Mark Warburton was left smiling from ear to ear after a debut goal from new signing Jordan Hugill helped QPR start the season with a 2-1 win away at Stoke.

The 56-year-old has ushered in 14 players since taking charge of the Hoops in May and it took striker Hugill less than eight minutes to get himself on the scoresheet.

The West Ham loanee pounced on a looping ball into the box to finish from six yards before last season’s stand out performer Eberechi Eze made sure Sam Clucas’ second-half strike was merely a consolation.

Midfielder Josh Scowen could have made the victory more comfortable had he finished either of the chances that fell to him but Warburton remained pleased with the way his new crop of players approached their season opener.

“I’m delighted – delighted for the players and all of the supporters,” he said.

“The players have worked so hard in pre-season. We’ve brought in 14 new players and they’ve adapted so well, worked so hard and taken on board some good ideas.

“All credit to the players , Stoke is a tough place to come to and to get three points – that’s a tremendous start of us.

“We knew that Stoke were going to press us, so we had to play a little less football than we’d like to.

“We’ve got players who can take care of the football, but today we had to deal with a very tough opponent – they’ve got Premier League players in their squad who are very talented.

“So we had to be mindful of that, respect it and do what we had to do.”

Hugill has struggled for minutes and goals since he made his move from Preston North End to West Ham in 2018 but didn’t have to wait long to open his account for the Rs.

Jack Butland rushed out of his goal to meet Bright Osayi-Samuel only for the ball to fly high into the air and land favourably at the feet of the striker.

And the 27-year-old is hoping to benefit from the attacking style of football that Warburton is trying to instil in his players as they aim to improve on last season’s 19th-placed finish.

“I just tried to get in front of my man and hit the target more than anything and it doesn’t matter how it goes in as long as it goes in,” said Hugill.

“To see it creep in was fantastic and obviously in my first game for the club – it was a moment to remember.

“The gaffer likes to play attacking football so there are going to be chances in the box with people causing havoc so I know that as long as the chances come I will score goals.

“With the preparation we have done we were due a start like that and you could tell by the look on the players’ faces when the final whistle went that they were absolutely knackered.

“To come to a place like Stoke and get all three points in unbelievable and it is a credit to everyone involved in the club.”