queens_peterhead

Queen's Park

Peterhead

( Beith, Perry )

What is it with Hampden? On the one hand, it's the place that gives us pride, part of our unique identity as a football club, the ground our forebears built as a model to the world. On the other, it nearly brought us to our knees 4 years ago, and now, we can't kick a ball there. No need to analyse the reasons why at present - we could do, and have done, that till we're as blue in the face as Peterhead's shirts - but it's safe to say that the club is never going to regain its place as a challenger in this division until the team starts winning points at home. Last season we only won 3 out of 18 league games at Hampden, this season it's 1 out of 4 so far. Thus, the grand total over the last 12 months is 3 home league wins. And the pattern for so many of these games has been depressingly familiar - go 1 or 2 behind, struggle to muster a recovery in the second half. It was so today.
     Starting with one alteration to the winning team against East Stirling, Jonny Whelan replacing Steven Moffat in defence, it was a tame opening to the match. However, Queen's did gel on two occasions before 10 minutes were up and could well have forced themselves in front in this time. First, a cleverly weighted Paul Harvey chip into the penalty area was diverted toward goal by McAuley's raised boot and the ball squeezed a mere matter of centimetres wide of Mathers's right hand post.
     McAuley has looked very sharp, strong and determined in the last few games and it continued in the beginning part of this one. Sheer persistence from the young forward, allied to no little skill, should have found Queen's in the lead after 9 minutes; he gathered a long clearance from Scrimgour, drove purposefully at the Peterhead defence, and, lacking in support, went it alone; forced to check back on the left side of the area, McAuley broke free again and from six yards out slipped the ball wide of target when really it should have been 1-0.
     As has so often been the case, the opposition then scored. Bavidge left McCallum and Fallon trailing down their right flank, and cut the ball back for Beith to blast home from the centre of the box. Simple, yet damning for the Queen's defence.
     Steven Reilly's poor discipline cost him a yellow card in the 17th minute; the caution was precipitated by a shirt-tug, but the crunching challenge he had committed on Mackay a few minutes earlier was at least as big a factor. Peterhead were then allowed to play on after Whelan's trip in midfield, but Bavidge rounded off the move by firing well over the crossbar.
    Ally Graham could have replicated his now-famous Inverness winner to equalise, but carried the ball away from goal after meeting Reilly's lobbed free-kick over the defence. His chip back across the face of goal was then headed clear, and any hopes of better things to come from Ally were ended when he left the field in 32 minutes, possibly after aggravating a groin strain. His place was taken by Carcary, but Queen's were now minus his height and presence up front and how well they could adapt would be pivotal to their chances of getting back into the game.
     In fact Graham went off in the midst of a lengthy stoppage while Sinclair and Good received treatment following a nasty collision between the two. Sinclair recovered, but the Peterhead midfielder lay stricken on the turf for a few minutes before being loaded onto a stretcher. It transpires that he has fractured one of his eye-sockets; a most unusual and, sadly, serious injury.
     The hold-up did nothing for the quality of the spectacle but Peterhead cared little about that as they moved further in front in the injury time which had been added on - an irony probably lost on Kenny Brannigan, who can't have been too pleased at his side's failure to defend a succession of corner-kicks successfully. Usually, after three corners in a row, the defending team will have learned enough to deal with a fourth, but not Queen's; Perry rose to power his header past the goalkeeper and Fallon's despairing leap on the goalline.
     Having been left with a formidable task to accomplish in the second half, Queen's at least came back out in the proper manner and exerted pressure on the Peterhead goal throughout long periods of the second half. But the lack of a killer final ball and a goalscoring touch meant that they would always struggle to breach the well-marshalled defence that Peterhead put up. And by the end we had long used up all of our ideas.
     Derek Carcary's presence was certainly giving Peterhead something extra to think about, but their experienced defence was not to be outwitted by his incredible pace. Still, he remained a threat, and set up a chance five minutes after the break, drilling the ball from the goalline across, and while Mathers scrambled it away, Harvey should have buried the follow-up but instead smacked it straight at the goalkeeper. Four minutes on, and with Queen's gaining momentum, Carcary's rising shot was caught by Mathers.
     Things were looking up, with Paul Harvey improving greatly and acting now as the playmaker in midfield. Ross Clark stole in front of goal after 57 minutes, but with almost no space tried desperately to shoot past Mathers, who blocked easily enough.
     Queen's continued to command the game but the opportunities dried up, and Peterhead were increasingly content to play out the game with their two-goal lead intact while remaining a threat on the break. John Thompson came on for David McCallum, whose lacklustre showing is probably explained in part by a lack of match fitness. Ross Clark collected a yellow card in the 72nd minute after going in hard on Bain.
     The game briefly ignited with ten minutes left, though not in the way anyone wanted to see; a foul from behind by Mackay on Clark riled the Queen's midfielder, and soon a mass altercation broke out in the middle of the park. Canning became the next to be booked, presumably for dissent, and Harvey's mouth cost him too in the last minute. But in tangible, playing terms Queen's were largely posted missing in the closing stages.
     A two-week break from play now has to be sat through; I personally find it hard to stand so long without a game, and even Scotland's huge match next week doesn't compensate. For the players though, a bit of thinking is required during this time as to how we can start performing on a consistent basis - and thank god our next Hampden game isn't for a month.

Queen's Park: Derek Scrimgour, Steven Canning, David McCallum ( John Thompson 64 ), Paul Harvey, Richard Sinclair, Steven Fallon, Ross Clark, Steven Reilly, Ally Graham ( Derek Carcary 32 ), Jonny Whelan, Stephen McAuley. Substitutes not used: Danny Ferry, Paddy Gallagher, Brian McCue.
Booked: Reilly, Clark, Canning, Harvey.

Peterhead: Paul Mathers, Daryn Smith, Shaun McSkimming, Robbie Raeside, Mark Perry, Kevin Bain ( Kieran McGuinness 72 ), Stuart Mackay, Ian Stewart ( Martin Johnston 53 ), Gavin Beith, Martin Bavidge, Iain Good ( Graeme Stewart 35 ). Substitutes not used: Duncan Stuart, John Farquhar.
Booked: Beith.
Goals: Gavin Beith 11, Mark Perry 45.

Referee: Christopher Boyle.

Attendance: 395.