MARTI Cifuentes has urged his side to “finish on a positive” in their last game of the season at FA Cup semi-finalists Coventry City on Saturday.
The R’s secured their second-tier status for next season with a game to go with their stunning 4-0 win against Leeds United at Loftus Road last Friday.
Automatic promotion and the last play-off place have yet to be decided, while at the other end of the table it is four teams trying to avoid the last relegation place, with Huddersfield Town virtually if not mathematically down.
It looked for a time this season as if the R’s would be lucky to still be in with a chance of survival on the final day after they spent from the ninth to the 33rd match of the season in the bottom three.
When they lost 2-1 at home to Watford in January Cifuentes’ side were five points adrift of safety. But they have won nine and drawn five out of eighteen games since then meaning they are pressure-free this weekend.
“I have seen a huge amount of progress in the team, in our game, team building, and the togetherness that is inside the club,” Cifuentes said.
“There has been a lot of teamwork done behind the scenes, it isn’t all about Marti Cifuentes.
“It is about QPR and we have continued to stick to doing things the QPR way which has been so important in building the foundations to ultimately achieving our target of survival. We need to keep on working to improve in every area.
“We want to finish with a positive afternoon, we always want to improve.
“Although the main target has been achieved, we are against a good side who have done well this season in both the league and the cup, and we will be backed by a sold-out away end once again, so we want to finish with a positive performance and end the season on a high.
“We know that these kinds of games need to find the right type of motivation, but we will never change.”
Meanwhile, Cifuentes paid tribute to 36-year-old winger Albert Adomah who will leave the club after six goals in 129 appearances, including seventeen this season.
He came on as a substitute against Leeds to become the Championship’s all-time leading appearance-maker on 525, one more than former R’s goalkeeper Lee Camp.
Cifuentes said: “He has been a big part behind the scenes and he leaves with our gratitude. He has been hugely helpful to me with his experience.”
