AIDY BOOTHROYD defended his decision to name Dan Shittu on the bench yesterday (Saturday).

Shittu helped Watford salvage a point against Cardiff on Boxing Day and many fans expected him to be recalled against his former club.

The mountainous defender, who has not always seen eye to eye with the manager, was eventually summoned into the action at half-time after Matt Jackson struggled to cope with two matches in three days. Jackson was beaten in the air for QPR's second goal and his ageing legs were exposed by the movement of the visiting forwards.

Shittu helped shore things up at the back and once again provided a focal point in attack, lashing home his fifth of the season to give the scoreline some respectability.

"I didn't pick him and that's my job to decide the right team to pick," countered Boothroyd. "I thought Matt Jackson's organisation might have helped. Danny has been out of sorts but then he came on and did very well."

Surprisingly, Boothroyd was not too downcast after a fifth defeat in seven home matches and does not appear to be alarmed as some fans by the manner of his side's performances.

"The attitude, application and what we have worked on in training is all there," he said. "But we expect defensive jobs to be done and they weren't."