Spiders look good on five-a-day

Queen's Park 5 Montrose 0

Queen's Park: Parry, McGinn, Meggatt, Little, Brough, Anderson, Watt, McBride, Daly, Longworth, Murray. Subs - Burns, Quinn, Smith, Ronald, Strain(GK). Montrose - Andrews, McNally, Brown, Campbell, Smart, Young, McGowan, Winter, Boyle, Johnston, Wood. Subs - Crighton, Crawford, Gordon, Kelly, Wood (gk). Referee - Euan Anderson .

THE 2-1 defeat to Alloa last week was disappointing on many levels. It was only our second home defeat of the season - the Wasps responsible also for the first - we again failed to do ourselves justice against the leaders, and surely it all but put paid to our title hopes.

We are now 14 points behind Alloa with a game in hand. Overhauling such a lead would take an unbeaten run to the end of the season by Queen's (which is entirely possible) and a calamitous collapse by Alloa (which isn't, despite their defeat to Berwick today).

Our best chance of going up was and remains via the play-offs, but there's still work to be done there.
We are six points ahead of fifth-placed Elgin, but they have two games in hand. It would be just like Queen's to leave it until the last game of the season, when the Borough Briggs side will visit Hampden Park.

Homer reckons we'll have our place well sewn up before then. We certainly have the ability.

Despite two comedy goals conceded to Alloa last week we again showed glimpses of that Elgin six-hit form, minus the finishing. The goal we did score was the best of the three, and came when we were on top, but we scored it far too late to make a difference.
Scoring has been our problem - or, more accurately, converting a higher percentage of the many chances we create - but our for and against record is far from being the shabbiest in the league.

It could be worse, we could be in Montrose's position, 12 points worse off.
Today's visitors have been distinctly travel sick this season, having won away just twice, and the Gable Endies have conceded more goals than any other team in the division bar East Stirling.
Their record against Queen's also makes very pleasant reading for Spiders fans - not having won at Hampden since 2005.

Queen's coach Gardner Speirs has had the benefit of selection consistency this season and it got even better today.
David Murray and Tony Quinn, who have been out for a few weeks, were both recovered from injury and James Brough, after missing three games, has finally been released by the polis (his new employers, silly!).
Brough came back into the starting X1 at the expense of Paul Gallacher, Michael Daly replaced Craig Smith, and Murray started on the left wing in place of Craig Smith. Quinno was on the bench, with Gallacher and young Conor McVey dropping out of the 16.
It was a lovely day for football, dry, calm and surprisingly mild considering nature's recent offerings in these parts.
And Queen's made the most of the excellent conditions with a bright start and a quick-fire goal in four minutes.
The excellent Anderson won a challenge, beat a man with a neat flick, and found Longworth on the edge of the box. The striker took a touch and fired in a right-foot shot that looked to be beating keeper Andrews before it took a deflection off a defender and settled in the net at his left-hand post.
A super start for Queen's, and just what they needed. And it could have been better a minute later as they attempted to turn the screw, with first Watt and then McBride having net-bound shots charged down.
Murray was eased off the ball as he chased a one-two with Daly into the box and then Montrose showed for the first time when Winter's long-range effort seemed to take Parry by surprise as the Queen's keeper beat it away.
We almost had a unique moment to celebrate in 20 minutes - Davie Anderson's long-awaited first goal for Queen's - but almost wasn't quite enough as his shot from the edge of the box struck McBride and slid wide of a post.
It had been looking worryingly comfortable for Queen's - Homer would feel more comfortable with a couple more goals - and Smart headed over his own bar to clear McGinn's dangerous cross.
Longworth again went close, bursting through the middle to fire wide, but the Queen's urgency seemed to have taken a bit of a dip.
Montrose were trying to push forward more but that was leaving them vulnerable at the back to the Queen's pace, and Murray twice almost squirmed clear on the break.
Winter was booked for a foul on Anderson and then Longworth missed a sitter, completely misjudging his side-footed shot after Watt's run and cross had put the ball on a plate eight yards out.
Longworth should have been enjoying his second hat-trick of the season by now. Daly won a head flick in 42 minutes to send his striking partner clear and off Longworth sprinted, the ball perfectly in control, then he fired wide of Andrews' right-hand post.
Queen's were again making and missing chances at will, Murray this time bursting clear of the defence just before the break but firing well over.
Half-time: Queen's Park 1 Montrose 0
The half-time consensus was that one was never enough and it continued in that vein a minute after the restart as Watt and then Longmuir passed up glorious chances as Queen's started quickly.
But any anxiety was eased four minutes in when Queen's finally made their superiority tell with a second goal.
Murray to his credit won a midfield header, taking a knock in the process. Longworth accepted the knock-on and fed McBride, advancing quickly down the left, and the midfielder made ground into the box before placing a right-foot shot wide of Andrews and in at the keeper's left-hand post.
Daly was clipped by Smart as he went clear but no foul was given, which was the signal for the pair to engage in a spot of chest-to-chest machismo which ended with the Montrose centre half theatrically - and embarrassingly - clutching his face and falling to the deck like a sniper's victim. Homer looks forward to seeing the Oscar-worthy performance on QPTV.
But Daly had the last laugh in 62 minutes when he put Queen's 3-0 up. Watt did all the approach work, getting to the byeline and being allowed all the time in the world to chip the ball over for the unmarked Daly to nod past Andrews from close in.
Daly spoiled his moment with a quick taunt of Smart, which earned him a deserved booking.
Longworth scored four against Elgin three games ago and he could easily have topped that here, his next effort, a low shot from the excellent Watt's delivery, being well blocked low down by the busy Andrews.
Murray had a good run-out for his first game back and he made way for Burns in 72 minutes, the youngster arriving just in time to see Watt flick the ball over a defender and unleash a fine dipping shot which the excellent Andrews tipped over the bar.
Longworth finally was rewarded with a return for his efforts when he knocked in the fourth in 77 minutes. Daly's header put him clear on the box and he guided a shot wide of Andrews.
Queen's then injected a dose of youth and experience when young Owen Ronald and gnarled veteran Tony Quinn came on for the lively Watt and Daly.
Crawford, who had come on for Campbell, was booked for a foul on Longworth, and in 82 minutes Andrews yet again saved Montrose with a fine save from Burns, who had taken a super cross by Ronald on the half-volley with a left-foot shot.
McBride was booked late on, for what Homer knows not, and the last action was Quinn slicing horribly wide after Burns had raced clear.
Or at least Home took that to be the last action. We hadn't figured on Longworth slipping a delicious pass through a square Montrose backline to leave the bold Quinno in a foot race from the halfway line with four visiting defenders.
The old boy kept his head and kept his lead, running out of puff as he reached the area, which seemed the ideal time to fire a right-foot shot low past Andrews for a splendid goal to complete the five-goal rout.
A fine result. But, sorry, Montrose are dreadful.