Wigan 0-1 QPR: Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Gary Caldwell reaction
Saturday 27 August 2016 21:37, UK
QPR manager Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink labelled his side's 1-0 Sky Bet Championship victory at Wigan a "grinder".
Nedum Onuoha's strike within three minutes of the restart was enough to get Rangers back on track after back-to-back defeats against Preston and Barnsley.
Wigan enjoyed the lion's share of the game, but were unable to break through a determined Rangers rearguard and slipped to their second defeat in a row.
"For us it was important we came here and made sure our platform and organisation was right," Hasselbaink admitted.
"We also had to make sure we didn't give a lot away, and made it difficult for them. We knew how they wanted to play, and how dominant they can be.
"I think we pushed them all over the pitch, and at times we could have been better with the ball and calmer with the ball. But overall it was a very solid performance, it was a grinder, and at times a little bit nervous.
"But that is normal away from home. We stayed together as a team and we ground out a good win."
Centre-back Onuoha's winner came from a 20-yard effort that Hasselbaink would have been pleased to convert in his prime.
"Nedum is trying, he's trying to finish," smiled the Dutchman.
"It's a different one for him, because normally it's with the head. We do work on finishing with the centre-halves, but not so much with the feet. We'll take that one as well though."
The win allows Rangers to sign off for the international break with a reasonable return of nine points from their five matches played.
"You always want better, you always want one better," Hasselbaink added.
"Against Preston we didn't deserve anything because we were poor and Preston were better. Against Barnsley we were better, we were unlucky. But I'll take nine points, and we will try to improve."
For Wigan boss Gary Caldwell, it was more disappointment on the back of last weekend's last-gasp 4-3 defeat at Nottingham Forest.
"It's frustrating again," assessed Caldwell.
"I thought we created opportunities, even more so towards the end of the game. We could have switched play better, we could have played in wide areas better, we know they're a team that plays narrow.
"We just didn't exploit that space as much as we would have liked. Again we conceded a poor goal, and we have to learn that clean sheets are going to be the bedrock of our success this season.
"We have to stop conceding poor goals. There were a few positives, we created opportunities, the players gave me everything, they kept going.
"I can't fault the desire, but we have to get better in terms of know-how and playing in the right areas.
