| When referee Jamie Downie flashed the red card in the direction of Stuart Kettlewell with 15 minutes to go, the game died and Queen's lost their chance of getting an equaliser. The straight red for the youngster was incredibly harsh and with Queen's already trailing from a second half strike from David Graham, the agony of knowing that the game was even more of out of reach was far too much for some to bear. And whilst it might reek of sour grapes, there can be no getting away from the fact that the officiating today was an utter disgrace. Downie was hopeless and so were his side-kicks, Wilson Irvine and James McNeil, who were spectators in a hotly contested match. Why do we pay them when they clearly don't take it seriously? With the international game on last Saturday, Kenny Brannigan had more time to assess the team which were convincingly beaten against Peterhead. The time off also gave injured players an opportunity to bounce back. Several changes were made by the manager. Jonny Whelan was on the bench and with Stephen Reilly absent, Stuart Kettlewell slotted in in midfield. Ally Graham was back to full fitness after only playing for 30 minutes a fortnight ago; Frankie Carroll also returned to the squad; and best of all, big Damiano Agostini had recovered and was fighting fit in the starting eleven. Stranraer started the game well and managed to force two corners within the opening minute. Even though both were well cleared, Stephen Swift then drove an awkward looking shot past Scrimgour's left hand post. It was clear from the beginning that Stranraer were banking on the long ball game and the Queen's defence were nearly caught out. But it was a charging run from Kevin Finlayson that forced Scrimgour into making the first save of the day. The ex-QP man broke from the half-way line and managed to get to the Queen's penalty area. His shot, however, was aimed directly at Scrimgour. The game then encountered its first sluggish spell and it took another 15 minutes for Queen's to get their first real shot at goal. An Ally Graham knock-down found the feet of Steven Canning, but the youngster's volley went agonisingly wide. Then the game got a bit ugly. Stephen Swift took a dive or two, went unpunished and a yellow was shown to Davie McCallum for a late challenge. The feeling of injustice was already hanging in the air! But Queen's rose above it and Stuart Kettlewell's fine run and pass to McCallum didn't see the finish it deserved. A good QP spell continued with Ally Graham desperately challenged when he was about to fire in after a good run. However, Queen's still had to keep an eye on Finlayson, Stranraer's best man on the day. A low cross/shot was dealt with by Scrimgour. With the clock running down in the first half, Stranraer's Lee Sharp tried his luck from 20 yards but only succeeded in maybe breaking a few greenhouse windows behind the ground. The second half started as if the break hadn't happened and Ally Graham's good cross couldn't find anyone in the area. The final ball was the problem for both teams, but a good Stranraer spell almost saw them go ahead with two long range efforts. Firstly Allan Jenkins's shot flew past and oddly a corner was given. It was cleared but only to the feet of Jenkins, who found himself in a lot of space at the edge of the Queen's area. He managed to keep the shot on target, but it was straight at Scrimgour, who smothered with his legs before picking up. As the sun began to shine with more warmth, the game started to heat up too and McCallum went down awkwardly after an unpunished late challenge but was fortunately able to continue. David Graham gave Queen's a warning in the 65th minute with a good solo run but he couldn't find a way past the combined efforts of Ferry and Scrimgour. But just as they had done for a much of the first half, Stranraer tried the long ball attack and this time it worked. Allan Jenkins flicked the ball over the heads of the QP defence and into the path of Graham. He had time to poise himself and he finished the move off with a low drive from ten yards that an unprotected Scrimgour had no chance of saving. Brannigan made his first change of the afternoon by bringing off the quiet McAuley and replacing him with Frankie Carroll. The charge for an equaliser was on, but then Jamie Downie decided to spoil the game for everyone by sending off Stuart Kettlewell and reducing Queen's to ten. The youngster's well-timed challenge was deemed to be too aggressive and the ref dramatically fumbled for the red, much to the amazement of the Queen's support. Kettlewell, to his credit, sped off the park but the decision was still being challenged on it, and Richard Sinclair was booked for dissent. Much more sickening was the blind-eye turned by the assistant referee running the line next to the Queen's fans who didn't get involved at all in the incident despite being better positioned. The fans were almost literally on his back for the remainder of the game. Steven Canning was replaced by Jonny Whelan with 15 minutes to go. Downie continued his power trip in the latter stages by booking three Queen's players: Ferry ( dissent ), Carroll ( "late challenge" ), Clark ( answers on a postcard ). Kevin Finlayson looked suspiciously offside when embarking on goal with five minutes left, but he hit wide with the goal gaping. Ally Graham could have sent Queen's into hysteria with 87 on the clock, but his volley was just a little too high from seven yards out. Stranraer then choked the game of whatever life it had left and wasted time deep in the Queen's half. Downie forgot about stoppage time and finished the match after playing only a minute-a-half extra, obviously keen to pick up his cool wage. Enough to make you sick. A draw would have probably been a fair result in the end. However, the fact that Stranraer keeper Andy McCondichie didn't have a save to make will concern Brannigan. The strike force has hit a bit of a bad spell of late and with Clark showing none of the drive he is capable of, Canning blowing hot and cold, and Kettlewell dismissed - albeit latterly - a goal looked hard to come by. Still, it wasn't terrible by any means, but the team will have to tighten up more and not let lapses of concentration get in their way if they want to beat three teams they have already coped with this season ( Elgin, Gretna and Cowdenbeath ) in the next three games. |
| Stranraer 1 Queen's Park 0 |
| ( D. Graham ) |
| Stranraer: Andy McCondichie, Stephen Swift, Fraser Wright, Derek Wingate, Murray Henderson, Allan Jenkins, Kevin Finlayson, Stephen Aitken, Michael Moore ( Paul Kerr 85 ), David Graham, Lee Sharp. Substitutes not used: Allan Grant, Gary McPhee, Stephen Marshall, Kenny Meechan. Booked: Moore. Goal: David Graham 68. Queen's Park: Derek Scrimgour, Danny Ferry, David McCallum, Richard Sinclair, Damiano Agostini, Steven Fallon, Steven Canning ( Johnny Whelan 76 ), Ross Clark, Ally Graham, Stuart Kettlewell, Stephen McAuley ( Frankie Carroll 70 ). Substitutes not used: Paddy Gallagher, Derek Carcary, Brian McCue. Booked: McCallum, Ferry, Carroll, Clark. Sent Off: Kettlewell. Referee: Jamie Downie. Attendance: 485. |