Championship game stopped as officials forced to act after sickening collision left player covered in blood

The 38-year-old goalkeeper suffered severe damage to his face after an accidental collision with his own defender, Steve Cook, during the opening stages of the match.

The sickening incident left Hamer with blood streaming down his face and what appeared to be a badly damaged nose.

Medical staff rushed onto the pitch to treat the stricken goalkeeper, who required tissues stuffed into both nostrils to stem the bleeding.

He also sustained a cut beneath his right eye in the brutal impact.

The collision occurred in the 18th minute when Blackburn's Yuki Ohashi attempted to thread a pass through to Andri Gudjohnsen.

Hamer charged from his goal line to intercept the danger, successfully clearing the threat but crashing into Cook in the process.

Play was halted for an extended period whilst medical personnel attended to the injured goalkeeper.

Despite the severity of his injuries, Hamer managed to leave the field under his own power, though the extent of the damage was evident to all watching.

Paul Nardi came on as his replacement, with QPR posting on social media: "Speedy recovery, Ben."

Despite losing their goalkeeper so early, Rangers showed remarkable determination to stay in the match.

Replacement keeper Paul Nardi produced crucial saves, denying Andri Gudjohnsen when the Icelandic striker looked certain to score.

The visitors' persistence paid dividends when Paul Smyth rose to meet Ilias Chair's cross and powered home a header to give QPR the lead.

Chair nearly doubled the advantage moments later, but his volley was kept out by a combination of Aynsley Pears and the post.

Rangers held firm through the closing stages to claim all three points at Ewood Park.

The result moved QPR into the upper reaches of the Championship standings, marking an impressive recovery from their early-season struggles.

For Hamer, the injury came in just his second appearance since signing from Sheffield Wednesday during the summer transfer window.

The experienced keeper has accumulated 160 second-tier matches throughout his career, representing clubs including Reading, Charlton, Nottingham Forest and Watford.

His latest setback will sideline him while he recovers from the facial damage sustained in Lancashire.

Meanwhile, Blackburn remain stuck in 18th position, having managed just a single home victory all season.

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