PHIL Parkinson refused to blame a dramatic week at Wanderers for a damp squib of a performance against QPR.

By the time Bolton had woken up they were two goals down, and though Josh Magennis’s fourth goal of the season gave a glimmer of hope, they were very much second best on the day.

After all the talk of administration and the death of former owner Eddie Davies, emotions were running high around the University of Bolton Stadium. But Parkinson said events off the pitch had little to do with his team’s inability to cut through a well-drilled QPR side.

“We are not going to make excuses, everything that has happened this week. I just felt we didn’t do enough with the ball. It wasn’t a lack of effort, sharpness or energy levels,” he said.

“Sometimes it is what you do with possession. We had the ball but there was no penetration. We had it, played safe, and in front of them. You need off the ball movement and our wide players need to run in behind without the ball. Craig Noone did it a couple of times in the first half but we needed more.

“They made it tough for us, sat in, and let us have the ball at the back. We had a lot of possession but didn’t do enough with it to create opportunities. When we did we were not clinical enough.

“We could have done better with both goals. We weren’t strong enough in one or two challenges or the final clearance, which led to the goal.

“We were desperate to put in a performance which would have done Eddie Davies proud but it wasn’t to be.”

Wanderers has plenty of possession in the first half but lacked any incisiveness.

QPR, who had been content to sit back and hit on the break, went ahead on 26 minutes when Luke Freeman turned in Nakhi Wells’ cross at the near post.

Sammy Ameobi hobbled off the pitch midway through the half with an ankle problem, later confirmed by Parkinson as ligament damage.

Craig Noone wasted Bolton’s only decent chance of the first half when he placed a shot wide of the post after good work from Ameobi’s replacement, Yanic Wildschut.

Wanderers were again slow to start after the break and QPR were able to add a second. Freeman evaded some powder-puff challenges to cross for Eberechi Eze to nip in ahead of Gary O’Neil to score.

Parkinson threw on Josh Magennis alongside debutant Chris Doidge and the Northern Irishman quickly got his side back into the contest with a low drilled free-kick which embarrassed keeper Joe Lumley.

From there Bolton looked capable of getting an equaliser, particularly when Erhun Oztumer was brought on and the formation shifted to 3-4-2-1.

The midfielder sliced one volley just wide at the bitter end but Wanderers were left nursing a defeat which leaves them 10th in the table heading into two away games at Middlesbrough and Ipswich Town.

QPR boss Steve McClaren was delighted with the victory.

"It is a huge three points,” he said. “We said after the Birmingham game we needed to build on it and we were unlucky not to win that.

"We had to hold on today when we shouldn’t have done. So, I am disappointed in that because we should have been out of sight not holding on.

"We had to be patient in the loan market and we were. The club has been fantastic in bringing in Hemed and Nakhi Wells and that’s changed our team.

"We’ve got seven points from three games which is nothing but we showed we can do everything.

"We can play football, we can compete and work hard and get results away from home which is tough.”