| Queen's Park |
| Raith Rovers |
| 2 |
| 0 |
| ( Weatherston, Felvus ) |
| Queen's roared into the Third Round of the Scottish Cup with this historic victory at Hampden, completely deserving in their elimination of a ragged Raith team. And with Spartans to come in the next round, the prospect of a run in the cup is a very real one. Of course, Queen's possess the bewildering capacity to oscillate between dazzling brilliance and staggering incompetence on a week-to-week basis, as shown by our previous game against Montrose. So the result may not give us the lift we want to reach us into the play-offs, but even if it doesn't, it was a fantastic day nonetheless. Though the crowd was not a great deal more than usual, the introduction of segregation, along with the fact this was a cup-tie, did much for the atmosphere. A goal from Queen's within the first minute didn't do any harm either. Keen to show that this week's game would be very different, Queen's took the lead after only 45 seconds. The ball had already gone out of play twice for a throw-in, and after the second of these, Paul Paton launched a long pass from inside his own half into space in the Raith defence. David Weatherston chased it, his young legs outpacing Jered Stirling, and he moved into the penalty area from the right before drilling the ball beyond the onrushing Brown and home at the far post. It's the quickest goal I can remember seeing from Queen's and an astonishing start to the match. Raith were heavily shaken by the goal and their passing would be abysmal throughout the half. Queen's on the other hand were demonstrating their big-game pedigree, with every player giving a first-class performance. David Crawford made his first save some 25 minutes in, pawing away a drive from outside the box, and six minutes later he also held a McManus header. Then a 30-yard drive from Silvestro was held. Raith might have been feeling their way back into the contest, but this restriction to long-range efforts would be a feature of much of the game as they toiled to breach Queen's Park's defensive wall. Not that Queen's had given up on attacking. A dangerous cross from Trouten in the 35th minute was knocked away by a defender inside his own 6-yard area, and four minutes from the break a Queen's counter-attack (with Mark Ferry on the touchline receiving treatment for a head knock) resulted in Tommy Murray being fed by Kettlewell after Weatherston's surge down the right. As Murray was forced left he seemed to be pulled back by the challenging Raith defender, and indeed the footage of the game shown in the Social Club afterwards proved that a penalty should have been awarded. It was far from the first, and it certainly won't be the last, time that Queen's have suffered because of Martin Sproule. Thankfully, on this occasion it would ultimately not matter. Everyone knew how vital it would be for Queen's to enter the dressing room still ahead, and they kept the Raith defence working before half-time. A delicate free kick from Alan Trouten on the left was met by Tommy Murray but he could only divert the ball wide when in space. Raith would manage a final spurt before the whistle, but McManus could only head a towering cross wide and in any case Sproule had already blown for a push. The protesting McManus was then booked for his efforts. When you're only 45 minutes away from a famous result, it's a stomach-churning time. Queen's might have won the Scottish Cup 10 times, but had not beaten a League team at Hampden in the tournament since 1986, and had last beaten a team from a higher division in the Cup in 1995/96 (a 4-2 away win over Queen of the South). The latter time we had actually lost to Raith Rovers in the third round. The second half then was time to draw on our glorious, if distant, past for inspiration. However Raith made things as difficult as they possibly could during the early stages of the half. Almost inevitably, David Crawford was the hero. He's made mistakes, at times comical ones, but for the most part he is a superb player and Saturday was one of his best performances. After 49 minutes he tipped a bending Stirling free-kick onto his right-hand post before it spun away, then he marvellously palmed away a header at full stretch as the equaliser looked certain. Raith looked rampant, but crucially didn't make this spell count, and a spate of corner kicks led to nothing. Queen's had withstood the best of what Raith had to hurl at them. Just after the hour mark, Billy Stark made a change, replacing Tommy Murray with Bryan Felvus, and not long after this a Kettlewell attempt was blocked at close range after more fine build-up by the tireless Weatherston. Felvus made his first impression when laying off Mark Ferry for a drive in the 66th minute, and a deflection carried the ball past. Yet his moment was to come. After Annand had become the second Raith forward to pick up a yellow for dissent, Reilly headed over the bar following Trouten's free kick. It still looked good for Queen's, but Raith almost scored when McManus was slipped through the centre, but he seemed to slide as he entered the box and Agostini was there to whack it away before any shot could come in. A nervy, nay scary, last 10 minutes loomed ominously. But Queen's made such fears disappear with a glorious second goal 12 minutes from time. In what is surely one of the coolest finishes ever seen even at this great old ground, Bryan Felvus gathered from Paton's long pass, raced free of any challenge, and launched a sublime chip from the edge of the box that landed perfectly into the net. The Queen's support exploded with joy at a strike which seemed to have been sent down from above. In fact Felvus could have grabbed another within a couple of minutes, connecting with a cross but striking the ball at Brown. He would later set up Weatherston after some supremely arrogant head-juggling, but Davie's shot was blasted over the top. Raith would continue to go forward manfully, but the chances of a comeback were highly minimal: Crawford got a touch to a long-range effort, Annand headed off target and a Stirling cross almost curved under the bar in the last minute. At the final whistle, the players danced off the field, sharing the moment with their proud and exultant support; David Crawford in particular looked ecstatic. It was a proud and deserving day for the team, and they can look forward to a cup-tie against Spartans that sees the roles altered somewhat. This time we will be favourites to beat a team that seemingly weren't too happy to have been drawn against us. Truth is, we're more than happy to have landed them. Queen's Park: David Crawford, Ross Clark, Mick Dunlop, Steven Reilly, Damiano Agostini, Alan Trouten, Stuart Kettlewell, Paul Paton, David Weatherston, Tommy Murray (Bryan Felvus 61), Mark Ferry. Substitutes not used: Tony Quinn, Shaun Molloy, Kevin Proctor, Alexander Cowie. Goals: Weatherston 1, Felvus 78. Raith Rovers: Alistair Brown, Willie Lyle, Jered Stirling, Chris Silvestro, Todd Lumsden, Iain Davidson (Chris McLeod 47), Brian Fairbairn, Paul McManus, Scott Crabbe, Neil Jablonski (Eddie Annand 66), Laurie Ellis. Substitutes not used: Stephen Tulloch, Emilio Jaconelli, Stuart Hall. Booked: McManus, Annand Referee: Martin Sproule Attendance: 721. |
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