QPR's first match of the Italian tour turned into a farce last night after an argument over playing on a plastic pitch
Waddock's scratch team of youth, reserves and coaches were heavily beaten by the local Serie C2 side. The story goes that in the middle of last week the club found out that Sorrento play their home games on a pretty poor quality plastic pitch. Why this information wasn't available beforehand only God knows but the result was Waddock playing a team of youth, trialists and coaches to avoid injury to his first teamers.
So Jake Cole started behind a back four of Bailey, Armel, a trialist called Clayton Fortune and Howell. In midfield one of the Sorrento players lined up in the middle as part of his trial with us alongside Ward. Donnelly and Baidoo played right and left with Czerkas and Jones up front.
Rangers were behind within the first ninety seconds. Sorrento just passed the ball straight through the heart of the defence, Armel and Fortune were all over the place, and their striker slid the ball past Cole in a one on one situation from about twelve yards.
Rangers did settle down after that - Ward, Baidoo and Howell combined reasonably well down the left a couple of times but Jones loked raw and off the pace up front and the makeshift central midfield partnership offered no protection at all to the defence so Sorrento just kept wondering through at will.
The one real positive of the night, apart from the glorious weather, was the performance of Czerkas up front. He looked strong, had a good touch despite the surface and after twenty minutes scored the goal of the game. He collected the ball with his back to goal on the edge of the box, turned his man, shifted the ball out of his feet and hammered it into the top corner. Long may that continue.
Czerkas was mighty close to a second goal as well when he tricked his way past two defenders on the edge of the area and unloaded a cracking shot against the base of the post. Before half time he hit a long range volley over the keeper and off the top of the cross bar as well.
Sadly for the Pole he was let down by the rest of his team mates. The home side scored two goals in two minutes around the half hour mark - both the result of absolutely horrendous defence, the likes of which I've never seen, even at park level. Stefan Bailey was doing a wonderful job at right back - he was basically doing Howell's, Fortune's and Armel's jobs as well as his own but he's only one man!
For the second half Alan McDonald started at centre back and was our best defender on the night. Bailey pushed into midfield alongside Ward and that looked a much more balanced affair offering a little more protection to the defence.
Sorrento sprung Macca's rusty offside trap within two minutes of the restart and rounded Jake Cole to score and shortly after this Czerkas was removed and replaced by what looked like Tony Roberts. With him went all our attacking intent.
Sorrento added a fifth goal ten minutes from time - Jake Cole made two outstanding saves but the third rebound was dispatched much to the young keeper's understandable disgust.
Rangers' only chance of the second half was spurned by Baidoo who poked the ball nervously wide when one on one with the keeper. Cook and Rowlands had a run out late on but all in all this came across as a bit of a waste of time for all concerned and by full time three quarters of the Ragers fans had retreated to the bars of the town centre.
QPR; - Cole 5, Bailey 7, Armel 3, Fortune 2, Howell 4, Donnelly 6, Trialist 4, Ward 6, Baidoo 6, Jones 5, Czerkas 8.
Subs; McDonald 6, Roberts 4, Cook 6, Rowlands 6.