Alex Smithies has said that defensive duo of Nedum Onuoha and James Perch have been a huge miss since being forced out of action for QPR.

Both players are set for lengthy spells on the sidelines due to a torn hamstring and a dislocated knee respectively, and Smithies says that the understandinging he's forged with the defenders is a huge miss while they remain out of action.

Speaking to GetWestLondon, he said: "Sometimes when you get a relationship with a player or a couple of players in the defensive line things become a bit more straight forward.

"The likes of James Perch and Nedum Onuoha, I’ve played the majority of my games at QPR with them so we have a really good understanding which really helps.

"They’ve been a huge miss because I think they both started the season really well. We’ve missed Grant Hall for the whole season so far, and the fans saw last year what a good player he is and how much of an impact he can have, so we’ve been a bit unlucky.

"When all these players come back we’ll have some real strength in depth."