| Queen's Park |
| Albion Rovers |
| 1 |
| 1 |
| ( Gallagher ) |
| ( McManus ) |
| Kenny Brannigan evidently feels that this was two points dropped by Queen's, but this perspective on the outcome is more a measure of how far Albion Rovers have fallen than any plaudit on Queen's performance. With several raw, inexperienced players and an untested manager, Rovers are in the process of re-building, something we ourselves seem to have been doing for an eternity without success. Neither side could be satisfied with their overall play, yet chances were made, mainly in the second-half; but as ever Queen's lacked the assertiveness both to hang on to their lead, and to grab a winner. That new players are required is obvious, particularly to play in the wide areas where at the moment we are sorely lacking the potency we possessed last season. David Crawford had known for three weeks that this would be his full debut, as he was forced to deputise for the banned Derek Scrimgour. Slotting back into the team after injury were Agostini, Fallon and Moffat, with the latter taking the field at left wing-back - a position he won't be making his own after an inconsistent display there. Paddy Gallagher received only his 4th start of the season, in central midfield, and Jonny Whelan was dropped to the bench. In front of a sparse crowd, which choked any hopes of a decent atmosphere, both sides struggled to settle and the opening exchanges could best be described as boring. Well, most of the first half was plain boring. We may have been absent from Hampden for 4 weeks, but it'd be a lie to claim the place has been sorely missed - at times games there feel more like an obligation than a way to enjoy yourself. I digress. Danny Ferry's fine, inch-perfect slide challenge prevented McCaul from getting a clear sight of goal after 5 minutes, and volleys from McManus and Patrick were well-held by David Crawford as the youngster bedded down into the game comfortably. In the eleventh minute Queen's went frustratingly close to taking the lead: Moffat raced clear down the left and squared his pass right across the six yard-box, where Steven Canning, in an awkward position to the right of the back post, slid low to make contact but could only divert the ball well over the bar. Better timing and a goal would have been certain. The one success of the day was Paddy Gallagher, who gave a refreshingly keen performance from midfield, and then up-front for the last half-hour or so. His quick thinking allowed Queen's to win possession in midfield in 13 minutes, setting up McAuley, whose neat switch of play to Moffat on the overlap resulted only in the defender ballooning his shot high. 13 minutes in and already poor finishing the order of the day. A 23rd minute break from Paul McManus should have led to a goal for Rovers but a deflection took his effort wide, this prior to another example of Queen's's inability to pounce on half-chances in front of goal. A corner-kick left Rovers keeper Neil Bennett all at sea,and with the goal free, Paul Harvey chipped across the face of goal. Steven Reilly powered in a header at the back, right-hand post, but it was cleared from the line, and with no-one well placed to follow-up, the chance had passed though Gallagher did attempt a volley which flew over. Little happened for the next 10 minutes, until Queen's passed up another opportunity at close-range. Ally Graham flicked on Danny Ferry's pass to find Paddy Gallagher with only Bennett to beat, but without much space to shoot he lashed his shot narrowly beyond the crossbar. Albion Rovers then pushed forward for the final minutes of the first-half, McCaul's flying drive forcing Crawford into a quick-reaction save. Too many Queen's players had been quiet in the first half, but it was one of these, Steven Reilly, who almost scored a mere minute after the break with a dipping, swerving drive which cleared the bar by only a few centimetres. Danny Ferry subsequently became the only player on the day to be booked in a curious decision; his tackle from the back in midfield didn't even look a foul but Mr. Sproule clearly begged to differ. Mark Yardley, hitherto well shackled by Agostini, managed to burst free in the 55th minute and from an acute angle Crawford tipped his shot round his right-hand post. McCaul's low effort then forced Crawford to adjust himself to save after a deflection. Stephen McAuley was replaced by Ross Clark, and the change allowed Paddy Gallagher to move up-front, the position some feel he is best used. Almost instantly the move paid dividends, though it could hardly have happened in a more lucky way for Queen's. A long ball through the middle posed no real danger to Neil Bennett, who advanced to the edge of his box to collect. Incredibly, he managed to spill the ball, right at the feet of Paddy Gallagher, who sidestepped him before bending the ball into the net at the far post. A stroke of fortune, but also a fine finish from Gallagher. At this point there appeared to be little prospect of an equaliser, and Queen's certainly had the game lying in wait, begging to be taken. But the lack of a killer instinct was driven home again, and within ten minutes Rovers were level. Slovenly defending led to McManus being given an alarming amount of space inside the area, and although two Queen's defenders did attempt, belatedly, to close him down, the striker fired in a shot which Crawford touched but couldn't hold, and the ball squeezed over the line. In any event another Rovers forward was waiting to make sure. For the remainder of the contest Queen's piled on the attacks, knowing how much a win would mean to their supporters, but the final touch was again not in evidence as promising moves came to nothing. David McCallum made another comeback in replacing Moffat after 78 minutes, but in the little time that was left he failed to deliver any crosses worthy of note. That job fell to Paul Harvey, forced in recent weeks to drift out to the right wing to deliver for the forwards, so bereft have Queen's been of wide players this season. Gallagher sent one Harvey assist straight at Bennett, and then, when seemingly in a position to shoot, the veteran midfielder chipped towards Canning in the middle who failed to make any sort of contact. Yet for all Queen's pressure it was Albion Rovers who should have stolen the winner. McCaul found himself clean through on goal while the Queen's defence stood and watched, but, typically of players at this level, he didn't have the composure to score and the ball rolled wide of the right-hand post of Crawford. After this Queen's had one last, real, chance; Gallagher sent over a fine ball from the right which left Bennett gaping and arrived at Graham at the back post, but Ally could only hook the ball away from goal at full stretch. And with almost the last kick, Steven Canning chipped at goal from a huge distance on the right, but Bennett had few problems in clutching the cross. So there we have it. And wasn't that just the worst match report you've ever read? Queen's Park: David Crawford, Danny Ferry, Steven Canning, Steven Moffat ( David McCallum 78 ), Damiano Agostini, Steven Fallon, Steven Reilly, Paul Harvey, Ally Graham ( Jonny Whelan 89 ), Paddy Gallagher, Stephen McAuley ( Ross Clark 58 ). Substitutes not used: Andrew McGinty, Brian McCue. Booked: Ferry. Goal: Paddy Gallagher 59. Albion Rovers: Neil Bennett, Charlie Connolly ( John Bradford 68 ), Chris Kerr, Jordan Smith, Peter Cormack, Jered Stirling, Graeme McCaul ( Marc McKenzie 89 ), Ricky Patrick, Mark Yardley, Paul McManus, Jim Mercer. Substitutes not used: James Valentine, Kevin McBride, Chris Fahey. Goal: Paul McManus 69. Referee: Martin Sproule Attendance: 454. |