QPR goalkeeper Joe Walsh parries Lyndon Dykes' volleyImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

QPR goalkeeper Joe Walsh made a number of saves to thwart the hosts

ByDavid Anderson
BBC Sport England

QPR missed out on a chance to make real ground in the Championship play-off race as their winless away run extended to seven games against Charlton at The Valley.

Charlton were by far the better team for most of the game and Rangers had goalkeeper Joe Walsh to thank for leaving south east London with a point.

Walsh has been in and out of the team as boss Julien Stephan chops and changes his goalkeepers, but he produced five key saves against the Addicks.

The pick of his stops was a superb block to keep out Conor Coady's first-half shot while he also did well to thwart ex-QPR striker Lyndon Dykes after the break.

QPR did come on strong towards the end and went close to winning it in stoppage time when Dykes cleared a Jimmy Dunne header off the line.

But The Valley remains an unhappy hunting ground for Rangers, who have only won once there in the past 39 years.

Charlton, meanwhile, continue to inch away from the drop zone courtesy of a draw which moves them four points above the bottom three before Saturday's fixtures.

The hosts went closest early on and Walsh did well to save Luke Chambers' free-kick at his near post before he made a fantastic point-blank stop with his trailing left leg to deny Coady on the former England man's second Addicks appearance.

Dykes and Sonny Carey each also had a couple of efforts and it was all Charlton.

But Walsh frustrated them almost single-handedly and he touched over a right-foot shot from ex-Ranger Charlie Kelman before foiling another Chambers effort.

Walsh denied Dykes again after the interval, parrying his right-foot volley and Dunne knocked the loose ball behind as the striker tried to pounce on the rebound.

Rangers badly missed their injured 10-goal top scorer Rumarn Burrell but still almost nicked the three points during a rousing finale in stoppage time.

Thomas Kaminski made a fine stop to keep out a Rayan Kolli effort, while Steve Cook and Richard Kone went close with headers before Dykes hacked a Dunne header, deflected off Carey, off the line.

'Their keeper has had man of the match' - reaction

Charlton boss Nathan Jones said:

"We've had some really good chances tonight. It's just a shame that we didn't have that bit of composure or quality to win the game.

"QPR are in good form and have a very experienced back four that know how to defend.

"Their keeper has had man of the match tonight – it shows we have done something right. We were the better side and looked the more dangerous.

"Apart from injury time, I didn't really feel under any pressure. "

Media caption,

Jones:"On balance of play I thought we were excellent."

Queens Park Rangers manager Julien Stephan said:

"We were under pressure in the first half, not under pressure in the second half.

"In the second half we were dominant and finished the game very strongly physically and had the best chance.

"The first half we were too much in between with the first line of pressure and they used a lot of long balls.

"The keeper made a good save from the Rayan Kolli situation. We shot 18 times during the game, more than the opponent. Probably at the end we deserved more than the opponent."

Media caption,

Stéphan:"Two different halves."

Player of the match

Number: 13 J. Walsh
Average rating 7.85
Number: 1 T. Kaminski
Average Rating: 6.72
Number: 99 L. Dykes
Average Rating: 6.63
Number: 5 L. Jones
Average Rating: 6.57
Number: 15 C. Coady
Average Rating: 6.47
Number: 17 A. Bell
Average Rating: 6.44
Number: 19 L. Chambers
Average Rating: 6.36
Number: 44 H. Clarke
Average Rating: 6.20
Number: 10 G. Docherty
Average Rating: 5.93
Number: 2 K. Ramsay
Average Rating: 5.78
Number: 14 S. Carey
Average Rating: 5.70
Number: 23 C. Kelman
Average Rating: 5.41
Number: 7 T. Campbell
Average Rating: 5.39
Number: 8 L. Berry
Average Rating: 5.39
Number: 24 M. Godden
Average Rating: 5.31

After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users.

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