Soccer suicide sinks Spiders

Queen's Park 1 Alloa Athletic 2

Queens Park: Parry, McGinn, Meggatt, Little, Gallacher, Anderson, Watt (Daly), McBride, Smith (Ronald), Longworth, Burns. Subs: Bradley, McVey, Strain(GK). Alloa: Bain, Doyle, Mckinnon, Gordon, Harding, young, Docherty, Ryan Mccord, MaY, Holmes, Cawley. Subs: Ross McCord, McCullagh, Masterton, Winters, McDowall (gk).   Referee - Greig Aitken.

OUR five-game winning streak came to a shuddering halt up at Peterhead last week when by all accounts we should have been out of sight as early as half-time. That's the tale of the Queen's season - the inability to kill off teams, other than Elgin.
Without tempting fate, Homer reckons it would take a collapse of banking proportions to deprive Queen's of a play-off spot.
There are still plenty of games to be played but you would have to say we need a result today against runaway leaders Alloa if Queen's are to retain any illusions about winning the title. Paul Hartley's side are an emphatic 14 points ahead of Queen's, with the Spiders having two games in hand, and what was already the strongest squad in the division - perhaps with the exception of under-performing Peterhead - has been further strengthened during the transfer window.
Alloa beat Peterhead 3-1 in midweek at Recreation Park, but I wouldn't read too much into that. The Blue Toon away form has been very poor and Alloa are the only team in the division unbeaten at home this season. Queen's have lost only once at home, and that was to Alloa in September.
Gardner Speirs has had the comparative luxury of a settled squad for that winning run and the only change today was 17-year-old Conor McVey replacing the injured Tony Quinn on the bench.
James Brough was again missing through work commitments, as was Paul Stewart, while David Murray had failed to get over a hamstring injury. Brough was also missing for that home loss to Alloa, but so, too, were Daryll Meggatt and Davie Anderson so we should have been considerably stronger today.
It was a miserable day, lashing rain and a wind-chill factor that cut to the bone. It had the makings of a good game, though, and on a good-looking pitch.
Prolific scorer May, on loan from St Johnstone, showed his good movement early doors and as we discovered at Alloa, the Wasps were quick on the break.
The first 15 minutes was the usual midfield sparring, with neither keeper being able to warm their hands with some action.
The first incident of note came from slack defending by Queen's, when they stood statuesque claiming offside as Ryan McCord broke into the box. Fortunately for Queen's Parry and McGinn between them managed to bundle the ball for a corner as he prepared to shoot.
Alloa certainly looked on their toes and Queen's were working hard. Longworth got in our first shot, robbing the dithering Harding and getting in a shot that went just wide.
The game was being played at a good pace and after an excellent run by McGinn Bain pulled his dangerous cross out of the air with Hoops lurking.
Gordon had a header wide and then the action raced to the other end. Watt stepped outside Doyle and his whipped cross was not properly headed clear by Gordon and Longworth's header looked like a half-chance as Bain held it high.
But Queen's went behind in 29 minutes with an awful goal, and a suicidal moment from Gallacher. As Alloa pressed, the young centre half was woefully short with a pass-back to Parry, whose attempted clearance was blocked by May but only to Cawley, 12 yards out, and he shot into an empty net. Gift.
Alloa relaxed from then on and Young, main man McCord and Holmes were getting a stranglehold on midfield. May and Cawley were dropping back to link play and the movement kept Queen's stretched.
But Queen's were still a threat and they almost equalised with the best move of the match so far in 37 minutes. Anderson fed Longworth and he played a neat one-two with McGinn, who burst into the box and fired in a fierce shot which Bain did well to block away.
Two minutes later we came even closer, Meggatt firing a free kick through the Alloa wall and Bain seeing it late as he dived full length to divert it away.
But there was further self-inflicted agony for Queen's in 39 minutes - as an own goal put Alloa comfortably ahead.
Burns, for the second time in as many minutes, was muscled out of possession by Doyle and when Alloa broke, McCord played in the full back and his shot was diverted into his own net by Ricky Little as he attempted a sliding clearance.
You couldn't begrudge Alloa the lead but they certainly didn't need our help.

Half-time: Queen's Park 0 Alloa 2

You suspect it would have to be an inspiring half-time team talk from Gardner Speirs for Queen's to take anything from this.
They did restart on the front foot, with Bain doing well to cut out a dangerous cross by McBride and Longworth just failing to guide on target his header from Burns' cross.
Harding was booked for body-checking Watt but in truth the Alloa defence were having a comfortable afternoon.
Bain had been their most active defender and he again did well to paw away a Meggatt piledriver from 30 yards in 58 minutes and then a minute later held a low drive by Watt.
Alloa were in a comfort zone and nothing was happening for Queen's. Gardner Speirs changed it by sending on Ronald and Daly for Smith and Watt.
Bain had another fine save from McBride and then the otherwise excellent McCord had an off the ball stamp on Anderson which the ref, and the linesman two yards away, appeared to miss.
Queen's desperately needed a spark and the lively Ronald tried to provide it with a fine run and cross that was headed over his own bar by Gordon.
Burns rose to meet the corner but headed over.
Cawley went off to be replaced by veteran Robbie Winters and six minutes from time Queen's got a life line with a goal.
It was a sweeping move from the right, with the ever-excellent Anderson feeding Longwerth and his nice inside pass being turned behind the advancing Bain by Daly. But it was too little much too late for Queen's and the final talker was Little booked for a nothing challenge on Winters.