Gretna Left Greetin' - Spiders Find Shooting Boots
Moffat crowded out
By The Spider
July 30 2002
Sunday, 29th July, 2002 Gretna 1 Queen's Park 3 (Pre-season Friendly)
Both sides tried to keep the other guessing as to their likely line ups for the Challenge Cup tie at Hampden in just over a week's time, with Gretna in particular keeping their big guns (including a striker who scored over 40 goals last season) well hidden.
Gretna (looking somewhat resplendent in their new tartan strips) were the first side to threaten and Stewart Thomson had to look alert to arch himself backwards to tip a swerving cross over the bar at his back post. It took Queen's five minutes to conjure up a response, Willie Martin and Paddy Gallagher combining well but the latter's snap shot narrowly sped past the far post.
Gallagher turned provider in the 12th minute with a brilliant chip pass to meet Quinn's well timed run into the box. Tony took the ball superbly on his chest but his volleyed chip past the onrushing 'keeper crept just past the right hand post. Three minutes later, Stephen Moffat ran up the left wing to get on the end of a Sinclair cross from the other side of the pitch. Again the chest control was perfect, but the shot-come-cross missed both the far post and the on-rushing forwards.
Tony Quinn was supporting his forwards well in an advanced midfield role, but his shooting boots weren't on properly and his 17th minute shot which went well wide of its intended target was the first of several similar first half efforts.
For Gretna, centre forward Hore looked an extremely accomplished player, and his strength, control and speed on the turn were a constant source of problems for the Queen's defence during that first forty five minutes. He was no slouch in the air either as he proved with two headers in quick succession. The first, in the19th minute, came from a right wing cross and it required a brilliant tip over the bar from Stewart Thomson to keep the ball out. Gretna then won a free kick out on the left, and again Hore beat his markers to flash a header narrowly over the bar.
Having survived that little spell of danger, Queen's began to get a grip of the midfield and started to spread the ball around well. A neat move on the half hour mark put Willie Martin clean through, but the ball slipped off his toe as he stretched to control it, and the chance was lost.
Gretna's Cleeland tried his luck from long range three minutes later, and again Thomson was required to tip the ball over the bar. At the other end, a Jamie Bruce scorching direct free kick whizzed inches by Parker's right hand post which, had it been on target, would have been unstoppable.
Richard Sinclair looked to have a deep cross from right midfield under control, but a little nudge in his back by Hore (which wasn't spotted by the referee) saw the ball break through to Smart but the left winger's shot across Thomson flashed wide of the Queen's 'keeper's left hand post.
Paddy Gallagher fired in a strong header from a 41st minute right wing cross from Chris Fisher, but it went straight at Parker as did Paterson's right foot drive at Thomson a minute later. Despite the blank scoreline at the interval, it had been an entertaining half, and goals seemed likely to follow once both teams began to tire later in the game.
Queen's opened the second half brightly and Chris Fisher brought Parker to his knees with a fierce shot on the turn. Then John Gallagher made a great run into the box only to be tripped on the edge of it by a despairing last ditch tackle. The breakthrough came in the 51st minute and a debt of gratitude is owed to the dozy far side linesman who failed to notice that Stuart Jack was at least three yards offside when he ran onto a Quinn through ball. As Parker came out to narrowly the angle, Jack gently slipped the ball past him and although two defenders looked to be getting back in time to clear the danger, Willie Martin slid in to put both of them as well as the ball into the net to make certain.
Gretna fought back and shots from Cumersky and Hore in quick succession in the 58th minute forced saves from Thomson. Chris Fisher then had another shot on the turn saved, this time from a Lappin throw-in, before Willie Martin was sent clean through on Parker. However, the striker delayed his shot far too long allowing a defender to clear the danger, and Willie's fall to the turf for a penalty owed more to wanting to cover his embarrassment than to any contact from behind.
Having wasted that good opportunity, Queen's surrendered a cheap equaliser in the 62nd minute. The defence were guilty of dozing off whilst a quick throw in was taken and a simple infield pass allowed substitute Gary Wills to speed through the middle completely unchallenged, and it was simplicity itself as he merely guided the ball past the exposed Stewart Thomson and into the middle of the net.
Queen's response was swift and decisive. Just three minutes later, Tony Quinn played a neat one-two with Jimmy Allan before crashing a thirty yard shot over Parker and off the underside of the bar. The icing on the cake came in the 78th minute when John Gemmell neatly turned in midfield and took one touch before firing a low shot past the Trialist substitute 'keeper from long range.
Gemmell should have added to his tally as Queen's swamped all over their tiring opponents in the closing minutes, but hopefully he is saving those for the visit of Elgin City to Hampden this Saturday for the start of what will hopefully be a better league campaign than last year. Well, let's face it, it couldn't be any worse!
John McCormack has assembled a good squad of players, but his main problem at the moment is that his midfield lynchpin Johnny Whelan is still at least a couple of weeks away from recovering from ligament damage. He also has a number of players of similar ability up front (Gemmell/Martin, Fisher/Allan, Gallagher/Jackson) as well as the problem of working Marshall and Canning into whatever formation he is going with this year. His selection of Saturday's starting line-up is therefore a crucial decision, and how quickly he can find a settled team will undoubted be the key to success or otherwise this season.
ENTERTAINMENT VALUE : 3/5 STAR SPIDER : Tony Quinn
QUEEN’S PARK : Stewart Thomson, Stuart Jack (Jimmy Allan - 58), Steven Moffat, Stephen Marshall (Gordon Lappin - 46), Richard Sinclair (John Gallagher - 46), James Bruce, Darren Magee, Tony Quinn, Willie Martin, Paddy Gallagher, Chris Fisher (John Gemmell - 74)
GRETNA : Vincent Parker (James Baird - 72), Gary Brown, Danny Grainger, David Irons, John McGaig, Marc Cleeland (Gary Wills - 52), Ryan Errington (Toby Paterson - 66), Andrew Robinson (Ian Cumersky - 54), John Hore, Wayne Gordon (Kyle Armstrong - 66), Craig Smart