Coventry 0 QPR 1
Rangers moved a step closer to retaining their Championship status, thanks to Jimmy Smith's 53rd minute winner at The Ricoh Arena.
The Chelsea loanee bagged the only goal of the game early in the second half, as the R's did their survival hopes the power of good with a deserved victory against out-of-sorts Coventry City.
Smith scored his first goal in just less than five months of first team football, when he smashed the ball home from close range, after Paul Furlong and Stefan Moore were earlier denied by Andy Marshall.
The R's were terrific value for their victory, with skipper for the day Danny Cullip leading by example at the heart of the visitors' defence and Moore marking his return to the fray with an accomplished display from the left hand side of midfield.
With one eye on the Bank Holiday Monday fixture against Luton Town, John Gregory made wholesale changes to the side which beat Preston four days earlier.
Moore joined Pat Kanyuka, Sampsa Timoska, Furlong and Smith in the starting XI, with Marcus Bignot, Steve Lomas and Marc Nygaard dropping to the bench, and Michael Mancienne and Lee Cook missing out altogether.
On a warm afternoon in the Midlands, the Hoops - buoyed by their three-point return against Preston on Tuesday evening - made a promising start.
Indeed, it was the R's who created the first opportunity of the match on five minutes. Gifted far too much space 25-yards from goal, Adam Bolder smashed a fearsome right footed effort a yard wide of Andy Marshall's left hand post.
Coventry responded in kind though, with first Khalilou Fadiga, and then Elliott Ward, firing efforts on goal.
Fadiga forced Camp to tip the ball round from point blank range on six minutes and from the resultant corner, Ward's downward header was diverted to safety by the outstretched leg of Timoska.
In a free flowing opening , Ainsworth drilled a cross-come-shot agonisingly wide, as both sides made the most of the perfect playing surface at The Ricoh Arena.
The R's had strong appeals for a spot-kick waved away midway through the half, when Jimmy Smith appeared to be bundled to ground inside the box,
Smith seemed convinced there was contact as he got goal-side of Marcus Hall, yet despite vocal appeals from the Rangers bench, referee Mr Miller - on the advice of his assistant - waved play on.
Camp had to be at his agile best to dash from his line on the half hour to deny Michael Misfud, after the Maltese striker evaded the last line of the R's defence.
Having knocked the diminutive forward off his stride with a strong save at his feet, Camp picked himself up to thwart Andrew Whing with the type of challenge a centre-half would be happy with.
Ward was all too often gifted the freedom of the six-yard box from dead-ball situations and when the Sky Blues' skipper met Fadiga's corner kick on 32 minutes, only a poor header prevented him from calling Camp into action for the second time in as many minutes.
Camp thwarted Ward from an acute angle as the half reached its conclusion, before the Derby loanee was in the right place at the right time to tip Mifsud's effort wide on the stroke of half-time.
Rangers began the second half as they started the first, with Furlong just failing to apply the all-important touch to Kanyuka's back post header.
The R's impressive start to the half was rewarded inside seven second half minutes, courtesy of Smith's sixth goal of the campaign.
Furlong seemed destined to fire the R's in front, but when he was thwarted at point-blank range by Marshall, the ball fell to Moore.
Marshall produced yet more heroics to deny him, but he was powerless to thwart Smith, who arrived bang on cue to smash home the rebound from an acute angle.
It was no less than the R's deserved and Smith's celebration in front of the Sky Blues press-box was met with a huge roar by the Rangers faithful in the away end.
Sensing the game was slipping away from his side, Sky Blues gaffer Iain Dowie introduced the gangly Kevin Kyle 20 minutes from time.
But it was Rangers who continued to carve out the better openings, with Ainsworth getting to the by-line 15 minutes from time, only to cross the ball straight into the arms of Marshall with Nygaard waiting to pounce.
Coventry City: Marshall, Whing (McKenzie 54), Hall, Ward, Hughes, Doyle, Adebola, Fadiga, Mifsud (Kyle 70), Hawkins (Page 63), Virgo.
Subs: Steele, Cameron.
Goals:
Bookings: Doyle 68, Virgo 84
Red Cards:
QPR: Camp, Cullip, Bolder (Lomas 71), Ainsworth, Moore, Kanyuka, Stewart, Timoska (Bignot 55), Furlong (Nygaard 63), Blackstock, Smith.
Subs: Cole, Ricketts.
Goals: Smith 52
Bookings: Moore 76, Kanyuka 79
Red Cards:
Referee: P Miller
Attendance: 22, 850 (1, 925)
