| Queen's Park |
| Arbroath |
| 2 |
| 0 |
| (Weatherston, Trouten pen) |
| Queen's have given themselves a wonderful chance of progressing to the play-off final thanks to two late goals that must have shattered Arbroath. In one of the most absorbing games played at Hampden in years, Queen's looked unlikely to break down the visitors' defence, until David Weatherston hooked a shot underneath Peat from close range to give us a priceless lead with just 13 minutes to play. And we managed to score a crucial second before the end. Arbroath began to push up, leaving gaps, and a lightning-quick Weatherston breakaway was halted by Rennie inside the box. The defender was rightly dismissed for his second booking- he had been tugging Weatherston's shirt over a distance of several yards- and despite Arbroath's attempts to put him off by making a substitution immediately before the kick, Alan Trouten placed the ball coolly to the other side of Peat to give us a last-minute bonus. Queen's could have been in serious trouble long before that, if Willie Martin had been on form in front of goal. However, he had a nightmarish game, missing two free headers in front of goal during the first half, both sitters, the second of which brought out a deceptively great save from Crawford. But there was better to come from DC: in the 53rd minute, Arbroath were awarded a soft penalty when Reilly fell in the box. Queen's were furious, but DC remained calm, and for the second consecutive game made a save from the spot by pushing Martin's kick away to his left. How can you overpraise a keeper like that? Yet the entire team was superb. They kept going right until the end, that was what mattered most; it was not our most fluent performance by any means, largely because Arbroath are far sterner opposition than the last couple of teams we've faced. They're very physical, and Dobbins and Raeside are a formidable centre-back pairing. Yet they are suspect on the ground, and we eventually were able to wear them, due in no small measure to Paul Ronald's introduction during the second half. His predecessor Robert Dunn had been ineffective against such defensive strength, and many of our attempted moves had broken down at his feet. Ronald, however, flew in for everything and got stuck in, and it proved to be an inspired change from a manager who is getting absolutely everything out of his players right now. Weatherston and Crawford are the stars- they are perhaps the most accomplished matchwinners in the division- but they have some pretty good supporting players. It wasn't really until the second half that Queen's threatened, and in fact we rarely came close before taking the lead. Robert Dunn had managed a couple of long-range strikes during the first half, including one well-struck, curving free-kick. But overall he lacked power and pace. Mark Ferry was also unable to get in on the act either until late on, shooting just over from the edge of the box with the score 1-0. Paul Cairney was even nearer to making it 2-0, getting in a great position on the 18-yard line but sending a rising drive a few inches over. For Arbroath, those Martin misses defined their match. He was eventually replaced by the veteran Paul Tosh before the end, and Tosh did look dangerous, forcing a fantastic saving tackle from Steven Canning after Weatherston's goal when he had been put clean away by a fine through pass. Arbroath's other major opportunity before the end arrived after Damiano Agostini slipped midway inside his own half, but, to sum up in a flash just how well this Queen's team plays for each other, Alan Trouten appeared at the back to make a great saving tackle- as good as any of the covering that Dunlop and Agostini have done lately, and my goodness they've been doing a lot of good covering. It was the sort of result that could make you believe our name's on the trophy (and that could literally be true as there is a trophy for the play-off winners). However, East Fife may feel the same after their resounding 4-1 win over Stranraer tonight. And we're not even taking into account the possibility of an Arbroath comeback in the second leg. However, if you're having nervous doubts, consider the fact that Queen's haven't lost any away league match by more than a one-goal margin this season. And that Arbroath have now lost their last 3 games. Above all, consider the sheer will-to-win these players have. I suspect that they simply will not be denied after getting themselves more than halfway there with this superb first-leg victory. Queen's Park: David Crawford, Paul Paton, Mick Dunlop, Alan Trouten, Damiano Agostini, Steven Canning, Stuart Kettlewell, Paul Cairney, Robert Dunn (Paul Ronald 65), David Weatherston, Mark Ferry. Substitutes not used: Tony Quinn, Frankie Carroll, Richard Bowers, Mark Cairns. Booked: Kettlewell. Goals: Weatherston 77, Trouten penalty 90. Arbroath: Mark Peat, Steven Rennie, Mark McCulloch, Robbie Raeside, Ian Dobbins, Nicky Smith, Roddy Black, Willie Martin (Paul Tosh 63), Alan Brazil (Kevin McMullen 90), Andy Reilly (Bryan Scott 76), Jay Stein. Substitutes not used: Jamie Bishop, Scott Morrison. Booked: Raeside, Black, Rennie. Sent-off: Rennie. Referee: Mike Tumilty. Attendance: 974. |