QPR boss Mark Warburton insisted there were no excuses for his side’s disappointing weekend defeat to bottom-of-the-table Barnsley which saw their unbeaten run come to an end.

The Hoops had arrived at Oakwell with two wins and a draw from their previous three games and were hoping to continue their impressive charge up the league at one of the division’s favourites for the drop.

And while Luke Amos notched a brace and Ilias Chair scored late on, QPR were vulnerable throughout the encounter and were duly punished 5-3, with 22-year-old Conor Chaplin claiming a hat-trick for the Tykes.

Following defeat, Warburton condemned his side’s display, explaining Barnsley’s strong-willed performance came as no surprise to him.

“You can talk about chances missed and how we could have scored three, four or five more goals, but that’s irrelevant,” the 57-year-old said. “We just weren’t good enough.

“They’ve had some disappointing results of late, but we highlighted the fact they were bottom and would be fighting for their lives, so we knew it was going to be a tough game.

“We were too open, we didn’t win the first contact as we had done in the previous three games and we didn’t pick up the second balls, either. They were just sharper than us. You can’t go away from home and expect to have to score five to get anything out of the match.

“We had a chance to make it three wins from three and make a real statement, but we let ourselves down and that’s really disappointing.”

Despite defeat, Rangers remain just four points off the play-offs and will look to get back to winning ways at home to Charlton on Saturday in their final fixture before Christmas.

Warburton feels it's vital his team respond immediately to their latest setback ahead of a busy festive period, which he believes could be ultimately crucial to his team’s fortunes come the end of the campaign.

He said: “Anyone can get hurt by anyone else in this league and the result at Barnsley has shown that. Now, it’s crucial we recognise that and move on in the right way.

“We want to be pushing on towards the top end of the Championship. Charlton at home is going to be another very tricky game, but we’ve got until Saturday to prepare so we have to make sure we’re ready.

“Everyone’s fighting and that’s the nature of this division, so we need to be on our game throughout the next spell of matches, starting with this weekend at Loftus Road.”