What A Wasted Opportunity

a subbed sub
By The Spider
April 6 2002

Saturday, 6th April, 2002 Queen’s Park 0 Stirling Albion 0 (Scottish League - Third Division)

The tone for this game was set as early as the opening minute. Straight from kick-off, Queen's played the ball out to the right back position where a long ball was launched with the accuracy of an Exocet missile straight down the throat of Kenny Brannigan deep in his own half. As he would for the remainder of a fruitless afternoon, big KB dealt with the hopeful punt with consummate ease and it is sad to report that the big defender probably had one of the easiest afternoons of his entire career as Queen's failed to stretch his old legs even once.

Allan Dunning, whose pace would have caused problems, failed to appear and his place in an otherwise unchanged side was John Gemmell who has looked far from fit in his recent attempted comebacks from injury. Whilst the youngster remains a great hope for next season, and the experience will have done him no harm, one can only wonder why Willie Martin spent the entire 90 minutes on the bench, even sharing in the embarrassment of Ross Jackson who himself having been a substitute, was taken off with just over ten minutes remaining to be replaced by Danny Ferry when Willie would have been the ideal man to bring on at that stage. No-one could blame Willie, or John Cunningham for that matter, if both walked out on Queen's this summer in search of somewhere that they could at least get the chance of a regular game each week. As things stand, it seems that John McCormack regards both as being low in his pecking order.

Before kick-off it was widely held that playing long balls up to Gal would be playing right into Stirling's hands as he has neither the pace nor the physical presence to trouble Brannigan as all previous duels between the pair have proved. However, the Queen's mentality seems to be, "if it doesn't work, keep trying it until it does." A worthy declaration of resolve perhaps, but for those who had to suffer a poor 90 minutes, a willingness to try to go around what you can't go through would have been more entertaining if nothing else.

Chances were few and far between and the match stats may well prove to be a pale comparison when measured against those from recent games. Chris Fisher had half a chance in the 2nd minute but his right foot snapshot curled narrowly over the bar. The same player then released John Gemmell on the right but support was too slow in arriving for the inevitable cutback.

Stirling's first effort was a 8th minute from Williams which went well wide but they came closer in the next piece of goalmouth action quarter of an hour later when an unmarked Brannigan fired over from a tight angle at the back post after a right wing corner had been missed by everyone else.

Following a melee in the Queen's area on the half hour mark, a shot appeared to have been unintentionally blocked by Jamie White's left hand, but referee David Somers missed the incident anyway and play continued. A minute later, Tony Mitchell was involved for the first time when he was called upon to dive to save at Williams' feet.

A long ball up the left touchline from Jamie White in the 35th minute was flicked on by the head of Chris Fisher to John Gemmell who quickly cut in from the flank but he hooked a low volley wide of Reid's right hand post. In what proved to be the most exciting five minute spell of the game, Crozier flighted a right wing free kick onto the head of Riley but Mitchell was well positioned to save. Queen's immediately broke away to the other end and a Jackson pass put Fisher through, but Reid came swiftly off his line and saved well with his left foot from close range as Fisher attempted to guide the ball past him and into the empty net.

Then, with two minutes remaining before half time, a Canning header was met by the head of Johnny Whelan who rose well only to see his effort bounce down off the underside of the crossbar before being hacked away for another corner.

Sadly, the second half was to prove even less entertaining than the first. Williams broke free of his shackles in the 53rd minute to fire low across the six yard box but there wasn't even another Stirling player in the Queen's area at the time! A minute later, Ross Jackson sprinted after a through ball only to find himself flattened after having headed the ball past Reid just outside the Stirling area. To be fair to the visiting 'keeper, the was no malicious intent in his challenge, but Jackson found himself grounded through no fault of his own and surely deserved the award of a foul for obstruction at the very least. Referee Somers though otherwise and awarded a goal kick.

Tony Mitchell was kept awake in the 62nd minute when he back-pedalled furiously to fingertip a great cross from the left wing off the head of Williams who was waiting to pounce at the back post. Jamie White was unnecessarily booked for verbal dissent by Somers in the 70th minute, as indeed was Paul Borland in the 84th minute.

In between these two yellow cards, Johnny Whelan fired over whilst leaning back from the ball at the edge of the area, and although Paul Borland got over the ball for his long range effort in the 88th minute, it too met with the same result.

For whatever reason, several players looked as if they were hoping the season would end now, Chris Fisher being disappointingly being a prime example, and once the news had filtered through of East Stirlinghire's victory over Brechin, Queen's fans may have harboured a similar wish too.

Stirling Albion always looked a better target to aim for than 'Shire who had several games in hand, and had Albion not defeated 'Shire recently, there would have been a great incentive for Queen's to grab three points today. That hunger or desire to win that has sustained them so well in the last two games never materialised this afternoon, and it may be that the players feel that the task of finishing second bottom  is beyond them now.

However, there are still nine points to be played for and it is still conceivable that wins in all three games could do the trick. The supporters will expect nothing less than 100% effort in the remaining matches and hopefully Cowboy can motivate his charges to respond to those demands.

ENTERTAINMENT VALUE : 1/5               STAR SPIDER : Neil Collins

QUEEN’S PARK : Tony Mitchell, James Bruce, Paul Borland, Neil Collins, Jamie White, Anthony Quinn, John Gemmell (Stephen Marshall - 66), Johnny Whelan, Mark Gallagher (Ross Jackson - 27, subbed by Danny Ferry - 79), Stephen Canning, Chris Fisher

STIRLING ALBION : Chris Reid, Paul Nugent, Paul Hay, Stephen Riley, Kenny Brannigan, Steve Hutchison (Stuart Devine - 58), Brendan Crozier, Kenny McLellan, Alex Williams, Mike Geraghty (David Ross - 70), David O'Brien