SOMEONE clearly forgot to tell Town's players that strike action is not scheduled until next Saturday as Roy Evans' men suffered a terrible trouncing by a rampant Rangers side.

It certainly looked as though the men in red were withholding their services during the first half at Loftus Road as the home side ran riot.

The match was as good as over with only eight minutes on the clock.

Doudou and Burgess rifled home for Rangers, leaving Town to face a mountain they never looked conquering.

Shaky at the back and desperately lacking creativity in midfield and on the flanks, it was another evening where you felt the game could have gone on until midnight without Town ever scoring.

Giuliano Grazioli was sacrificed as Roy Evans chose to try and trouble the QPR defence with the pace of Eric Sabin and Danny Invincible.

The pair worked extremely hard but poor service and Invincible's mediocre first touch meant the evening was something of a stroll for the home defenders.

The fact that QPR boasted players named Doudou and Shittu caused the odd snigger among the travelling Wiltshire army, and cynics joked that both men's names adequately summed up Town's first half efforts.

Roy Evans had warned his players that they must start quickly but it was Rangers, fuelled by the desire to erase Sunday's FA Cup drubbing at Swansea, who made the explosive start.

Bart Griemink was forced to turn a shot from Oliver Burgess around his left post with just 90 seconds on the clock.

Town failed to heed the warning and just two minutes and 25 seconds into the match, the home side made the breakthrough.

Former Monaco striker Ebeli Doudou, a player actually bought by supporters, latched on to Kevin Gallen's through ball and buried a 12-yard shot past Griemink into his bottom right hand corner.

The visitors were still coming to terms with the shock of falling behind when Ian Holloway's men struck again.

Doudou and Gallen combined on the left and as the ball was floated into the area, Steve Palmer's close range strike was brilliantly kept out by Griemink. Sadly for Town, the ball dropped invitingly for Oliver Burgess who lashed home Rangers' second.

With Town in tatters, Chris Warren went desperately close to making it 3-0 after 15 minutes but his well-struck free kick drifted just wide of Griemink's left post.

Town forced a couple of corners just past the quarter hour mark but in keeping with their evening, both came to nothing.

Gallen thrashed a shot straight at Griemink on 25 minutes, with Doudou turning provider on this occasion.

Ruddock's challenge on Gallen led to some verbal sparring between the Town player-coach and the QPR boss as the visitors grew visibly frustrated.

Matt Hewlett saw his 28th minute strike blocked by Matthew Rose on the edge of the box but Town's first real effort on goal came four minutes later, Invincible swivelling on the edge of the box before arrowing a shot over the bar.

But just when it seemed Town might make it to the interval with only a two-goal deficit, Rangers struck again.

Returning hero Gallen capped an impressive return by thumping in a half volley after shaking off the Town defence.

His 36th minute goal extinguished Town's flickering hopes of a comeback and it was no more than the home side deserved.

Deep in stoppage time, Sabin climbed high in the QPR box and nodded the ball down to Duke. Sadly for Town, the Scotsman cracked his shot just wide of Fraser Digby's right post.

It was a night to remember for the former Town hero. Given a tremendous reception by the Town fans, he was rarely troubled and barely had to dirty his gloves.

Evans clearly read the riot act at half time and Town came out to put on a better show in the second half. But Rangers eased off the gas and the visitors still lacked any real cutting edge.

Invincible weaved his way into the box in the 52nd minute but found himself swamped by three QPR players before he could shoot.

That was the story of the night. The home side were a yard quicker to every ball and always seemed to have an extra man.

Evans replaced Sabin with Grazioli but still Town failed to sparkle in the final third.

It said much for the visitors that the best chance of the half fell to Mark Robinson, but the right back could not find the necessary power to beat Digby from a tight angle.

Ruddock was well off target with a 35-yard shot and then headed over from a Wayne Carlisle cross in the 72nd minute as Town desperately strived for at least a consolation.

Grazioli finally forced Digby to break sweat with an 82nd minute half volley but it was Rangers who had the final say.

Substitute Andy Thomson slipped the ball under Griemink in injury time to complete the rout.