| BELL'S THIRD DIVISION: SEASON PREVIEW 2005/06 |
| Queen's Park Last season: 4th Coach: Billy Stark Players in: none Players out: Ally Graham ( East Stirlingshire ), Danny Ferry ( Dumbarton ), Frankie Carroll ( Stenhousemuir ), Gavin Rushford, Brian Blair, Louis Watters Last season saw Queen's best finish for 17 years, discounting the Championship season of 5 years ago. Overcoming what could have been turmoil following Kenny Brannigan's chaotic departure, Stark essentially picked the side up where they had left off, coaxed some memorable performances from them, and on the whole played a damn lot of good football. The age-old Queen's Park problems of finishing consistently were still evident, but at least in Frankie Carroll a prolific scorer had been found, the best since Brian McPhee. With the introduction of the play-offs for this new season, the logical step would be now for Queen's to qualify and ensure an exciting end to the season. But have our chances been compromised by the absence of any new faces at the park this summer? Losing Frankie Carroll doesn't just mean the loss of a guaranteed goal supply; his effort, stamina and heart will also be missing, and there is no ready-made replacement available. Richard Bowers is as fast as it gets and could be the best youngster seen at Hampden in years, but his impact may be diluted by the absence of a tall, imposing frontman in the mould of Ally Graham. In defence and midfield, the side appears strong, but we lack quality in the wide positions, and fielding Kettlewell and Clark in these areas only intensifies the problem. These players have found form difficult enough to come by over the last few months without being played out of position. All of this is to concentrate on the negatives; there are plenty of good signs as well. Bryan Felvus impressed me pre-season and could be finally ready to establish himself alongside Bowers; Harvey is still going strong and will be expected to dictate the play; Agostini, Reilly and Sinclair are all completely reliable in defence and have a fine, if madcap, goalkeeper behind them in David Crawford. Couple these with the returns of Tony Quinn and Jonny Whelan to strengthen the midfield, and the spine of the team looks fairly secure. This year's slew of youngsters may not be as plentiful as the last two years, but Liam McCann is one to watch. Billy Stark seems to believe his squad is good enough to meet the challenges of the season ahead; I honestly believe that we need a couple of signings, a wide player and a big striker, in order to secure that play-off spot. By Joe Mullaney Predictions Paul: 5th Joe: 4th Martin: 4th Alex: 1st |
| Stenhousemuir Last season: 7th Manager: Des McKeown Players in: Colin Cramb ( Hamilton Academical ), Greig Denham ( East Stirlingshire ), Frankie Carroll ( Queen's Park ), Michael Renwick ( East Fife ), Chris Fahey, Marc McKenzie , Jim Mercer ( all Albion Rovers ), John McKeown ( Cowdenbeath ), Joe McAlpine Players out: Stewart Easton ( Elgin City ) After failing to bounce back and deliver immediate promotion following their descent into Scotland's lowest tier coach Des McKeown will know that nothing but promotion will be good enough for Stenhousemuir in the upcoming campaign. The busiest of all the Division Three managers close season, he has been keen to secure the contracts of players who have experience of a Third Division promotion push, and this could prove invaluable. Frankie Carroll for one, who bagged 14 league goals last season, as well as contributing heavily to Queen's Park's championship-winning season, will partner either Paul McGrillen or Joe Savage in what is shaping-up to be the most potent strikeforce in the division. Marc McKenzie, the tricky winger pinched from Albion Rovers, could also make his way into the first team and if not will certainly provide reliable cover. In goal, McKeown will probably reward Willie McCulloch's form last season with the no. 1 jersey, but Chris Fahey's arrival from Cliftonhill should provide a pleasant dilemma for the coach. John McCormack was also expected to be a key figure at Stenhousemuir, albeit behind the scenes, but his departure to a more prominent role in the Stagecoach Super League Premier with Bellshill has opened the door for Paul Smith to step in as McKeown's right-hand man. The ex-Berwick manager is well-known, especially amongst the Queen's supporters, and the chances are that Smith will again be there or thereabouts at the end of the season as far as honours are concerned. Predictions Paul: 1st Joe: 1st Martin: 1st Alex: 2nd |