MICHAEL Petrasso made his third start of the season in QPR’s 1-0 defeat at Burnley on Monday afternoon, and the youngster is eager to make himself a more permanent fixture on Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink’s teamsheet.

Petrasso, now 20, joined QPR from Toronto three years ago and following loan spells at Oldham, Coventry, Leyton Orient and Notts County, he is now getting the chance to display his talents in the Rangers first team.

“I have been waiting patiently on the bench, and getting minutes here and there, so it was great to start,” he told www.qpr.co.uk.

“I thought I played well, I had a couple of chances to score and hopefully I can continue from here and get more minutes.”

Petrasso certainly caused a threat down the right flank and had a real confidence in his play, which caught the eye of the travelling QPR supporters.

“My game revolves around dribbling and pace, so I try to take my opportunities when I can in the wide areas and take people on,” he explained. “I will try and stick to that and hopefully I will succeed.

“The gaffer told me before the game to be confident, do what I do in training and try to express myself on the field. Hopefully I did that.”

Victory for the Clarets saw them extend their unbeaten run in the Championship to 23 games and, in doing so, win promotion to the Premier League.

While it was a party atmosphere for the hosts, Petrasso felt QPR had done enough to take something from the game.

CONFIDENT APPROACH: Petrasso impressed at Burnley on Monday

“I thought we deserved a draw or a win,” he said. “We knew it was going to be a tough game but the boys came out and performed well. Obviously in Burnley’s situation they knew the win would get them up, so we knew they would came out firing, but we handled that well.

“Perhaps a fair result would have been a draw so we felt a bit unlucky to lose.”

Petrasso is now targeting more first-team action as he bids to firmly establish himself at Loftus Road.

“I have been involved in and around the team for two or three years now,” he said. “Hopefully I can gain more experience now, get more minutes off the bench and become a regular.

“I am at the stage now where I need to prove myself to be a major contender for a spot in the side.”

The R’s host Bristol City in their final fixture of the season on Saturday, and Petrasso is understandably eager to be involved.

“I am hoping to get another start, particularly as it’s at Loftus Road,” he said. “It would be great to get some more minutes in that one."