Sunday Times

Two excellent goalkeepers ensured that this match ended goalless. In the first half, Sheffield United's Paddy Kenny kept the home side at bay and in the second, Rangers' Radek Cerny, the former Tottenham player, defied a series of efforts from the visitors.

When the game began, Sheffield United were in fourth position, QPR in 10th. Their ambitions, consequently, are somewhat different. United's manager, Kevin Blackwell, said afterwards: "Thirteen matches to go" and clearly believed that promotion remained a distinct possibility.

Paulo Sousa, the QPR manager, once such a gifted Portuguese international, looked optimistically to the future. "We want to build for the future," he said, "and the future is the Premier League. And of course next season, we are becoming much much better." Although, he admitted: "It's not an easy moment for us to score goals."

His ambition this season "is to build something solid for next season, to be looking forward to the Premier League. I think this season is starting to get stronger as a team in looking for the first places."

Sousa was fully entitled to lament the loss of the Hungarian playmaker, Akos Buzsaky, one of the most talented footballers in the division but out through injury, as well as Rowan Vine and Martin Rowlands. These three, especially Buzsaky, would surely guarantee greater skill and sophistication.

It was somewhat puzzling, however, to see little Wayne Routledge, who began as a so lively and promising a winger at Crystal Palace but sank out of sight at Tottenham, switched at half-time from the right flank, where he had sparkled, to the left, where he failed and saw little of the ball.

Early in the first half Kenny twice thwarted Dexter Blackstock, first when the striker was far too fast for centre-back Matthew Kilgallon. Two minutes later the goalkeeper - who at one stage had seemed likely to leave the club -turned Blackstock's fierce left-footer from out of the blue away for a corner. By half-time you wondered when United were going to have a shot on goal.

The answer was not too long. On 48 minutes Danny Webber turned the ball back to Nick Montgomery, whose drive was kept out by Cerny. Nine minutes later Montgomery returned the favour to his teammate and Cerny resourcefully saved Webber's shot.

On a playing surface that Blackwell described as hard and difficult, QPR were not as incisive as they had been before the break, although, when Blackstock crossed accurately from the left, Matteo Alberti should have done better than drive high over the Sheffield United bar.

That was on 63 minutes and on 65, Cerny turned behind an attempt by the ever-active Kyle Naughton. With 10 minutes left the Czech keeper saved from almost point-blank range at his left post from substitute Craig Beattie, who had been introduced surprisingly late by Blackwell as United's second striker.

Daily Mirror

Kevin Blackwell hailed Paddy Kenny as the Peter Shilton of the Championship after the keeper's heroics kept Sheffield United on course for the play-offs.

The rotund Yorkshireman always gets stick from the opposition fans and was almost shown the door by Blackwell in December after turning up late for training.

Shilton was Clough's last line of defence when Nottingham Forest upset the odds to win the 1978 title.

Shilts was the supreme athlete but Clough had no qualms about giving a fat lad a game as John Robertson's trickery on the wing helped Forest to two European Cups.

And Blackwell, a former keeper himself, reckoned Cloughie might have been impressed by Kenny's Loftus Road display.

He said: "I remember Brian Clough saying he thought his goalkeepers were worth 10 to 15 points a season so that's why he went and got good ones.

"Goalkeepers are muchmaligned but look at the amount of times a good one gets you points - it's the difference between promotion and relegation sometimes.

"Paddy was first-class. If you are on a run in a promotion season you look back at games where somebody did something out of the ordinary."

Kenny ruined Rangers striker Dexter Blackstock's afternoon with two stunning saves.

Rangers still dream of gate-crashing the play-offs but with no wins in seven and none at home since Christmas the pressure is on boss Paolo Sousa.

Paul Ince is rumoured to be waiting in the wings should Flavio Briatore lose patience again.

But defender Matt Connolly said: "We are all behind the gaffer. There are 10 games to go and if we win seven or eight we will be there."

Daily Mail

Kevin Blackwell looked like a victim of the recession at Loftus Road as he pulled two 20p pieces from his pocket to illustrate the lack of cash available to him at Bramall Lane.

At least the Sheffield United boss has realistic reasons to be hopeful. Later this month the club will learn whether they are going finally to receive £30million in compensation over the Carlos Tevez affair.

Then in the summer, if their form continues, United could be dipping into the Barclays Premier League's trough. Blackwell described that double as 'my dream scenario'.

He added: 'You have to aim high because then if you fall short there is always the chance of going up through the play-offs.'

The goalless draw with Rangers, which extended United's unbeaten run on the road to 13 games, left Blackwell men's fifth in a Championship table compiled from a League in which weekly results follow no logical pattern and an eight-point gap with Birmingham in second place could be closed.

Certainly with Irish goalkeeper Paddy Kenny - the best in the League, claims Blackwell - in brilliant form, United have a defence capable of sustaining a late run towards the Premier League.

The 30-year-old made two early saves from Dexter Blackstock which dampened Rangers' lively start and a third on the hour from the same player when he parried a point-black header. That must have only further dented the confidence of the striker, who has not scored for two months.

And it took some equally good saves by Radek Cerny to keep United at bay but Rangers, for whom the play-offs now represent a fast-fading target, were never as convincing as the visitors.

Rangers have not won at home since December, but manager Paulo Sousa is not feeling the pressure despite Italian owner Flavio Briatore's record of hiring and firing. 'We are in a great, great way,' said Sousa, when asked whether Briatore, who watched the game dressed in a pair of shocking purple slippers, was happy despite the club's lack of progress this season.

'Flavio knows we are stronger than we were one year ago and we are identifying what we need for next season. At the moment we are finding it difficult to score goals but we are more solid defensively.'

Sunday Mirror

The blades extended their club-record run to 13 matches unbeaten on the road-but QPR let themoff thehook as they somehow failed to find the net.

Dexter Blackstock spurned the best chances to give the Hoops their first home win since December, as Paddy Kenny emerged the Blades herowitha defiant display thatearnedglowing praise from manager Kevin Blackwell.

"To break a record that is 120 years old takes some doing, and Paddy pulled off two fine saves," said Blackwell, who is delighted his keeper is staying at Bramall Lane.

"I never wanted him to go anywhere and he's been brilliant for us.

"I rate him as one of the best goalkeepers around and he's the best in the Championship."

There was no doubt Blackwell's men were below their best against a side that has forgotten how to win or score. But it was the visitors' hardworkoff theball that impressed Rangers boss Paulo Sousa.

"They are a very tough team to play against and theyworkhard, especially when they lose the ball," said Sousa, who refuses to throw in the towel in the race for the play-offs but concedes next season is a more realistic bet.

He said: "We have improved in the last year and a half and next season we will be much, much better."

Sousa added he was not feeling the pressure, despite Rangers' Italian owner Flavio Briatore's record of hiring and firing.

"He's a very ambitious person but he knows we are in a good way," he said.

The Yorkshiremen were certainly there for the taking yesterday and Rangers so nearly made the breakthrough on the hour as they squandered two gilt-edged chances.

Seconds after a chaotic scramble that ended with Kaspars Gorkss failing to beat Kenny, the ball was somehow struck over the bar by substitute Matteo Alberti when it looked easier for him to score.

Without a win in seven matches that have yielded just four goals and four points, the Hoops badly neededa lift. And it looked like Blackstock would provide it.

The frontman was too quick for Matt Kilgallon when he outpaced the defenderandtested Paddy Kenny with an early effort.

Then minutes later the Blades keeper had to be at his best to turn wide a more venomous strike by Blackstock.

The Blades, beaten just twice in 19 League matches, did not threaten until the half-hour mark, when Kyle Naughton's free-kick saw Blackstock loop a header on to his own crossbar and Chris Morgan slid the follow up into the side-netting.

But Blackwell's men did have chances to make Rangers pay for their wasteful finishing, with Danny Webber, Naughton and Morgan all going agonisingly close in the second half.