Win is well worth the wait for Queen's

Queen's Park 2 Stranraer 0

Queen's Park - Parry, McGinn, Meggatt, Little, Brough, Gallacher, Smith, Urquhart, Daly, Longworth, Burns. Subs - Bradley, Stewart, Watt, Quinn, Strain (GK). Stranraer - Mitchell, Kane, Noble, Kennedy, McEwen, Aitken, Winter, Murphy, Malcolm, Gallagher, Shepherd. Subs - Moore, McColm, Mitchell, Cochrane, Marshall (gk). Referee - Paul Robertson.

Hampden Park has already seen one long-time hoodoo ended this week, with Scotland's first win over Denmark since Gulliver was a boy. Yes, it was that long ago.
So, what chance Queen's Park starting their SFL Third Division campaign by beating Stranraer today for the first time in the league for 10 years?
Well, they'll have to keep the roof on far better than they did last week at Annan.
Homer reckoned we were fortunate enough to be 2-0 ahead at Galabank, but we little deserved the five-goal humbling that followed.
After our pre-season form and the two cup-ties against First Division Ross County and Hamilton things were looking good. A false dawn, to be sure.

Now we need to recapture the form that saw almost this same squad make the play-offs last season. And we need to show again that good home form.

We'll have to do it meantime without Davie Anderson, last season's player of the year. He is off on holiday and will miss two games, while winger Davie Murray has been struggling to get up to scratch with a hamstring injury.
They were replaced in the starting line-up by the returning Alan Urquhart and Sean Burns, while Jamie Longworth came in at the expense of Ian Watt.
Paul Stewart, who it is hoped will help fill the gap left by Martin McBride's departure to Dumbarton, was available after missing our openers through work commitments and he was on the bench along with evergreen Tony Quinn.
Skipper Richard Sinclair is back from his honeymoon - and looking surprisingly wide-awake - and he trained on Thursday, while Giuseppe Capuano is scheduled to go into hospital for a more detailed examination of his hip injury.
Unlike Wednesday night, Hampden today was bathed in sunshine and there wasn't a drop of rain in sight - yet!
It was an open start, with both teams probing for openings and neither keeper having been threatened in the first 10 minutes.
That changed two minutes later with the first incisive attack of the day - and it was from Queen's.
Longworth took the ball down 20 yards out and backed into a defender before turning and slipping a pass into Daly, on the edge of the box. With his back still to goal he guided the ball on to Burns, who had a snapshot blocked by Kane.
Queen's keeper Parry, in a very vibrant Irn Bru-orange top, hadn't touched the ball after 20 minutes but then neither had his opposite number Mitchell been called upon to earn his pay cheque. Parry, by the way, makes do with expenses.
Queen's were denied claims for a penalty when McGinn's cross in 24 minutes struck an arm and was deflected for a corner. From the flag kick Daly had a header cleared off the line but he was adjudged to have been offside.
There was little goalmouth action in what had become a dour slog-fest. Queen's were trying to get their passing game going but it was painful viewing.
Smith had a half-hearted shot picked up by Mitchell but it was proving difficult to see anything worthy of report.
But that changed and in dramatic fashion after 32 minutes with a clinical strike from Longworth.
The former prolific junior striker is recognised as the best finisher in the squad and he proved it with a classic finish to put Queen's in front.
Meggatt fired in a long free kick from the left which Kennedy headed out. McGinn collected and fed Longworth, just inside the box with his back to goal. He shimmied one way, dipped his shoulder and went the other, to his right, before turning and firing a left foot shot past Mitchell. A striker's goal, no doubt.
It was important for Queen's to keep their shape after scoring, equalisers being notoriously conceded by Queen's in quick time, but we lived on our nerves straight from the restart.
Smith conceded a needless corner and from the short kick Aitken had a shot that Parry did well to palm away but only as far as Malcolm, who thankfully headed wide from a tight angle.
Still, the game needed a goal - and you had to admit Longworth's piece of opportunism was as rare as water in Gulliver's glass - but already the action was more lively for what little there was left of the half.
Half-time: Queen's Park 1 Stranraer 0

Stranraer sent on Moore and Mitchell for Noble and Winter against an unchanged Queen's after the break and three minutes in Queen's were 2-0 ahead for the second game running.
Queen's, shooting into the traditional home end, the west, won a free kick under the main stand. Burns sent over a vicious outswinger which outfoxed the home defence and Daly rose to head past Mitchell.
A great start to the half for Queen's - but Homer vividly remembers last week at Annan!
Moore gave us pause for thought with a header wide but there was no quick storm to weather.
Stranraer, though, had better chances in the next 10 minutes than they had created up to then. Moore again won a header and sent it straight to Parry and then the excellent McGinn nicked the ball off Malcolm's toes when he looked certain to score.
In 66 minutes Stranraer made their last change, McColm replacing Shepherd, and Queen's made their first, sending on Stewart for the impressive young Urquhart.
The talkative and complaining Malcolm was booked for dissent in 75 minutes. No surprise there.
And the striker had a few more words a minute later after sending a free kick over the top from 20 yards after a foot-up foul by Gallacher.
Ricky Little was then booked for offering his opinion of the referee's decision at a corner and from the kick Moore again won the header but sent it well wide at the far post.
In 84 minutes scorer Daly, who had been nursing a knock, was replaced by Tony Quinn.
Brough and Stewart were both called on to clear shots off the line as Stranraer continued to threaten with balls lumped into the box and Queen's were making it difficult for themselves.
With two minutes to go Watt replaced the hard-running Smith but there were no further alarms for the Spiders.
So, a good three points for Queen's and an old bogey well and truly laid to rest. Normal service is resumed. Keep the faith, as that old anorak Gulliver is fond of chirping in Homer's ear..