| Rarely has a scoreline seemed so harsh and so blunt as the one that flashed up on the screen last night, the news to those who couldn't make the game that Queen's were out of the Scottish Cup, losing by a single goal to Stranraer. To everyone who was there, at least they left with the satisfaction of seeing Queen's Park play their best football in years. Some would say that yesterday surpassed the Championship season in terms of football style, other supporters claim it was as good as anything the great teams of the 80s showed. But the fans and players left Stair Park crushed, feeling as though they've been cursed this season to have almost no luck at all when we need it the most. The crucial blow was dealt with 84 on the clock as Stranraer's Stephen Swift headed the ball past Crawford from a mere matter of yards out. And it was typical of the game and QP's fighting spirit that David Crawford nearly kept the ball out, just failing to push the ball wide and make another wonder save. Indeed, from Crawford all the way down the teamsheet every player did themselves and their club proud, none more so than Paul Harvey, the unanimous player of the day on the bus home and the sponsor's man of the match also, an achievement which earned him a round of applause from both sets of supporters when it was announced over the tannoy. By that time, however, Stranraer were ahead and no amount of free champagne seemed enough to soften what looked to be a very cruel exit from the competition. We were sadly proven right. The players, shattered, had nothing more to give after a game which they dominated for almost the duration, against a side top of the second division. Paul Harvey was back in the side after missing out last week and Damiano Agostini also made his full return to the starting eleven. Billy Stark opted for a 5-3-2 formation with a midfield of Harvey, Kettlewell and Ferry, a trio which ran the show for much of the game. In attack were Ally Graham and Frankie Carroll. It was Queen's who started the best of the two teams forcing Stranraer deep into their own half. It took until the 7th minute, however, for the visitors to hit their first proper shot and it was Paul Harvey who drove in an effort from the right-side forcing a parried save from Stranraer stopper Andy McCondichie. The next incident was not so encouraging as Ally Graham's name was entered into fan favourite (!!) Cammy Melville's little black book for a blatant show of dissent. The home side had to wait until the 13th minute for their first flirt in attack, but Crawford's header from David Graham's cross went well over the bar. A minute later, Alan Jenkins tore through the Queen's midfield, but he was stopped in typical fashion by Damiano Agostini as he powered his shot towards goal. It looked a little dangerous for Queen's during this period and the Spiders had David Crawford to thank for making a great stop with his feet as David Graham, who got away from Reilly and Agostini, was practically one-on-one with the youngster. The midfield battle was proving fierce - but not nearly as dirty as the player's shorts would suggest - and Stuart Kettlewell was warned following a challenge on Swift. Queen's were back up the other end on 23 minutes and Alan Trouten's netbound effort had to be headed away by Henderson. David Crawford then had to be alert to catch a high, looping 40 yard attempt from Derek Wingate. Shaun Molloy was running down the left-wing with typical abandon and he forced the Stranraer defence into making some desperate clearance during the first half. Mark Ferry had the best chance of the game so far to open the scoring on 27 minutes. The midfielder ran down the middle of the Stranraer defence and at the 18-yard line skewed his shot wide with his left foot. McCondichie was not a happy man and he was quick off his line to berate Stranraer's dozing defenders after a fairly major let-off. It was proving to not only be a great cup tie, but also a great football match and Stranraer broke up the park a minute later. John Crawford's low drive didn't beat his QP namesake as the ball hit the sidenetting. Damiano Agostini was harshly spoken to by Cammy Melville for yet another hard-but-fair interception, an example of the whistler's ever loosening grip on the game. On the half-hour, Alan Trouten teed up Paul Harvey for another shot and it was blocked for yet another Queen's corner. Frustratingly, nothing came of it. Stuart Kettlewell had a shot go wide from distance and Carroll won another corner as Queen's piled on the pressure towards the end of the half. Frankie Carroll also drove a ball across the face of goal, but there were no takers. The next incident proved to be one of the most crucial in the entire game as McCondichie defied his own weight by flying through the air to deny Queen's for the second time in the match. Kettlewell hit a looping volley at the edge of the box into what looked to be the top hand corner via a slight deflection, but the Stranraer goalie somehow got across to palm the ball away at the last moment for another corner. With a minute to go until half-time, Kettlewell lined up another shot, and McCondichie was struggling to get down and tip away a far weaker shot than it's predecessor. If games were won on corners, I doubt Stranraer would have bothered to come out for the second-half. No team had found the net, however, at half-time. On 49 minutes, Queen's should have taken the lead. Brilliant play on the right from the tireless Frankie Carroll resulted in a low cross being played into the box, but Ally Graham could only toe the ball wide for a few yards out. In Ally's defence, he was being pressured at the time, so the miss wasn't truly as bad as it sounds. However, it was yet another missed chance to go infront. Queen's were really taking it to Stranraer, who were clearly rattled as Queen's were quicker out the blocks once again. Ally Graham put another shot wide on 53 minutes after a short corner. Stranraer had a few fleeting chances and both Graham and Gaughan had speculative drives go wide. The real wasted chance came after an hour as Graham inexplicably crossed the ball to the offside Allan Jenkins when he had time and space to shoot himself. Just how the ball didn't hit the Stranraer net before the hour mark was a total baffler. A Queen's corner was played into a packed penalty area and Derek Wingate contrived to thrash the ball against his own bar with everyone else in the ground looking on, expecting a Queen's goal. The rebound was somehow cleared. It proved to be Stranraer's last real chance before they scored the decisive goal and Kettlewell shot wide from 20 yards, two minutes later. Carroll and Gary McPhee were both legitimately injured (both soldiered on as the pitch resembled a battle-field) but there was nothing concrete about David Graham's swan dive in the penalty area after a Steven Reilly challenge. Melville was quick to spot the acting but failed to book the Stranraer forward. Another Queen's shot, another heart-stopping moment for the home team as Mark Ferry blazed a cracking shot wide of the post with McCondichie a spectator, on 73 minutes. Controversy raged with 15 to go, as Ally Graham was seemingly hauled down when the big man found himself on the unusual territory of the bye-line. McPhee then was booked for a very late tackle on Kettlewell. The veteran then saw another shot go wide after a neat one-two with Frankie Carroll. The Queen's players had put so much into the game at this point that it seemed essential that they win the game on the day. A replay on Tuesday would have been too much for the Spiders. With Harvey in particular running the midfield it looked as though our chance would come, but it was Stranraer who got the goal, in the cruellest moment of the season so far. After David Crawford pulled out a great save on 83 minutes, it was just a minute later that Stranraer scored. With Queen's throwing everything forward, knowing that they had just 6 minutes to win the tie, Stranraer broke up the park. David Graham got to the bye-line on the left side and crossed the ball into Stephen Swift. The defender headed the ball past David Crawford from a few yards out. Damn. The Stranraer players went wild: they knew that they were in the next round. Even if Queen's were to have gotten an equaliser the replay would have had put Stranraer at an advantage with the amateur Queen's players still fatigued. The goal truly took the wind out of Queen's. Billy Stark threw on Brian Felvus for Ally Graham and Gavin Rushford replaced Richard Sinclair, and Queen's won themselves a corner in the last minute. The ball was floated in and an unmarked Felvus headed the ball wide. It was an Ally Graham cross but sadly the youngster could only flick the ball past after a great climb. If only Ally had still been on, eh? The ecstasy of the last-minute goal at Forfar was not to be bettered and after four minutes of injury time, Queen's were out of the cup. The Queen's fans were sad but proud of their team and rightly so. It has been years since they have seen such football being played, if at all. It was a day to remember even if the scoreline was totally forgettable. We've tasted some injustice this season, but often in games where we had only ourselves to blame for not winning. Yesterday was a flawless performance which should have seen us on our way to Somerset Park in the next round. It's not the kind of play that we can replicate every week but if we perform half as well next week we may get a result at Peterhead. |
| Stranraer Queen's Park |
| 1 (Swift) 0 |
| Stranraer: Andrew McCondichie, Stephen Swift, Gary McPhee, Derek Wingate, Murray Henderson, Allan Jenkins, Kevin Finlayson, Kevin Gaughan, Jonathan Crawford ( David Turnbull 61 ), David Graham, Graham Guy. Substitutes Not Used: Stephen Donnachie, Gary McCutcheon, Martin McGinty, Martin McAulay Booked: McPhee Goal: Swift 84 Queen's Park: David Crawford, Alan Trouten, Shaun Molloy, Steven Reilly, Richard Sinclair ( Gavin Rushford 86 ), Damiano Agostini, Stuart Kettlewell, Paul Harvey, Ally Graham ( Brian Felvus 86 ), Frankie Carroll, Mark Ferry. Substitutes Not Used: Brian Blair, Ross Clark, Steven McGovern. Booked: Graham Referee: Cammy Melville Attendance: 484 |