Luton boss Rob Edwards claimed the footballing gods are against his side after they were beaten 2-1 at QPR.
A lucky, deflected goal by Rangers defender Morgan Fox condemned Town to a fourth straight loss.
Last January Edwards was guiding the Hatters to wins over Everton and Brighton to boost their chances of staying in the Premier League.
But 12 months later they are in danger of successive relegations after a 10th consecutive away defeat left them just two points above the Sky Bet Championship drop zone.
“We’ve had some big chances ourselves, but it’s another game sitting here saying the same sort of things,” said Edwards.
“They got a really fortuitous goal. You’re looking up to the heavens at that point. Every week on the road we seem to be getting hit and hit and hit.
“Things have gone against us recently. It just seems the footballing gods are against us.
“The results are not good enough. The players are giving everything, but we are in a results business.”
Certainly Fox did not know much about his second-half winner, after a wayward shot from Ilias Chair deflected off him and flew into the net.
Michael Frey had put Rangers ahead midway through the first half but Mark McGuinness headed Luton level on the stroke of half-time.
McGuinness almost snatched a point at the death with a carbon-copy header from another corner, but it flew agonisingly over the crossbar.
Instead Fox’s lucky strike lifted QPR, who won only one of their first 16 matches this season, up to 13th in the table.
Rangers boss Marti Cifuentes said: “It was an important win for us but I would say despite some challenges and suffering at the end it was deserved.
“We started the game really well, the way we played encouraged me a lot. We took the lead and it was very disappointed to concede that goal before half-time. We know Luton are one of the best teams at set-pieces.
“The goal was a bit lucky but when I look at the chances we created before and after we deserved it. We suffered a bit at the end because we didn’t get the third goal. But it’s credit to the players.
“Now we have to keep going. There is no room for complacency.”
