JUST when Queens Park Rangers could have tiptoed closer to the Coca-Cola Championship play-offs with a dour yet profitable draw last night, they self- destructed at Loftus Road. An 87th-minute penalty from Gary McSheffrey, a rare venture into the Rangers area by any Coventry City player, gave his side a third successive victory and their first away from home this season.

Though Rangers had dominated a scruffy encounter, McSheffrey broke clear and was hauled down by Simon Royce, the goalkeeper. After Royce had been sent off and Jake Cole, his deputy, called from the bench, McSheffrey drove in his ninth goal of the campaign. The outrageous smash-and-grab was complete, extending Coventry’s unbeaten run to four matches and easing their plight near the foot of the table.

“I’m not sure if we deserved that,” Micky Adams, the Coventry manager, conceded. “I’m not sure if either side deserved to take the three points. It was always going to be a midfield scrap but at least we stood firm. Our recent form is not down to Micky Adams or my backroom staff, it’s down to the players. They realised the situation and have given it a real go.”

Coventry, unambitious for most of the match, did not deserve it. Perhaps one point for their resilience, but three? The only bigger surprise was that Ian Holloway, the often volatile Rangers manager, accepted the morale-sapping defeat with startling equanimity.

“That’s the beauty of football,” he said. “Not always the best team wins. Micky will be laughing all the way back to Coventry.”

Rangers could have moved to within three points of the play-offs with a win yet, apart from an early header from Gareth Ainsworth, hardly tested Martin Fulop. Coventry would have stayed five points off the relegation zone with a defeat yet, thanks to McSheffrey’s late strike, they maintained their improvement.

Natural justice did not prevail but, then, the Championship has proved remarkably unpredictable this season. “OK, maybe we did get a little lucky break,” Adams said, before laughing all the way back to Coventry.

QUEENS PARK RANGERS (4-4-2): S Royce — M Bignot, I Evatt, D Shittu, L Dyer — G Ainsworth (sub: J Cole, 87min), M Rowlands, M Bean (sub: L Cook, 67), R Langley — G Santos (sub: M Bircham, 81), S Moore. Substitutes not used: M Milanese, M Rose, Booked: Rowlands, Santos. Sent off: Royce.

COVENTRY CITY (4-4-2): M Fulop — A Whing, R Shaw, R Page, R Duffy — A Morrell (sub: A Impey, 61), I Osbourne, M Doyle, G McSheffrey (sub: C Jorgensen, 90) — D Adebola (sub: J Scowcroft, 76), D Hutchison. Substitutes not used: C Ince, K Thornton. Booked: McSheffrey, Adebola.

Referee: U Rennie.