JOHNSON GIVEN PAT ON BACK BY O'NEILL

MICHAEL O'Neill refused to take credit for Blackburn's superb start to his reign as manager - a stunning win at QPR which lifted them out of the Championship relegation zone.

- David McIntyre

It was the perfect start for the Northern Ireland manager, who will perform both jobs until the end of the season after this week being handed the task of keeping Rovers in the Championship.

O'Neill inherited a side that were third-bottom of the table, having won just one of their previous ten league matches and only two of their past 16. This result lifted them out of the relegation zone, up to 19th.

He said: "It was a great result. I only arrived yesterday at 11am, so the work was done by Damien Johnson all week. He prepared the team and did a fantastic job."

Mathias Jørgensen scored twice and his attacking partnership with Andri Gudjohsen was a key factor in Rovers' victory.