Spiders are 3003 and counting
Queen's Park 3 Annan Athletic 2
Queen's Park - P. Hamilton, Walker, Douglas, Sinclair, Little, Capuano, McBride, Hamilton, Carroll, T. Quinn, R. Holms. Subs: McGinn, Dunlop, Murray, Daly, Black (GK). Annan - Kelly, Muirhead, Macbeth, Townsley, Neilson, Jack, S Sloan, Jardine, Cox, Anson, Bell. Subs - Inglis, Steele, L Sloan, P Storey, C Summersgill (gk). Referee - Craig Charleston.
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Those two excellent performances, plus the weather having given the rest of the division idle match days, have pushed us up the league - leapfrogging today's visitors in the process - and put us within touching distance of the play-off places.
They say it's always better to have the points in the bag and that being the case it is vital that Queen's continue to push on. Three in a row would be very welcome and based on this season's form there is cause for optimism today.
We have yet to beat the SFL's newest arrivals but we played well enough in two meetings this season - a draw at Hampden and narrow defeat at Annan - to have done just that. Add in the fact that Annan's first game this year was last week, and a first team outing in a reserve cup tie on Stenny's
all-weather surface, and you would hope Queen's would be ahead on the match-fitness stakes. Still, no one will take Homer's word for that. Not even Homer.
On the Spiders team front, the good news is that Ricky Little's loan deal from Partick Thistle has been extended to cover the rest of the season.
The bad news is the continued absence through injury of Jamie Brough (knee).
But Frankie Carroll has recovered from an ankle knock and Gardner Speirs named the same 16 from last week.
And news of the long-term crocks is good, with Chuckie Watt almost making the bench and Paul Harkins, Martin Ure and Zander Cowie coming along nicely.
There was a pre-match problem for Annan. Veteran Derek Townsley had been listed on their teamsheet, but he had a problem in the warm-up and Queen's allowed their visitors to replace him with listed sub Peter Watson, and Alan Inglis was added to their bench.
We were 10 minutes in and Homer was yet to make a note. Bright start by Annan considering their
lay-off and Queen's slow to get into their stride, but nothing to get worked up about.
Carroll won a free kick 30 yards out and Sinclair just failed to connect with a header from McBride's free kick and then two quick corners on the right by Hamilton came to nothing. Signs of life, though.
A nice move down the left by McBride and Quinn, whose cross was knocked for a corner otherwise Hamilton was through on the keeper.
Queen's had settled now and were quicker to the ball, although the tempo was still too slow.
Quinn won a good tackle in the centre circle to feed Walker on the right. Holms showed good judgment to move off the defender and pick up his headed clearance but his low shot was comfortable for keeper Kelly.
But 20 minutes in neither keeper had been called upon to get their shorts dirty.
Another Hamilton corner, this time from the left, gave Douglas a chance when Kelly's punch lacked distance, but though the full back swivelled beautifully his shot was blocked.
Kelly was busier now and he had the first save of the match in 21 minutes.
Carroll slipped in Hamilton and from the edge of the box he tried to guide a shot in at the post, only for Kelly to get down well and take it low to his left.
This was better from Queen's and there were claims for a goal in 24 minutes after another Hamilton corner, when a header from Quinn struck a post and looked to have crossed the line before Kelly clawed it out.
Referee Charleston waved away the appeals and the standside linesman certainly looked to be well positioned.
As Gulliver remarked, this was shaping up like a typical QP-Annan game. We're on top but with nothing to show for it.
Douglas tried his hand from a corner on the right, playing it short to Quinn, taking the return, and blasting in a shot which was goalbound before a blue shirt - for such was the Annan strip - deflected it for a corner.
Annan had been little threat so far at the other end but they reminded Queen's they were still a threat with a sustained burst in 37 minutes.
And followers of Queen's will not be surprised to hear that it led to a goal!
Cox started it with a shot deflected for a corner. Little knocked that one behind and after the next was cleared Cox had a powerful drive turned over the bar by keeper Hamilton.
The goal followed the third corner, which looked to have been cleared.
But the ball was picked up by Macbeth, 30 yards out, and he took a touch before sending a deliberate chip over the advanced Hamilton and into the net. A good goal - and hugely against the run of play.
Macbeth! Tragedy! Tell us about it.
Half-time: Queen's Park 0 Annan 1.
The half-time consensus was like so many others this season - if only we could score.
Homer was almost wailing "If only we could defend" after Anson was allowed the freedom of our box a minute after the restart, only for Hamilton to make an excellent block at his feet.
But it was the other Hamilton, the diminutive Chris, who unlocked the Annan defence a minute later to set up the equaliser and banish all Homer's doubts (however momentarily).
He took a pass from Quinn in the box and weaved his way through two tackles. He couldn't get a shot off and his angle was getting tight as he was forced right, but he threaded a lovely pass back through the defence for the unmarked McBride to tap the ball over the line from no more than four yards.
See! That's how easy it is, Queen's! What's the problem?
Referee Charleston missed a blatant handball, but managed to see a foul by Capuano, who was booked.
We were back to the pattern of the first half, with Queen's on top.
So it was inevitable that Annan would score again!
It was a shambles. From our attack they broke down the left after McBride failed to cut out their clearance. Steven Sloan picked it up and was allowed to run and run before firing in a low, less than lethal shot, which keeper Hamilton palmed into the path of Anson, who knocked it into the empty net.
Tragedy? Shakespeare couldn't make it up!
Time then for supersub David Murray, who has scored after coming on in each of his last two games. His goal against Berwick, Homer is reliably informed by Gulliver who is reliably informed by the great Forrest Robertson, was the 3000th home league goal in Queen's Park history. There's a milestone for you, son.
Murray made his entrance in 66 minutes for Holms - and promptly set up an excellent equaliser with his first touch.
The wee striker chased a hopeful ball down the left trailed by two defenders, and cutely turned between them before sending a cutback into the path of the advancing Carroll, who belted a shot high into the far corner.
Great stuff, wee men. Now let's see if you can hold it this time, Queen's.
Hold it! We just went and added to it, didn't we!
That's Queen's for you. Just when you're getting stressed, they stick in a third after 73 minutes.
It was fairly straightforward. Barry Douglas launched a cross into their box and wee Hamilton was clearly barged by goalscorer Macbeth.
Woe was him as referee Charleston pointed to the spot, booked him, and then pointed to the centre circle after Douglas blasted the kick behind Kelly.
That was the cue for the rain, but nothing could dampen the spirits of the Spiders troops. Could it?
Robert Walker was booked for a foul on 79 and Carroll's energetic shift ended with his 83rd minute substitution by Michael Daly.
It wouldn't be Queen's though without a bit of stress for the final minutes and Annan twice went close - with a header by Inglis which sailed just wide and a shot over from Steven Sloan when he was in a great position.
Hamilton should have put Homer out his misery when he raced clear in the last seconds but he saw his shot blocked by keeper Kelly.
No harm done, though, and the referee's final whistle blew immediately.
Magic. And perhaps some anorak out there can tell us the last time Queen's twice came back from a goal behind to win.
Or even the last time they scored three in the one half. Or even the last time McGlennan was on the bell. OK, that last one is too difficult. Keep the faith.
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NEXT GAMEIrn-Bru SFL Division 3 |
SFL Div 3 |
P |
Pts |
| Livingston | 23 | 51 |
| East Stirling | 24 | 47 |
| Forfar Athletic | 23 | 40 |
| Berwick Rangers | 24 | 37 |
| QUEEN'S PARK | 25 | 31 |
| Annan Athletic | 24 | 29 |
| Albion Rovers | 21 | 27 |
| Stranraer | 21 | 23 |
| Elgin City | 23 | 22 |
| Montrose | 24 | 13 |