The Ecstacy, But Then The Agony
still a QP hero
By The Spider
April 28 2002
Saturday, 27th April, 2002 Dumbarton 1 Queen’s Park 1 (Scottish League - Third Division)
The main discussion point amongst Queen's fans related to their favourites' starting line-up and whether coach John McCormack would opt to go for the pace of Stephen Marshall up front, or the trickery of Chris Fisher. Marshall got the nod as indeed did Ross Jackson who surprisingly relegated Stephen Canning to the bench although, to be fair, the QPSA Player Of The Year hadn't trained last week due to work commitments.
It was almost taken as read that Dumbarton would outplay us for much of the game with their neat passing game, and that was very much how it turned out with Queen's fans counting on their side's resilience to keep Dumbarton at bay for as long as possible in the hope that home fans would begin to grow impatient and add to the pressure already piling up on their team.
As the teams took to the field, it became immediately noticeable how 120 regulars can make considerably more noise that almost 1900 fans where the vast majority are part-time glory hunters who only turn up to be able to claim "I was there the day that .......blah blah!" At least with Queen's, you know what you get and the minor difference in attendances between the championship season of two years ago and this season's bears great testament to the loyalty of Spider's fans; not one of whom have called for John McCormack's head at any game during the worst season in the Club's entire history.
Regrettably, the game itself was a bit of a let down, perhaps due to a combination of the lack of expected atmosphere from all bar the extreme right end of the stand and also maybe due to what was at stake for both sides. The playing surface could certainly not be considered a factor, as it was virtually immaculate, an incredible achievement (even if it is brand new) at the end of a full season's play.
Queen's threatened first with Wight looking nervy as he dropped a cross whilst under minor pressure from Whelan, but Dumbarton were immediately back up to the other end where O'Neil sliced well wide from a good central position. Johnny Whelan then took advantage of a strong wind at his back to hit a 30 yard snapshot narrowly over as Queen's sought to take an early lead.
O'Neil then showed some neat footwork to wriggle into the Queen's area in the 15th minute but this time he hooked his effort wide. However, that was the signal for a period of sustained pressure by Dumbarton where they took control of the game, forcing a series of corners in the process. From the last of these, Tony Mitchell rose to clutch McKeown's header and ease the nerves a little. Within a minute, Ross Jackson evaded two markers on the right wing to send over a tempting cross which Stephen Marshall made insufficient contact with and his disappointing header slid by the far post.
Dumbarton should have taken the lead in the 22nd minute. Robertson turned Danny Ferry inside out before laying the ball on a plate for Crilly at the back post but the right winger's downwards volley amazingly bounced off the turf and over the bar to the relief of visiting fans who were by now thoroughly enjoying baiting some inept stewards who obviously had little experience of handling a capacity crowd.
Crilly was presented with another good opportunity just short of the half hour mark, this time from a poor clearance by the normally reliable Jamie White, but the Dumbarton forward curled the ball well over Tony Mitchell's crossbar. Queen's then had their best move of the game when Johnny Whelan and an unusually quiet Willie Martin combined well to create an opening for Ross Jackson. Showing delightful positional awareness and presence of mind, the nippy forward flicked the ball over Brittain as he moved in to challenge for possession, but the wind took the ball marginally out of Jackson's reach thereby enabling Wight to literally grab the ball off Ross's toe as he stretched to shoot.
Left winger Robertson, as he had been in previous encounters, was again proving to be a thorn in the Spiders' flesh as his fleet of foot style took him past players with apparent ease. From one such run, Tony Mitchell dashed several yards off his line and did well to block the winger's shot, albeit that it was from a very tight angle near the bye line. As half time approached, O'Neil incurred the wrath of visiting supporters when he sent Danny Ferry flying through the air with a very late follow through, only to escape what seemed like a straightforward booking from generously minded referee, John Gilmour. The same player would later go on to take a blatant off the ball kick at Stephen Marshall (unseen by the match officials) when stricter action now would perhaps have made the Dumbarton midfielder think twice about doing so at a later stage.
After the Queen's skipper had picked himself up and dusted himself down, James Bruce attempted an ambitious direct free kick from 45 yards, but it sailed well over the bar. Ending the half strongly, Queen's came closer when Tony Quinn headed Johnny Whelan's long right wing throw-in over the bar.
Following the surreal atmosphere of non-stop singing from Queen's fans during the first half against a backdrop of near silence from home fans, the game definitely needed a goal to spark it into some life and it duly followed in the 1st minute of the second period. Whilst James Bruce reads the game very well, his lack of pace leaves him exposed upon occasion and a forceful run into the area by Crilly tempted the young Queen's defender into making a challenge that he perhaps would have been wiser not to have attempted. Crilly certainly made the most of it to gain what he had undoubtedly been looking for, but Bruce's lunge undoubtedly made no contact with the ball and made it easy for the resultant penalty to be awarded. There were the usual half-hearted complaints which saw Johnny Whelan booked for dissent, but the official probably made the correct decision, and this would be borne out by the consistency of his future actions. Once the furore had died down, Paddy Flannery stepped up to make an excellent job of tucking away the award.
As home supporters made themselves heard for the first time, the cries of "Sing when you're winning" which were hurled back in their direction have probably never been more apt such was the incredible lack of atmosphere generated by them throughout the game. Although Sons' fans may think that this sounds like sour grapes, it's not because Dumbarton genuinely do have some great players for this level (Brittain and Robertson in particular) and their neat passing game has finally got them the reward it deserves, but if their fans can't generate much by way of enthusiasm on a day like this, then heaven help their players when things get tough next season and the curiosity seekers quickly drift away.
At this stage, anyone who had predicted that Queen's would have come close to winning this game would have politely but firmly recommended to keep their optimism in check, and initially that looked to be good advice as Dumbarton tightened their grip on the game. Firstly Dunn headed over from close range before Brown should have wrapped things up in the 54th minute. Put clean through by an exquisite cushioned pass from Robertson, the big striker had all the time in the world to size up his options and pick his spot, but he lacked sufficient composure to beat Mitchell who had raced off his line to narrowly the angle and who admirably stayed upright as long as possible before spreading himself to block the shot that followed.
In games of this importance, there is often a turning point on which fortunes sway, and this miss co-incided with the introduction seconds earlier of Chris Fisher for a subdued Willie Martin, soon to be followed by Stephen Canning as Paul Borland went off to allow Stephen Marshall to drop back to his more effective deeper role. Completing the trio on the hour mark was Ross Clarke who replaced Tony Quinn who had to be helped off by Jamie White (where were the voluntary ambulance people?) having come off second best in a fair 50/50 challenge with Brown.
As Queen's re-organised, the aforementioned Brown turned quickly in the Queen's area to shoot over in what was Dumbarton's last serious threat of the afternoon. Having failed to extend their lead, Dumbarton now adopted a more defensive posture and this so nearly proved to be their undoing. For all that Queen's can often appear to be a "kick and rush" team, much of this stems from an inability of our midfield to control a game. However, in the latter stages, when their high fitness levels begin to tell, the Spiders look a totally different side altogether and they began to open up the home defence with a series of raid, particularly down the right flank where Stephen Canning was finding loads of room in the absence of Brittain who had limped off shortly after half time.
Chris Fisher too was starting to see a lot of the ball, but was too often wasting it by turning into cul de sacs when opening out the play seemed the more sensible option. However, Fisher (sometimes to his disadvantage) can be an extremely single minded individual and his persistence was more than amply rewarded in the 78th minute when he wriggled his way into the area and tempted a rash challenge under which he duly tumbled in exactly the same manner as Crilly had done earlier. Having created the precedent earlier, it would have been difficult for referee Gilmour not to award another penalty in similar circumstances so it is to the official's credit that he did so in the face of a home crowd which awoke from their slumbers to suddenly adopt a partisan attitude. This time it was Johnny Whelan's turn to make an admirable job of tucking the ball away, so much so that Wight stood rooted to the spot having no inclination to dive for the sake of it ("a good 'keeper knows when he beaten" - copyright Bobby Clark of Aberdeen & Scotland, any of his static poses from the 60's and 70's). Game on!
Most Dumbarton fans probably didn't realise the significance of the goal as Albion Rovers were trailing Elgin City by two goals at the that point, but with Stirling being beaten up at Brechin, Queen's were now only a goal away from turning around their entire season and so the frenzy of activity from the players in hooped jerseys may have taken many by surprise as they now proceeded to totally dominate the remainder of play as Dumbarton became virtually encamped in their own half.
Ross Clarke sent and overhead kick wide after controlling a Ross Jackson cross from the right before the increasingly influential Chris Fisher brought Wight to his knees with a low shot from the edge of the area. However, the Spiders lacked the predatory instincts of a natural striker (as they have done all season - Q.P.'s top league scorer only has five goals) to finish off their good build up play and, with Dumbarton trying to slow play down by making a late substitution, it looked as if all the efforts would be in vain.
With the game in injury time, Chris Fisher rolled a neat pass into space in the penalty area turning it into a straight race between McKeown and Ross Jackson as to whom would get to it first. Although the tall Dumbarton stopper looked favourite to get there first, he hadn't reckoned on Jackson's determination and upper body strength which allowed the Queen's striker to get goal side when he should have not been able to do so. Attempting to retrieve the situation, McKeown stretched out a foot and only succeeded in tripping Ross instead. All eyes immediately turned on referee Gilmour who commendably chose the consistency route knowing full well the bedlam which would follow when a weaker official would have simply turned his back on it and chosen the easier option. With the penalty having been awarded, and Robertson having been booked for protesting once too often, Queen's were now just a direct free kick 12 yards from goal away from finishing the league in 9th place and, to add to the drama, Albion Rovers were by now camped in Elgin's penalty area chasing a winner.
The pressure on Johnny Whelan must have been enormous but he looked composed enough as he stepped forward to take the kick. Opting for exactly the same position was a risky strategy because, if you were in Wight's shoes, the chances were that it was exactly where you would fully commit yourself into going. However, if struck firmly and accurately, the 'keeper still shouldn't be able to reach it. Unfortunately, desperate to make sure that he hit the target, this time Johnny's shot was a foot lower and a foot closer to the 'keeper than his previous strike and Wight was just able to get his fingers to it to turn it round the post. Neil Collins seemed to be of the opinion that Wight had moved before it was taken, but Mr. Gilmour was having none of it and all Neil got to show for his protestations was a yellow card.
There was no time for despair as there was still time for the corner to be quickly taken but, as soon as it was headed clear, it was all over and Dumbarton were promoted with Queen's the recipients of the unofficial wooden spoon award. No blame should possibly attach itself to Whelan who looked inconsolable at the end, as it was he more than anyone, who turned the season around following his return to the club in late November. However, it was also a sorrowful sight to see Ross Caven trudging slowly back to his car minutes later, and one can only wonder what frustrations the illness-struck regular penalty taker was experiencing at that moment.
And so another roller-coaster season ultimately ends in disappointment. Having only taken three points from their first 12 games, the eventual outcome is hardly surprising as the team simply left themselves with too much to do. However, it is to their great credit that they did manage to temporarily haul themselves off the bottom on a couple of occasions and a tally of thirty-two points from the remaining 24 fixtures augers well for next season. Indeed, during that period, only the top five clubs [Brechin (48), Dumbarton(46), Albion Rovers(41), Peterhead(36) & Montrose(33)] bettered that total so it would be fair to say that our play during the last two thirds of the season was almost worthy of a place in the top half of the table, and not the bottom place that we we found ourselves in.
The key to next season of course is how many players Cowboy needs to replace during the summer, with Canning and Collins looking prime candidates at the moment. As against that, although it won't necessarily directly affect us, the ongoing saga over TV money could have a considerable impact. On the plus side, will other clubs be so stretched financially that they can't afford to take a chance on promising youngsters like these two, in which case we may get the opportunity to further develop them, and will players like Denis Connaghan become available to us again? However, will there be a domino effect which sees SPL players filter into the SFL First Division and in turn send a better quality of player down to our opponents who may end up with significantly stronger teams than they had this season thereby putting us back to square one again.
Assuming that his contract is renewed, and it would be surprising if it weren't given that he is signing players for next season already, much will depend on the contacts that Cowboy has developed at higher levels over the years. Without overdoing it on the "experience" front, as fresh legs are just as important at this level too, if our coach can sell the merits of Queen's to prospective targets (playing at Hampden, excellent facilities and the chance of a fresh start - which wouldn't necessarily happen by contractually tying themselves to a professional club), then perhaps he can assemble a squad which is capable of at least competing for promotion next season.
Following the last act of loading on the full stats from yesterday's game, this site will remain "on-line" during the close-season by virtue of it's active Message Board, so keep in touch during the summer months whilst (behind the scenes initially) we embark on the painful task of restoring all the features from the old "Rivals" site with a view to being fully functional again by the end of July. Next season, we also intend to sponsor a "Goal Of The Season" trophy for presentation by one of our regulars at the end of the season which will have been voted for exclusively by visitors to this site, and candidates for that award will be nominated and collated on an ongoing basis before actual voting takes place in April, 2003.
So, enjoy your lengthier than usual close season, but don't be a stranger to the Message Board before we all meet up again for pre-season friendlies in July.
ENTERTAINMENT VALUE : 3/5 STAR SPIDER : Neil Collins
QUEEN’S PARK : Tony Mitchell, James Bruce, Paul Borland (Stephen Canning - 55) , Neil Collins, Jamie White, Anthony Quinn (Ross Clarke - 60), Danny Ferry, Johnny Whelan, Willie Martin (Chris Fisher - 53), Ross Jackson, Stephen Marshall
DUMBARTON : John Wight, Steven Bonar, Craig Brittain (John Dillon - 49), Stevie Jack, John McKeown, Robert Dunn (Danny McKelvie - 88), Mark Crilly, Martin O'Neil, Paddy Flannery, Andy Brown, Joe Robertson