match report continued
With 15 minutes remaining Paul Martin took the long awaited step of introducing David Menelaws to the fray, in place of Willie Martin, and Willie was clearly frustrated at being brought off; symptomatic no doubt of the situation Queen's were in. Within 4 minutes of this, Queen's had made their way back into the game. Chris Fisher's nimble footwork saw him beat a defender and slip the ball to Steven Moffat on his left, and the big defender swung over a left-foot cross for Johnny Whelan to ghost in between two defenders at the back post and head into the back of the net. For the second week in a row, Whelan had scored with his head, and this was his 5th counter of the season.
Queen's now quite obviously had a chance to salvage a precious point, and they began to throw men forward, including Moffat and the hitherto largely anonymous Ferry. As had happened so often, Queen's were leaving it very late in the day to try and stage a grand fightback, but you could have guaranteed that at least one golden opportunity would come their way. You would probably also have hazarded a guess that it would be squandered. It was. With Gretna now tiring and some panic setting in, Dunning nicked the ball off a defender's toes and the ball fell for Menelaws with only Mathieson to beat. The stadium held its collective breath, but Menelaws fired straight at the onrushing goalkeeper from around 12 yards out. The sense of regret was almost tangible. Let's hope this is only a blip for him, and he will prove to be the goalscoring threat we crave. He has only played around 40 minutes for the club so far, and there is promise of much more to come.
The last chance had come and gone, and the momentum gained after Whelan's goal slipped away. Gretna now held possession when possible, with Turner, a good leader at the back for the visitors, marshalling his defence well. The whistle from the replacement referee's mouth came a little earlier than would have been hoped, but at least it gave us even more time to prepare for the huge game at Cliftonhill on Tuesday, presuming the pitch is playable.
Queen's will have to improve in all areas, from back to front, if they want to secure a third round place. The defending in this match was not up to scratch, and we must create much more, and not wait until the latter stages to show any attacking nous. Thankfully James Allan will return for the Rovers game; he was sorely missed today.
Gretna's first ever win over Queen's Park this was. The visitors deserved it, but had fortune on their side.
Queen's Park: Mitchell, Sinclair, Ferry, Moffat, Agostini, Fallon, Martin ( Menelaws ), Whelan, Gemmell ( Dunning ), Clark, J. Gallagher ( Fisher ). Substitutes not used: Lappin, Lamb.
Booked: Martin, Clark.
Goal: Whelan 79.
Gretna: Mathieson, May, Skelton, Turner, McQuilter, Cleeland, Skinner, Irons, Dobie, Hore ( Fairbairn ), Henney ( Galloway ). Substitutes not used: Knox, McGuffie, Summersgill.
Booked: Turner.
Goals: Dobie 17, pen 26.
Attendance: 934.