Queens Park Rangers assistant manager Mick Jones has paid tribute to the club's supporters for keeping the players spirits high.

Assistant boss delighted with positive reaction after heavy defeat

Intensity

Queens Park Rangers assistant manager Mick Jones has paid tribute to the club's supporters for keeping the players spirits high. QPR slumped to a 6-0 defeat to local rivals Fulham in their last match before the international break, bringing an end to a run of decent form. However, as the team left the field they received an unexpected standing ovation from more than 3,000 travelling fans. While the heavy loss left the players bitterly disappointed, Jones admits the reaction from the crowd was a pleasant surprise and had a really positive effect in the dressing room. "I have never come off the field at the end of a bad result like that and seen our fans give us a standing ovation. Ever. That tells me that they believe there is something right about this football club," Jones told QPR's. "To lose 6-0 hurts everybody. But the fans served as a great motivation afterwards - and it was spoken about in the dressing room. "Neil picked up on it. When we left the pitch on Sunday, it was as though we had won the game. The support behind that goal was incredible. "Under normal circumstances, we would expect to be booed off for a result like that. But I think our fans recognise what they have been through and what they are going to go through in the future is like chalk and cheese."Jones also believes that, despite the result, there were positives to take from the way the players kept battling until the final whistle. "What our fans will have noticed is that no player chucked the towel in. A 6-0 scoreline would suggest that, but they didn't," Jones stated. "They saw DJ Campbell come on and be all over the place, Shaun Wright-Phillips was everywhere, and Joey Barton's stats from that game were incredible. "His high-intensity work-rate towards the end of the game was as good as it was at the start. That shows you he didn't chuck the towel in. "You get a good feeling from that." Jones recognises that the supporters managed to remain upbeat because the club have made such progress on and off the pitch in recent times. "They're aware that it has been 15 years since they were in this position," he added. "They are aware of the past and they are aware of the future. "Tony Fernandes coming in, and Amit Bhatia returning, has given the fans inspiration. And it has given Neil and me inspiration. It's rejuvenated the way we are. "But, after all that, you still need a motivation behind you and that reaction from our fans on Sunday is all the motivation we need to keep going and bring this club success."