us.”
Bright Osayi-Samuel was left out of the starting line-up at Oakwell following media reports suggesting the winger could be eyeing a move to Scottish giants Celtic.
But Warburton attempted to quell the rumours by telling the club website: “Contract talks with Bright have been ongoing for a while now.
“He’s a great lad, everyone knows what I think of him, but his head has to be in the right place for a game of football, and I just felt that tonight wasn’t right for Bright and for the team as well.”
The defeat leaves Rangers in 18th place in the Championship.
They face Cardiff City at Loftus Road on Saturday desperate for a win – or at least a goal – to get out of the rut.