Queens Park Rangers sent a strong reserve side to Church Road for United's latest warm up game and it took the visitors just nine minutes to assert themselves on the game. A neat interchange on the edge of the United area between Patrick Agyemang and Max Ehmer saw the former skip around keeper Lee Harrison's outstretched arm to slide the ball home.

United's first chance came just after the quarter hour mark when a Peter Holmes corner was headed back into the centre at the far post by Adam Bygrave to Pierre Dubois, the strikers minimal touch making it easy for Rangers stopper Elvijs Putnins to gather.

The Championship side were soon knocking on Harrison's door again, a flying Ramone Rose just failed to connect with a Jordan Hibbert centre and then Ehmer and Agyemang combined again only this time a timely Bygrave tackle stopped the Rangers striker from doubling his tally.

Five minutes before the break, quick thinking by Elliott Buchanan saw him pick off a wayward Danny Fitzsimons pass but in trying to switch to his favoured left foot he ran into the solid figure of Damian Stewart and the chance was gone.

The second half was to prove a lot more open as both sides regularly switched players from the bench. The visitors could have doubled their lead shortly after the break when an Ehmer pass saw Agyemang outpace both Tom Cadmore and Ahmed Deen before being denied by Harrison's outstretched leg.

The Agyemang / Ehmer combination was causing all sorts of problems for the home defence and it nearly worked again minutes later when Agyemang played in Ehmer who rounded Harrison only for Cadmore and Bygrave to scramble the ball clear.

It was then United's turn to apply a little pressure. Buchanan picked up a pass from Bradley Pritchard, his lofted effort just clearing the Rangers goal and seconds later a long ball from Lewis Ferrell was superbly brought under control by Dubois who then delayed his shot having been forced wide and Putnins gathered. Putnins was soon in action again as Holmes let rip from 25 yards and the Rangers keeper did well to get both hands to the ball to push it out.

Rangers then went very close to a second as substitute Mike Doughty hit an angled drive from 20 yards that flew just wide of Harrison's far post. A swift move by United on 69 minutes saw Pritchard and Holmes combine to send Ishmael Welsh away on the left, his centre found Buchanan who fired over from just inside the area.

Nine minutes from time saw United hit a deserved equaliser. Emergency striker Matt Ruby won the ball in the middle of the pitch and played it to Buchanan on the left, his lay back to Adam Green saw the defender pick out Dubois in the area who controlled the ball and quickly slotted it past Rangers keeper Niki Bulmer into the far corner.

Report by Kevin Watts.

Photos by Ray Peploe.