THE last time QPR were at Roots Hall – they were caned 5-0.

One Gary Hooper was a non-used Southend sub that night in February 2007 and he won’t feature for Rs either after choosing Premier League Norwich instead of a life at Loftus Road.

However, a Hoops side pretty close to the one that will face Sheffield Wednesday next week, and augmented by second-half subs, had a reasonable canter even given a couple of near things from the League Two team.

Rangers got away with it after five minutes when Ben Coker was upended by Yun-Suk Young inside the box on the right only for the referee to give it just outside.

But a bit later Blues committed the cardinal sin of letting Shaun Wright-Phillips gallop away down the left unmarked.

Luke Prosser who tried to play Wright-Phillips offside then toe-poked inadvertently into the path of Andy Johnson who made no mistake for 1-0 at the back post.

The rub of the Green – that’s the keeper – went Rangers way again when their keeper’s weak punch was met with a piledriver from Freddie Eastwood, the one survivor on either side from five years ago, that smashed an Rs head and away out of harm.

Rob Green saw red when a Ryan Leonard cross missed the head of Barry Corr but hit Clint Hill’s square on as the stunned defender watched it fly into the net from six yards.

Rs were ahead for the second time seconds into the second half when sub Stephane Mbia, believed to be out of Harry Redknapp’s plans, gave the manager food for thought by climbing highest at the back post to head home a perfectly weighted corner from Junior Hoilett.

Triallist Conor Clifford then did himself no harm with a dipping half-volley Green turned over.

But there was vaguely a whiff of the repeat that saw Rangers flirt with relegation in 2007.

Indeed, though missing most of the so-called ‘stars’ from their ill-fated Premier League campaign, bookies have decided the squad are 6-1 favourites to return to the top flight.

The comfortable victory was rubber-stamped when Nedum Onuoha stole in to smash home a low volley from another Hoilett centre four minutes from time.

QPR: Green; Simpson, Hill, Onuoha, Yun-Suk Young (Dunne); Wright-Phillips, Granero (Mbia 46), Henry (Sutherland), Hoilett; Johnson, Zamora; subs: Hitchcock, Sharif, Harriman, Lennox