"True supporters” - Exclusive: Lyndon Dykes delivers optimistic QPR survival message | OneFootball

Queens Park Rangers striker Lyndon Dykes believes it's a positive that the relegation battle is so tight at the moment, speaking exclusively to Football League World.

The R's struggled under Gareth Ainsworth throughout his stay at Loftus Road and even though he managed to guide them to survival at the end of last term, he didn't start this season well and was sacked during the latter stages of October.

Marti Cifuentes came in as his replacement, and although his appointment was seen as a bit of a gamble, the West London side have done well under him and currently sit outside of the bottom three.

However, as Cifuentes and Dykes will know better than anyone else, there's still a chunk of the season remaining and the R's could yet be relegated to League One.

Tight relegation battle "gives us hope"

The West Londoners looked dead and buried earlier this season but their upturn in form, as well as the turnaround at Sheffield Wednesday, has dragged the teams above them into the relegation battle.

Indeed, there are now eight teams within five points of each other with 10 games to go, which Dykes believes is a reason for optimism for the R's.

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, via Copybet, he explained: "You can take it as a positive because it’s so close and I don’t think the Championship has been like this ever really," the striker told FLW.

"I think coming to the end of the season, it’s been tough for a lot of teams but you’ve got such a jump at the top - three or four teams winning a lot of games and then there is a massive gap in between.

"Credit to the teams, us and Sheffield Wednesday have been on great runs and that has brought everyone else back into the relegation battle.

"It’s very interesting but it gives us hope and the confidence to get out of where we are. We’ve been disappointed all season, as everyone will say every time they speak, but the reality is that we’re still in the position that we don’t want to be in.

"We’ve still got a long way to go. We’re just focussed on ourselves and I don’t think you can be focussed on anyone else because each week teams are going to drop and other teams are going to rise and stuff like that.

"We’ve just got to be focussed on ourselves and hopefully by the end of the season we can make sure we’re looking down and saying we don’t want to be in that position again because we need to be looking up."

QPR supporters give "extra 5% or 10% that can win you games"

With the owners unable to spend until the summer, one group of people that can help the R's is their supporters, with their backing potentially set to have a major impact on the relegation scrap.

Speaking about their impact, the Scotland international said: "It always helps. I think the crowd, obviously will realise but some people don’t, how much it helps when you’re playing a game and they’re on your side for the whole game. It gives you that extra 5% or 10% that can win you games.

"There is always frustration in football. As players, we understand a lot of it. When things aren’t going well, which is totally understandable but we’re all in it together.

"There’s not one of us here, including myself, that would want to be in the position that we and that we wouldn’t give our all on the pitch and in training for ourselves, for the club, and for the fans.

"A home stadium and the supporters backing you is always a good thing and we need to make sure we keep that up.

"I think recently, with the away support, it’s been really good. True supporters coming away in numbers.

"The Championship is tough for a lot of people because it’s a lot of travel, it’s expensive for people but the numbers have been coming out and it’s definitely recognised by all the players."

QPR can survive with the help of their supporters

The R's have some massive games coming up.

In two of their next three matches, they face fellow relegation competitors Birmingham City and Sheffield Wednesday.

Their game against Plymouth Argyle could also be very important.

One thing is for certain, they will want to secure safety or all but seal their survival by the time they face their last two games of the campaign.

They face Leeds United at home and Coventry City away - and it wouldn't be a surprise to see them lose both matches.

You just feel the next four or five games could determine whether or not they secure survival.