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Gabbidon keen to build momentum

Image: Danny Gabbidon: Rangers defender wants them to maintain their defensive strengths

QPR's Danny Gabbidon believes success in the FA Cup could inject fresh impetus into their fight against relegation.

QPR defender hails game-plan despite Newcastle defeat

QPR defender Danny Gabbidon believes success in the FA Cup could inject fresh impetus into their fight against relegation. The Rs will host MK Dons at Loftus Road on Tuesday evening in a replay of their third round tie, which ended in a 1-1 draw the first time around. Mark Hughes' men are third from bottom in the Premier League, and many teams battling against the drop often feel a cup exit will enable them to concentrate on their league form. But Gabbidon wants to see if they can gather momentum from a knockout run and take that into their league campaign. "Cup runs can be a bit of a distraction when you are not doing well in the league but it can also work the other way," he told the club's official website.

Department

"It can act as a springboard to go on a winning run and that is how we are looking at it. We want to put in a good performance and win the game." The Rs were defeated in Hughes' first game in charge at Newcastle, but the former Wales international wants his team to draw the positives out of a negative result. "I thought we were a bit better in every department," he added. "We defended well as a team and created chances. I didn't feel we deserved to lose the game so there were definitely a lot of positives to take from it."
Game-plan
Rangers' defensive prowess was so good that they limited Newcastle to just one shot - which they scored from - and hit the woodwork twice themselves. "It was pleasing to limit Newcastle to one real effort, albeit a costly one," he continued. "Newcastle have been doing really well and they have some strikers who can make it hard for you. "But I thought our shape was good, we had a game-plan and we all knew our roles. "That is how we need to defend in every game."

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