A draw would have been a fair reflection of how this game turned out, but Queen's let themselves down again against none too impressive opponents. A goal just before half-time settled matters, and despite controlling most of the play during the second half, Queen's were unable to find an equaliser. There were several near misses, but on the whole the side lacked inventiveness. John Gemmell worked hard up front as usual, but his touch let him down. Allan Dunning only lasted 45 minutes before being replaced by Willie Martin. The team ran out of ideas in the end, and I am sure that they will be keen for the commitee to install a new coach soon; the more time working with him for the rest of the season the better.
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29 Nov Flu bug may cause selection problems
A flu virus has affected several key players ahead of tomorrow's home match against Stirling Albion. Danny Ferry, Allan Dunning, Brendan Crozier and Steven Canning are all doubtful, however some of that quartet may be fit for a place in the match squad. James White is definitely out, having broken a bone in his foot during the Strollers's 1-1 draw with Hamilton on Tuesday at Lesser Hampden. Craig Taggart, Chris Fisher, David Menelaws and John Gallagher are all still unavailable.
Stirling visit Hampden tomorrow looking for their first win there in 17 years. That was a 2-1 win in a League Cup first round tie in August 1985. Only 350 were present.
28 Nov Queen's Park v. Stirling Albion
Paul Martin will take charge for the second time as the Queen's Park committee continue their search for a new head coach. Martin has declined to apply for the job, but had he been interested last week's victory over Peterhead would have done his chances no harm at all. A similar line-up will probably take to the field for the meeting with 5th placed Stirling, who defeated Queen's 1-0 at Forthbank in October. Allan Dunning however may return, having been ill last week. The Binos are unbeaten since going down at Peterhead at the end of August: 10 matches, but half of those have ended in draws. For their part, Queen's are without a win in 5 matches against Stirling Albion and must correct matters in order to further extend their winning run and edge closer to the middle of the table. Despite no permanent coach being in place, morale is fairly high around Mount Florida way right now and a win on Saturday is a distinct possibility.
Queen's Park's last Hampden victory over Stirling came on 28 October 2000, when 920 witnessed a 3-0 result. Kevin Finlayson, Mark Gallagher and Greg Miller were the scorers. First meeting between the clubs took place on 28 August 1948 in Glasgow. Despite two goals from R. H. Gunn, the visitors triumphed 3-2. Gunn went on to finish the season as Queen's top scorer with 21 goals. Albion finished the season in 2nd place and were promoted, with Queen's back in 5th.
23 Nov Collins set for Rangers trial
It has been reported that former Queen's Park defender Neil Collins is going to Ibrox for a trial. The player, very impressive in playing 28 league matches for Queen's last season, has also stood out at Dumbarton since moving there in July. A number of large clubs have sent representatives to watch him, and as mooted he appears set for a big future in the game. The news is important from Queen's point of view because under new FIFA regulations, any fee paid for Collins in a transfer taking place before he is 23 would see Queen's receive a compensatory sum, due to their training and nurturing of the player. If this happens, then it would create some kind of record, as Queen's have never received any fees for their players in 135 years, due to the club's amateur status.
23 Nov Queen's Park 2 Peterhead 0 - fairly comfortable, even when coach-less
There were few adverse signs from Queen's Park in this match after a week dominated by the departure of coach John McCormack to join Morton. An early goal from James Allan, which was a complete belter, set Queen's on their way and although Peterhead enjoyed a lot of possession, they looked weak up front and uncomfortable in dealing with Queen's on the break. A second goal from Ross Clark, his first for the club, only a few minutes into the second half wrapped up the points for the home side and gave Messrs. Martin and Hunter a fine start in their roles as caretakers. What seems evident though, is that neither will seek the job on a permanent basis. Could we have a new man in place by next Saturday? In any case, this was the team's fifth match without defeat and the teams in mid-table are now very much within reach. Whoever takes over has much to build from. Read the full match report.