"It was like a rugby team trying to run it all the time. Sometimes you just need to kick for position, and we didn't do that.
"Georges Santos tried to pick the ball up off Gino Padula too much. We needed to play it up to the front - we're a good side when we do that."
Holloway admitted the result was a major setback as his team attempt to sneak into the play-offs.
"It's a bitter blow for us," he said.
"We needed to make up some points on Preston and they've now gone three more points ahead of us.
"We outplayed one of the better teams in our division in the first half and yet ended up on the losing side."
Holloway was also incensed by some of the decisions made by referee Lee Probert.
The R's boss joked: "He's from my neck of the woods - and they say 'there's one in every village.'
"I won't be going to his village for a drink I can assure you."