Dickie continues to impress as QPR beat Bournemouth

As Sweet Caroline sounded out around Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium, the music for the day selected by midfielder Geoff Cameron, Queens Park Rangers arrived for the fixture against Bournemouth in a positive frame of mind.

Charlie Austin’s 51st Rangers goal had secured victory in midweek against rivals Brentford as the Bees’ quest for promotion continues to slide. An unchanged side for the third game in a row also conveyed Mark Warburton’s impression of recent performances.

Phillip Billing had the first opportunity of the game after a kind break of the ball, his lofted shot well saved by Seny Dieng. Bournemouth started the more threatening of either side and Rob Dickie, patrolling the defence as the right of a back three, had to be alert to clear a cross from Adam Smith.

The former Oxford defender has impressed since his move to the London outfit and was vocal in the opening stages of the match. ‘Dicks!’ was soon being shouted in his direction by Austin when the 24-year-old went on a run into the attacking third, the striker using the reference to his surname rather than any expletive towards his teammate.

Shane Long had an opportunity to finish at the other end after a poor decision from Dieng to not come off his line, the Swiss-born ‘keeper recovering by producing a superb save to stop the resulting effort from the Irishman. Long was clearly frustrated by the miss and took out his frustrations on the advertising board behind the goal.

With pressure seemingly converged on Rob Dickie, the centre-back impressed again as he collected the ball, evaded the challenge of Billing and progressed the ball into Dykes in the forward position.

Speaking to the regular QPR press ahead of the game, Dickie’s name was mentioned frequently as one of Rangers’ best performers of the campaign.

He produced a roulette just before half-time when looking to slip away from Lloyd Kelly, referee Darren Bond suitably impressed by the skill to award him a contentious free-kick under challenge from the Bournemouth defender.

Dickie’s ball-playing abilities separated himself from his fellow defenders on a warm Saturday afternoon in West London, with the Wokingham-born centre-half regularly clipping balls into Austin and Dykes to relieve pressure on his team.

His tendency to step into defensive midfield to receive the ball or bypass a sideways pass to dribble up the field is similar to Adam Webster at Brighton and a skill attributed to Harry Maguire particularly during his time at Leicester.

Early in the second period from an Ilias Chair free-kick, Rangers defender Yoann Barbet crashed a header against the bar. At the other end, Smith missed from close range after a low cross inside the penalty area as the score remained goalless.

Whilst praising Dickie’s passing, the distribution from the Bournemouth defence would ultimately be their downfall for the opening goal of the game.

Chris Mepham’s pass into Jefferson Lerma was under hit, which allowed Stefan Johansen to steal in and win the ball. The location of the pass proved critical as Johansen found himself on the edge of the opponent’s box with the goal at his mercy. Under no pressure, the Norwegian finished cooly passed Asmir Begovic to give the home side the advantage.

Due to his presence in the air, Dickie took up a midfield position wide on the halfway line from goal kicks. The defender consistently won these aerial duels as Bournemouth were left with no one to pick him up.

Standing out when watching the game, Dickie’s performance adds merit when looking statistically at his outing. The defender won the most aerial duels in the contest (seven) and also regained the ball nine times against the Cherries.

Rob Dickie @SkyBetChamp stats today for @QPR:

8️⃣5️⃣ touches ?
7️⃣0️⃣ passes ?
5️⃣4️⃣ successful passes ?
5️⃣ clearances ?
9️⃣ times gained possession ?#DominantDickie leading most of the stats for #qprfc today.#coyrs pic.twitter.com/DXBe7D5pQG

— Goodbrand Stats (@StatsChristian) February 20, 2021

Bournemouth would find an equaliser in the 69th minute, with Long atoning for his earlier miss and netting his first goal for the Cherries. Stanislas’ cross to the back post was headed back across goal by Sam Surridge to find Long waiting to turn the ball home from close range.

Dickie, a former England Under-19 international, provided his first fault of day in the 75th minute. With Surridge facing away from the goal, the centre-back bundled him to the ground around 25 yards from goal.

With Stanislas standing over the free-kick, the stadium hushed into an even greater silence than is usually observed at a behind closed doors fixture. Thankfully for Dickie and QPR, the ball rolled through kindly to Dieng after a defection in the wall.

QPR would find the winner on 83 minutes. Two substitutes combined first of all as Macauley Bonne’s flick round the corner found Albert Adomah in space. The Ghanaian collected the ball and delivered early. Evading all in the penalty area, the ball eventually fell to Todd Kane with the right wing-back hitting the ball into the ground and past Begovic to send the few inside Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium into celebration.

Dickie won multiple fouls from the veteran Long as the minutes expired, the on-loan Southampton striker becoming agitated at losing battles with the defender and his team’s imminent loss.

Late on, the defender pinched the ball away from substitute Arnaut Danjuma and led the counter attack for Rangers. Dickie offered himself for a pass again but Adomah opted to cross, a guilt-edged chance missed by Macauley Bonne after Begovic’s poor clearance.

A quick search of Twitter for Rob Dickie’s name quickly conveys the views of QPR fans. Viewed as one of their best signings of recent years, Dickie’s future could be in the top-flight.

The commitment of the defender, combined with his ability on the ball make the Englishman a fan favourite already at Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium.

Warburton’s men currently sit 10 points off the play-offs with expectations of promotion this season minimal. Should they be successful at the top end of the table in the future, the performances of Rob Dickie are sure to prove crucial.

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