QPR boss Gareth Ainsworth called on his side to repeat last week’s performance against Southampton when they make the trip to Middlesbrough on Saturday.

The R’s lost 2-1 to the promotion favourites at St Mary’s last weekend, with Adam Armstrong netting the winner for Saints after Jack Colback had cancelled out Samuel Edozie’s opener.

It was a third league defeat of the season, with the Hoops sat 19th in the Championship but Ainsworth was adamant that more performances like that will have his side looking up rather than down.

“I can’t stress how pleased I was with the boys,” said Ainsworth.

“[Southampton manager] Russell Martin was very magnanimous afterwards in the press saying QPR deserved something and I think he was correct.

“I think we probably deserved all three points at one stage. We had those chances in front of the away fans who were brilliant. They really got behind the boys and they felt it.

“It was a great performance. The difference after the game was that the boys were devastated, they hadn’t won the game whereas in previous years they would be devastated because they lost a game.

“They [Middlesbrough] are a good side. They have been billed as promotion favourites along with Southampton and Leicester; all I will say is look what we did to Southampton at their place.

“There is no reason why we can’t go up to Middlesbrough and perform exactly the same.

“We are a couple of goals away from winning games. The performances have warranted a few more points than we have got.”

Saturday’s trip to the Riverside will be QPR’s fourth away game from their opening five Championship fixtures due to additional work being done to the Loftus Road pitch.

And Ainsworth drew comparisons to last season’s defeated play-off finalists Coventry City, who experienced similar issues last year, as evidence of why a return to W12 will be so welcome.

“This start has been hard with the away games,” he admitted.

“Looking at Coventry last year and their start, it’s very similar but they went on to do great things and I am positive that we can start winning some games and climbing this table.”

Saturday’s match is the last before next week’s international break, and while Ainsworth is delighted for those R’s players called-up by their countries, he also rued the timing given the momentum building behind his side.

The likes of Lyndon Dykes, Ilias Chair, and Paul Smyth have all been picked by their respective nations and Ainsworth is anxious to get all his players back in one piece ahead of the visit of Sunderland on 16 September.

“I would be pleased to see the break if all my players were here and staying and we could just monitor them but we have about 10 called up,” he said.

“There are a lot called up and we should be proud of that. Playing for your country is such a big thing. I was never lucky enough to do it but I will never stop anyone doing it.

“But please boys come back healthy because we need them.”