QPR 1 Burnley 1

But Burnley didn't see the funny side after getting caught with their pants down to throw away an early lead and with it two precious points.

The Clarets looked to be cruising before half time, leading through Chris McCann's stunning early strike and only being denied a second by the agility of Simon Royce.

The Rangers goalkeeper kept his side in the hunt just before the break with two saves, first with a superlative point blank effort when Ade Akinbiyi could not believe he had failed to score and then to deny James O'Connor with another great save.

And the outcome of the game undoubtedly hinged on those closing minutes of the half, which saw a fatal moment of indecision in the Burnley defence allow Gareth Ainsworth to nip in and equalise with the Hoops' first effort on target all afternoon.

Everything after that was merely a prelude to what had gone before, with the Clarets understandably deflated and unable to reach the same heights, while resurgent Rangers huffed and puffed in the second half without ever looking like blowing Burnley's house down.

So 2006 began with only the second draw in 19 games and Burnley anchored in eighth place with a creditable 39 points.

Providing Steve Cotterill's side can maintain their win/loss ratio over the final 18 games, the play-off places should remain tantalisingly within reach until the springtime.

However, should the Clarets fall agonisingly short of the 70-plus points tally generally accepted to be the target then this 90 minutes, along with the festive defeat to Sheffield Wednesday, will be high on the list of reasons why.

Once more in a tighly-packed spell of games, the Burnley boss was forced to make changes.

Striker Gifton Noel-Williams, who had started all three previous festive games, missed out as a result of being 'blinded' during the bruising battle with Wednesday.

Garreth O'Connor, whose late penalty proved a mere consolation against the Owls, stepped up to make his first start in five games while McCann slipped into a five man midfield for his second league start of the campaign and his first since facing Aston Villa in the Carling Cup in October.

And the Irish teenager, who scored his first senior goal a month earlier, showed lightning-quick feet that would have put Michael Flatley to shame to get the Clarets off to a flyer in the 10th minute.

McCann instigated the move inside his own half, sidestepping a couple of Rangers players and helping to sweep the ball out to the right where Wade Elliott stepped back inside.

Following a tackle, McCann then pounced on the loose ball and cleverly sent two Hoops' midfielders the wrong way with a side shimmy before measuring a magnificent left-foot curler past Royce and into the bottom right hand corner.

As the visitors dominated, John McGreal came close with a firm header and only a last-ditch intervention by Matthew Rose halted Akinbiyi in his tracks as he bore down on goal from a terrific Garreth O'Connor ball over the top.

While the chances flowed, the Clarets engine room was working tirelessly to restrict Rangers' time and space and things could easily have been looking rosier as McCann tested Royce with a free header from 10 yards out.

But the first turning point of the game came three minutes before half time following the best move of the game.

Rangers were carved apart as Micah Hyde slotted a ball inside the full back for Wade Elliott, who rolled the ball first time across the box to Akinbiyi.

The Championship's top scorer simply had to score from three yards out, but somehow Royce flung himself at the striker's feet to keep the ball the right side of the goal line and an amazing chance had gone.

Almost instantly, Royce compounded Burnley's misery with another smart save from James O'Connor's stooping header.

The goalkeeping Gods were clearly smiling on Rangers and Brian Jensen paid the price in the dying seconds of a half Burnley totally dominated.

There was absolutely no danger when Danny Shittu pumped a long, angled ball deep into enemy territory, but as Jon Harley waited for Jensen to come and collect, the Dane fatally hesitated, was caught in no-man's land and the insushing Gareth Ainsworth rose above the static left back to arc a header into an empty net.

If Burnley were devastated, they hid it well as the second half started and Akinbiyi might even have restored the lead 30 seconds after the break, volleying over the bar as he stretched for a bobbling ball.

But as rejuvenated Rangers, helped by a their six-foot-something substitutions, began to look a more menacing proposition Jensen redeemed himself in spectacular style, arching backwards to fingertip Furlong's powerful header for a corner.

The veteran Rangers striker held his head in his hands at that save, and did so again midway through the half when he got in behind McGreal and Sinclair but could only blaze his shot high and wide as the angle narrowed.

Graham Branch replaced Garreth O'Connor to provide fresh legs for the 20 minutes and he instantly forced a fine save from Royce as the game hung precariously in the balance.

But unlike those sorry-looking streakers, the scales of justice were not about to swing either way.