SECURING a place at Queens Park Rangers is the number one priority for former Swindon Town loanee Michael Doughty rather than a return to the County Ground this summer.

While the 23-year-old has not completely ruled out playing for Swindon again, having savoured one of his most enjoyable spells as a professional, forcing his way into the starting XI at Loftus Road will be his main goal this pre-season.

Doughty made a brief return to Wiltshire on Sunday as he joined Hamish Marshall and Jon Lewis at a charity cricket game held at Swindon Cricket Club’s County Ground.

Doughty, who made 20 appearances for Town last season, scoring five times, scored just three runs on Sunday as he saw out the last three overs with Marshall as they set a target of 173.

However, he will soon be trading in the pads for his boots with training starting next week and hopes that he can secure regular football under Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink in the Championship.

“Whilst I am still contracted to QPR, which is for the foreseeable future, my ultimate aim is to play for them because I am an ambitious person and I want to play at the highest level that I can,” he told the Adver.

“Hopefully QPR will give me an opportunity to do that, I need to work hard to obtain that opportunity and that is my primary focus right now.

“If you try and look too far afield at different things, then you don’t focus on what is important, which is right now.

“For me, I want to find a home permanently. I see QPR as that. I have been there since I was 13 and have played some games in the first team and feel like I am capable of doing that more regularly and it is sometimes circumstances, it is sometimes a bit of luck, and it is down to me.

“I have an opportunity now to go and hopefully cement my place in that team.”