Michael McIndoe emerged from the silence of City's dressing room offering words of defiance in the wake defeat at Loftus Road.

Characteristically forthright, the Scot insisted the Championship play-offs remain an attainable goal for the Robins.

"We still have 18 points to play for and there are sure to be more twists and turns before the season is over," contended the winger.

"It is still mathematically possible for us to finish in the top six and, while that is the case, we will keep on fighting.

"We never give up on anything and we know we still have a chance."

But no amount of talk can disguise the severity of the body blow dealt City's hopes by this latest setback. Down to ninth in the table and five points adrift of sixth-placed Cardiff, who have games in hand, Gary Johnson's team finds itself confronted by an uphill task of Himalayan proportions.

Although enough points are still available to render a late turnaround in fortunes feasible, the likelihood of any such outcome appears increasingly improbable. Six games remain and McIndoe and Co have precious little room for manoeuvre once they return to action following the two-week break for international matches.

A home game against play-off rivals Preston North End – next up on April 4 - offers a much-needed opportunity to make up lost ground, but City almost certainly require a minimum four wins if they are to emulate last season's Wembley odyssey. And judging by the evidence of this debacle, it is difficult to see quite where the next victory is coming from.

Against a Queens Park Rangers side packed full of talented individuals but utterly devoid of a team ethic, the Robins had an opportunity to register their first win at Loftus Road in 32 years and 10 attempts.

If the players realised the importance of this pivotal fixture, they scarcely showed it as they succumbed to uncertain opponents who were there for the taking. In fact, this City side was barely recognisable from the one which ascended from 18th to fourth place in the space of two high-powered months after the turn of the year.

Having put themselves back in contention with an almighty effort, they now appear unable to maintain the intensity of their challenge when it matters most.

They looked to have salvaged a point when McIndoe cancelled out Jordi Lopez's stunning free kick with an equally breathtaking effort of his own 13 minutes from time but, just as they did at Derby earlier in the month, City walked onto a sucker punch moments after restoring parity and went on to lose a game they should have drawn at the very least.

City were level for just four minutes and McIndoe admitted: "That second goal knocked the stuffing out of us. When we equalised, we thought we would go on and win the game.

"It is going to take us a few days to get over this and get the defeat out of our system.

"It's extremely frustrating because, had we taken one of our chances earlier in the game, it could have been a completely different story."

City had good reason to be upset with referee Grant Hegley, the Hertfordshire official who dismissed vehement claims for a penalty when, first Dele Adebola, and then Nicky Maynard, appeared to have a strong case.

But there were no mitigating circumstances when Maynard seized upon Adebola's flicked header to prise open the Rangers defence, only to lift his shot over the cross bar from 15 yards with just keeper Radek Cerny to beat. A goal at that stage might have cowed opponents who boasted a meagre record of one win in 10 games and were visibly short of confidence.

Maynard's miss proved a turning point. Thereafter, the visitors fell into the trap of pumping long balls forward in a one-dimensional quest to negate the effects of a playing surface better-suited to the cultivation of potatoes, while Rangers grew in confidence.

A hitherto sterile affair burst into life on 65 minutes, Jamie McCombe wrestling Samuel Di Carmine to the ground and conceding a free kick which Lopez curled brilliantly past City's helpless goalkeeper Adriano Basso from 25 yards.

McCombe was fortunate to escape censure after appearing to knee Di Carmine in the face while he was still on the floor.

No matter. City were level soon afterwards, Ivan Sproule delivering a superb cross from the right and McIndoe beating Cerny with a sweetly-struck volley which made the net bulge.

But the Scot's sixth goal of the season counted for nothing when substitute Lee Cook and Damien Delaney combined to set-up Moroccan international forward Adel Taarabt, whose finish from close-range gave Basso no hope.

"Conceding like that is hard to take, but we can't really complain," said McIndoe. "We didn't turn up today."

By the time the final whistle sounded, a majority of the hardy 1,300 souls who had made the journey from Bristol must have been wishing they had not turned up either.

QPR (4-5-1): Cerny, Delaney, Connolly (Helguson 61), Ramage, Gorkss, Leigertwood, Lopez, Alberti (Routledge 46), Ephraim, Taarabt, Di Carmine (Cook 73). Subs not used: Mahon, Vine.

Bristol City (4-3-3): Basso, Orr, McAllister, Fontaine, McCombe, McIndoe, Skuse, Sproule (Styvar 86), Johnson (Elliott 86), Adebola, Maynard. Subs not used: Henderson, James Wilson, John.