WHILE Queens Park Rangers fans will contest their side won by a Furlong, Cherries followers will argue the winning distance was the narrowest of short heads.

Although Paul Furlong's second-half header earned the Loftus Road outfit all three points following an absorbing encounter, it took a photo- finish to separate these two sides.

Rangers were understandably installed as the bookies' odds-on favourites to prevail after hammering Blackpool 5-0 in their Division Two curtain-raiser a fortnight ago.

Ian Holloway's side are also among the frontrunners to clinch promotion this season after being edged out in the Division Two play-off final at the Millennium Stadium in May.

Cherries' chances of chalking up their elusive first win of the season were rated at 11-2, the second highest away win odds of the day behind Leicester who were priced as 8-1 no-hopers to upset the applecart at Chelsea.

And although they were dancing in the streets of West London on Saturday night, the princes of both Kings Road and South Africa Road were certainly given a run for their money by their respective visiting paupers.

Sean O'Driscoll made two tactical changes to the Cherries starting line-up with fit-again Jason Tindall and big Derek Holmes coming in for wide men Wade Elliott and Danny Thomas who were both named on the bench.

The ploy caused QPR no end of problems during the opening period and Holloway was honest enough to admit Cherries' formation had left him flummoxed.

Holloway said: "I think Sean is a very clever tactician. He always makes it very difficult for you and when we saw their team sheet, we weren't quite sure what they were going to do.

"It was very difficult for us to get to grips with their system in the first half and they made it awkward by putting the big man out wide. We've had them watched and they haven't done that before."

Holloway's Hoops made a flying start and after breaking straight from the kick-off, new signing Tony Thorpe took a tumble under a challenge from Karl Broadhurst inside the penalty area, but referee Paul Danson waved away their claims for a spot-kick.

But it was Cherries who created the first goalscoring opportunity when Steve Purches took advantage of a slip by Gino Padula and fired a right-foot volley inches over the crossbar after being set up by Garreth O'Connor.

Furlong, who was guilty of following through on Warren Cummings inside the opening 60 seconds, picked up the game's first caution after just seven minutes when he poleaxed Tindall with a late tackle.

Cherries squandered a glorious chance to take the lead in the 21st minute when Holmes hit the crossbar from close range after he had been teed up by Purches's cut-back from the right following a wonderful team move involving James Hayter and O'Connor.

Purches was again the provider just five minutes later, but his deep cross from the right was just too high for a stretching Holmes who failed to apply the finishing touches at the far post.

Steve Fletcher's left-foot volley from Cummings's centre from the opposite flank lacked venom and failed to seriously test Rangers goalkeeper Chris Day before Holmes followed Furlong into the referee's notebook following his late lunge on Gareth Ainsworth.

Rangers' best chance of the first half fell to Kevin McLeod in the first minute of added time, but his dipping volley just cleared the crossbar before the hosts thought they had taken the lead seconds later.

McLeod was again in the thick of the action when his cross from the left flank was inadvertently turned past Neil Moss by Broadhurst's diving header. However, much to the chagrin of the home supporters and the delight of the travelling contingent, the effort was disallowed for offside.

Rangers players surrounded Danson after he had blown for the half-time whistle, while the official was also subjected to a torrent of boos as he left the pitch for the sanctity of his dressing room.

Cherries were quickly on the attack at the start of the second half, although O'Connor mis-kicked from the edge of the box after Holmes had flicked Cummings's centre into his path.

McLeod again weaved his magic down the left flank and despite tricking his way past two challenges, failed to find a way past Moss at his near post, the Cherries goalkeeper getting down smartly to gather the lively winger's cross.

Moss then pouched a long-range drive from Martin Rowlands before the same player tried to claim a corner after his lob had just cleared the post - and Moss's outstretched fingertips, allegedly.

Rangers opened the scoring in the 63rd minute when the impressive McLeod sent over an inch-perfect cross from the left where Furlong was on hand to glance a header past Moss's despairing dive from around six yards.

Cummings, who had been nursing a knock from the first half, was replaced by Elliott in the 67th minute, while local hero Kevin Gallen came on for the disappointing Tony Thorpe.

Cherries went in search of an equaliser, but when O'Connor's free-kick was headed back into the mixer by Tindall, the visitors were conspicuous by their absence and Rangers were allowed to clear.

Browning appealed in vain for a penalty when he went down under a challenge from Rowlands before O'Driscoll sacrificed Holmes and O'Connor for the fresh legs of Feeney and Connell with six minutes remaining.

And just seconds later, O'Driscoll's side went within a whisker of restoring parity when Browning's thumping drive from around 25 yards was tipped on to the crossbar by Day.

Moss pushed away a fierce shot from Gallen as Rangers mounted a counter-attack from Cherries' corner before Rowlands snuffed out the visitors' last hope of salvaging a draw when he stopped Connell forcing his way through in injury time.