A win was what Queens Park Rangers, bottom of the Championship, required. In the end a point against Stoke was something to still embrace, particularly after an agonising first-half miss from the hosts’ struggling centre forward Zan Celar.

Signed in the summer from the Swiss side Lugano, Celar stepped up for a penalty in the 27th minute, this both the perfect opportunity to finally score for his new club and equalise after a thunderous Tom Cannon opener just moments earlier. Fifteen previous league appearances had brought zilch, but his own fans waited behind the goal, ready to partake in this moment of exultation. Instead Celar shot wide, the visiting support cackling from the other end at his misfortune.