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Smith double has Spiders Well pleased
Queen's Park 3 Elgin City 1
Queen's Park - Parry, McGinn, Meggatt, Little, Brough, Anderson, Watt, McBride, Smith, Longworth, Murray. Subs - Gallacher, Burns, Stewart, Daly, Strain (GK). |
HOMER doesn't need gales and driving rain to put the wind up him on Scottish Cup day. It's always a special occasion for Queen's and with Motherwell waiting to host the winners in the fourth round of the William Hill-sponsored national competition today's replay against Elgin City has taken on an extra edge.By common consent Queen's should have needed no replay to ensure their attendance at Fir Park in January. We drew 1-1 at Borough Briggs last week after Martin McBride levelled from the penalty spot but we had plenty of chances to put the tie to bed. It wasn't by accident that Elgin goalkeeper Zander Clark deservedly won the man of the match award.
The fitness news for Queen's today was good, Craig Smith replacing Mick Daly in the starting X1 being the only change. Sean Burns and Paul Gallacher were both fit again, Adam Strain and Paul Stewart were available after missing out last week because of work commitments and all four were on the bench.
The only new absentee was Gavin Lachlan, ruled out after suffering concussion in the Strollers' midweek victory over St Roch's. He joined injured quartet Tony Quinn, Giuseppe Capuano, Steven Baillie and Michael O'Hara.
City captain Paul Kaczan and striker Craig Frizzel missed out through injury.
It was a dreadful day. The famous Hampden swirl was blowing the incessant rain right up into the posh seats (diddums!) and Homer and that old anorak Gulliver needed paper towels to keep laptop screens dry, windscreen wipers being in short supply. There was a danger the conditions could have an unfair effect on the play but from the start - and a huddle! - Queen's looked to get the ball down and play their way through Elgin.
Chuckie Watt headed just over from a McBride corner in four minutes and then Parry made an excellent save on his backside to turn away with his feet a Duff effort after Elgin's first corner.
But unlike last week at Elgin it was Queen's who opened the scoring, and a fine goal it was in 10 minutes. Murray exchanged passes with full-back Meggatt and then the wee front man took the return on the edge of the box and rattled a low shot wide of Clark and into the net.
Queen's couldn't have wished for a better start and suddenly the weather didn't seem so bad!
Queen's weren't looking too bad, either, and it took a superb clearance from Nicolson to prevent us going 2-0 up. Smith, whose pace hurt Elgin when he came on as a sub at Borough Briggs, beat Niven down the left and cut in and his pinpoint cross was destined for the head of Longworth, six yards out, before Nicolson dived full length to head for a corner.
Queen's also went close from the corner, Brough heading over from McBride's kick.
Smith had the ball in the net in 19 minutes, a fabulous diving header at the near post from Watt's cross, but he was offside.
Queen's had pace to burn up front, with Watt, Smith and Murray eager to run. The secret was how to get them into the game as Elgin sat deep.
Moore was booked for a foul on Longworth 25 minutes in. The rain continued to fall in curtains and Queen's continued to press in search of the second goal they would surely need.
It almost came a minute later. Clark failed to get hold of a McBride shot but the keeper made a wonderful block as Brough connected with the rebound.
Elgin had their best spell of possession so far around the 30-minute mark but Queen's looked under no defensive pressure and other than his early block Parry was having a very quiet match.
Smith's pace won him another opening from a Murray through pass but his shot was weak and Clark saved comfortably.
The rain was now drumming a beat on the Hampden roof. Murray took a dull one from O'Donoghue and McBride's free kick was headed clear for a corner.
Elgin may not have threatened much but they were still a threat. Their top scorer, the appropriately named Gunn, came alive in 40 minutes when a pass put him into the box on the right but as he pulled the trigger Meggatt slid in to get a good block for a corner.
Elgin and Gunn had come alive - as we knew they must at some stage - and Gunn again came close a minute later, driving in from the right and firing in a powerful shot that Parry did well to, well, parry, for a corner.
But no sooner had Homer and Gulliver exchanged "here we go" glances, than Queen's ran up the other end and scored.
To be accurate, it was the all-action Smith who did the running. He fired down the left, burst past Niven along the byeline into the box, then made an angle for himself. Homer was screaming "Longworth, Longworth", the striker being unmarked six yards out, but smith being Smith he fired in a low shot that Clark reached but could not stop going into the net. Brilliantly unpredictable!
Half-time: Queen's Park 2 Elgin 0
With Elgin sending Leslie on for Cameron, we needed just two minutes to see the other side of Smith. He flew clear down the right and into the box - and then passed the ball square, behind Longworth, when he should have taken on the shot. He's never dull.
The rain had eased before the break but it was now back with a vengeance as Elgin went down to 10 men in 55 minutes.
Longworth outpaced Dunn to chase a through ball and keeper Clark left his line and his area in a race with the Queen's striker. Longworth got there first, 30 yards out, knocked the ball to his right and would have been facing an empty goal had Clark not gone straight through him.
A definite red, which ref McDermott flourished after Clark had treatment for his self-inflicted knock.
Longworth was OK, Crooks went off to be replaced by sub keeper Calder, and McBride fired the free kick just wide with the new keeper going down well after the ball had flashed past him.
When Elgin won a corner in 59 minutes, that was the cue for them to send on 6ft 9in striker Millar for McPhee, but the kick was cleared.
The extra man should certainly be in Queen's favour, particularly with their pace, and Murray was first to test Elgin's under-strength line-up with a strong run that ended only when he lost control. Quick thinking by Watt and a quick free kick got Smith haring into the Elgin box in 70 minutes and this time the only thing on his mind was a shot, which Calder blocked for a corner.
Brough almost made it 3-0 with a fine bit of skill, or at least the first part, when he chested down McBride's corner in the box, but the finish over the bar was more reminiscent of a centre half.
Calder then punched a Murray cross over the bar as Queen's continued to press, but Elgin showed they and this cup-tie were far from finished with a goal in 74 minutes.
Beveridge made the opening down the right and his low cross was expertly whipped past Parry by that man Gunn.
Game on, as they say, and Elgin quite naturally had their tails up.
Queen's then made a change, Burns replacing Murray, but things were getting decidedly edgy, with Brough clearing over his own bar in acrobatic fashion and McBride turning a Duff header over.
With Elgin committing men forward, Queen's looked dangerous every time they broke, but the final ball was lacking, as with Watt's attempt in 83 minutes. It was Chuckie's last action, being replaced by Daly.
But Queen's steadied the Good Ship Spider with a third goal in 87 minutes. It was fine play by the intelligent Longworth, bursting inside towards the box, drawing Duff, and then choosing not to shoot but to pass on to the charging Smith, who took a couple of steps before firing low across Calder and in at the keeper's right hand post. A fine finish.
It was Smith's last contribution, being replaced by Stewart, but he had done his work in a great shift.
The same could be said for the rest of the squad. An excellent, well-deserved win. Now bring on the Well!
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