Over the few years we've been traipsing up to Elgin, this fixture has tended to produce fireworks of one kind or another, and this one was no exception. Queen's seemed to be on their way quietly to three hard-earned points when the red clouds descended. First Richard Sinclair made the long, lonely walk to the dressing room, to be followed by Mark Ferry. Cue the last scenes of the Alamo, but unlike the movie, the good guys held on for victory - at a price. More suspensions, more players unavailable - and more headaches for the gaffer. But it had all started so well. We recovered from the shock of not seeing Mick Dunlop's name on the teamsheet because of a touch of flu to fly out of the traps. Molloy took Mick's place on the left-hand side, with Stuart Kettlewell on the other side of Agostini, Sinclair and Reilly. Ferry returned to the middle of the park with Canning and Quinn, while Weatherston and Carroll carried the goal threat. And it didn't take long for the threat to materialise. With less than 15 minutes on the clock we were ahead with a trademark QP goal. Weatherston broke down the right; his cross was touched on by Carroll - and Mark Ferry had the freedom of the Highlands to fire firmly past the helpless Renton. Far from providing us with the perfect springboard for more goals, however, the early strike fired up the opposition. They began to call the shots and got the equaliser they just about deserved when DC came for the ball, and came off second best - Charlesworth nipping in ahead of him to nod home. Elgin were on the front foot now, but Billy Stark saw the danger and took action. Reilly was pushed slightly further forward and with an extra man in the midfield area, we started to enjoy more possession. It paid off right on the interval with another lightning break down the right and this time it was Canning who turned the cross into the net with glee. Two-one at half-time, but few could have foreseen the drama that lay ahead. It kicked off with around 25 minutes still to play when Richard Sinclair collected a second yellow card. His first had been of the silly variety as he bumped the ball into the ground after being harshly penalised. His second card was undoubtedly of the scarcely deserved variety. His boot may have been a tad high, but the Elgin attacker had his head down as well. Possibly a foul; if you're really in a bad mood, it could have been marginally dangerous ... but enough to justify a sending off? You know I would never criticise a match official, but there weren't too many of the Spiders persuasion in the ground who agreed with his interpretation of the situation. Holding out with 10 men would be a challenge, it soon became a real mountain when Mark Ferry was dismissed. He got booked for suggesting we should have had a penalty, and then saw red when he suggested Mr Freeland's decision wasn't the best. Now we were down to nine men and there was still more than enough time to lose our slender lead. However, helped by some seriously committed defending, a great work ethic, and an uninspired home attack, Queen's kept the door shut and greeted the final whistle with real delight. The downside of a tremendous victory is of course the two red cards. That's us now had four players dismissed in our last three league games. Despite the Brannigan-like statistic, we're not a dirty side, but we will have to keep our noses clean for the next few games or we'll end up in real bother. Still that's for the future, now all roads lead to Firs Park and the Challenge Cup. Shire will be a sterner test than they were last year, but we have the skills to pass the examination. This season is already carrying all the hallmarks of the typical QP rollercoaster; let's just sit back and enjoy the ride.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
.jpg)
.jpg)