QPR manager Mark Warburton says he chose Joe Lumley to play ahead of Seny Dieng in goal in his side's 3-0 win over Coventry City on Friday, because of the latter's international commitments earlier in the week.

Dieng has largely nailed down the number one spot between the posts at QPR this season with a string of impressive performances, but it was Lumley who got the nod for the clash with the Sky Blues.

That is a decision that was vindicated for Warburton, with Lumley going on to make several strong saves as Rangers cruised to a 3-0 win at The Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium.

Now it seems as though the reason behind that alteration, was the travel that Dieng had gone through in the immediate build-up to the game, after being away on international duty with Senegal during the March international break.

Speaking about that selection call after the game, Warburton was quoted by West London Sport as saying: “Seny had an eight-and-a-half-hour flight and got back mid-morning yesterday. We’ve got to look after him.

“Joe has been preparing outstandingly well. I can’t talk highly enough about Joe. He was ready to play and it was the right thing to do."

Indeed, it seems Warburton may now have something of a goalkeeping selection headache on his hands, as he went on to add: “Joe is a top class goalkeeper who has had to watch Seny play very, very well. He’s had to be patient.

"He works tirelessly every day on the training pitch and we saw his quality today. I’ve got no problem using Joe at any time.”

As things stand, Lumley's contract with QPR is set to expire at the end of this season, while Dieng has just over three years remaining on his current deal with the club.

The Verdict

I do think that Warburton made the right decision here.

Given the efforts that Dieng had had to go through even just travelling during the international break, it could have been a risk to use him on Friday, since there may have been some concerns about whether he was fresh enough for it.

Indeed, with Lumley claiming a clean sheet and producing a solid display of his own in the process, it does seem as though that selection call by Warburton paid off here.

It will be interesting now to see how the QPR boss manages the goalkeeping situation between now and the end of the season, particularly with Lumley playing for a new contract beyond the end of the campaign.