The pressure on Birmingham boss Trevor Francis is to win promotion, while Gerry Francis' side's form last season means that a play-off challenge is expected in west London. And on this evidence both sides are still short of ideas, especially in attack, and will have to improve in the months to come.

Rangers too often failed to resist the temptation to aim for big striker Peter Crouch, picked up for a song from Tottenham. They found plenty of room down the flanks, as Birmingham's tactical Achilles heel against teams that play wing-backs looked evident again in the first-half.

Ian Baraclough down the left and Jermaine Darlington on the right were finding too much space, yet their crosses were always magnetised towards Bennett and David Holdsworth rather than the totem Crouch.

It was Baraclough who squandered the first of three chances made by the evergreen Gavin Peacock in the opening 15 minutes - the Hoops' best period. His 14th minute effort fizzed wide from 20 yards.

Clarke Carlisle was another debutant and his performance in the R's defence must have had the Loftus Road fans drooling of the season to come. Carlisle, a £250,000 buy from Blackpool, looked a snip as he won headers, tackles, loose balls and found passes to team-mates.

In the hot sun Birmingham record buy Geoff Horsfield was making little headway against Carlisle and Karl Ready. Horsfield was later booked and was lucky not to be sent off for an assault on the blond former Welsh international, and this strong bustling striker certainly has the aggressive streak that Birmingham's attack has missed in the last few years.

In the second half the game picked up with Birmingham the quickest out of the blocks. Four minutes in, a Martin Grainger's whipped-in right-wing corner found the unlikely figure of Peter Ndlovu whose glancing flick at the near post was cleared off the line by Gavin Peacock.

Two minutes later Danny Sonner, on his debut, fired a great effort from 25 yards low to Harper's left as it seemed that Birmingham would take command.

But then Rangers seized the initiaive, Crouch finally attracting a Darlington cross to nod just over while Michael Johnson had to time his tackle perfectly to deny Chris Kiwomya from six yards in the 65th minute.

It was the transfer-listed Ndlovu, who nearly went to Nottingham Forest last week, that was the greatest threat in the Blues defence. He turned Darlington inside out before firing a great cross that just evaded Horsfield, who looked a yard short of pace at this early stage of the season.

With 15 minutes remaining former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Sonner nearly gifted Richard Langley a goal with a poor defensive header but the shot was straight at Bennett. That summed up a poor afternoon's fare.

Dean Gripton - Sky Sports.