At times last season teams only had to turn up in order to beat us - the slightest bit of pressure would see us fold like a pack of cards. QPR turned up on Saturday and played well, yet a team put together at a cost of tens of millions could not beat us. They definitely finished the game the stronger of the two teams and could perhaps consider themselves unlucky not to win, but had we lost we could have said the same thing. That's two games against promotion hopefuls we've played, and twice we've been very competitive and not looked out our depth.

Looking at both teams on paper before the game, I think even the most positive of Town fans would have taken a point. Jonathan Hogg missing out through illness was a major blow for us while QPR could boast three full England internationals on their subs bench. Indeed it was those three players (Sean Wright-Phillips, Jermaine Jenas and Bobby Zamora) who came on towards the end of the game and helped create momentum for the hoops, albeit too little too late.

The most obvious obstacle which QPR could not overcome was Town goalkeeper Alex Smithies. He consistently receives criticism from a section of fans but even they couldn't find negatives in his performance on Saturday. He commanded his box well, punched clear a few times from corners, and made a string of excellent saves to keep out an array of attacking talent on display for the Hoops. His quick dash out to deny Wright-Phillips and an acrobatic save minutes later to deny the same player were particularly impressive.

The main aim from a defensive point of view on Saturday will have been to deny QPR's front two of Charlie Austin and Andy Johnson clear-cut opportunities. Austin ran through on goal in the first half only to miscue before hitting the bar with a close-range header in the second - other than those two moments their multi-million pound strikeforce had few opportunities. Joel Lynch looks to be back to the form which saw him gain rave reviews at the start of last season, while Peter Clarke and Anthony Gerrard must also be commended for solid performances.

In similar fashion to the opening day defeat at Forest, we were the masters of our own downfall as a routine high ball into the box was allowed to bounce before Junior Hoilett poked in an opportunistic effort. There were a number of blue and white shirts in the box who could have reacted much quicker but nobody did and QPR were level only minutes after going behind. It's disappointing to gift goals the way we have in our opening two league games but it goes to show that switching off even for a second will be punished at this level.

The positives far outweighed the negative for me on Saturday though and one man I've consistently given stick was perhaps our best performer. Oscar Gobern was a man mountain in midfield at times, winning us the ball and playing it simple to one of the spare midfielders. He competed brilliantly against real quality in the middle of the park and showed me something I hadn't seen in him before. He was still lethargic in possession at times, gifting Hoilett a free run on goal towards the end of the game, but overall his performance definitely deserves highlighting.

Our other two midfielders, Oliver Norwood and Adam Clayton, were unfortunately not able to match Gobern's performance. Neither was awful but consistency couldn't be seen in their games. For every brilliant long range pass Norwood played he would play his next directly to a green shirt, but defensively he gave his best performance in a long time. Clayton drifted in and out of the game and once again struggled to show the killer creative spark needed to play in the more advanced midfield position.

Our last two outings have seen us play in a new 3-5-2 formation; with a back three supported by two wing-backs, a midfield three and two forwards. The back three pick themselves at the minute, as does Alex Smithies behind them. The midfield three will almost certainly be three of Hogg, Gobern, Clayton and Norwood, while Vaughan, Paterson and Stead will compete for the two places up front. The positions which are yet to be claimed are at wing back, where none of the occupants thus far have looked convincing.

If we play with a back four then the full backs are likely to be Hunt or Woods (right) and Dixon or Carroll (left). If wingers are in front of the full backs then they will be one of Hammill, Ward and Scannell. However, the wing-back position is open to any of the aforementioned, meaning seven players are effectively fighting it out for two shirts. Hammill, Ward and Scannell certainly offer the most going forward but all lack defensive awareness, while Woods, Dixon and Carroll offer less of a threat.

Jack Hunt on form would almost certainly be the pick at right wing-back for most Town fans, but he's a long way from his best and looks frankly uninterested currently. Similarly Ward needs to work much harder this season on his fitness, something Robins alluded to in his post-match presser on Saturday. Jake Carroll has potential and Robins is clearly a fan, but he's extremely hesitant going forward and at times halts our progress by needlessly turning back. If we persist with using wing-backs it will be very intriguing to see who comes out on top in the jostle for positions.

It will also be interesting to see if we stick with a 3-5-2 system in our next game away at Millwall. It's not really an attacking system as we look very solid playing it and retain possession very well, but a back four might be preferred by Robins away from home. With Jonathan Stead nearing a return he could replace Martin Patterson who been frustrating his first few games for Town. If we can the ball out wide quicker and get balls into the box, a front two of Vaughan and Stead would give any defence problems.

For now though, Town fans can be content with a very decent start to the season. We've competed very well against two fancied teams and now need to prove that we can beat the teams who will at the other end of the league come May. In order to improve on last season and avoid another tense end to the season we need to not only hold our own against the big boys but also take points from 'winnable' games such as the one at The Den on Saturday. All in all though, there's plenty to be optimistic about at the minute - even if it's cautious optimism!