London (AFP) – Pawel Wszolek scored the only goal of the game as Queens Park Rangers continued to climb up English football’s second-tier Championship table with a 1-0 win at home to Aston Villa on Friday.

Villa were unlucky to see Jack Grelish hit the woodwork while west London club QPR might well have had a penalty before Wszolek scored some seven minutes before half-time.

The Polish winger collected Geoff Cameron’s ball over the top after finding space between two Villa defenders and then struck a powerful shot which went in off the underside of the bar before crossing the line.

The goal secured Rangers’ third consecutive win, as well as the fourth victory and clean sheet of a five-match unbeaten run.

It also took them into seventh place in the table ahead of the bulk of the latest round of Championship matches on Saturday.

Since losing their first four league games under former England manager Steve McClaren — a sequence  which included a 7-1 thrashing at West Brom — QPR have lost just two of their next 11.

Only the top two sides at the end of the regular season are guaranteed promotion to the lucrative Premier League, with the next four teams taking part in a series of play-off matches to determine which club gains the third and last promotion place.