The title of this post is far from an exaggeration. Burst pipes at Ibrox put paid to Rangers v St Mirren and a failed 7.45am pitch inspection saw Hamilton v Celtic bite the dust. The Queen's Park v Elgin City match at Hampden was the only football match in Glasgow on Saturday 18th December and one of only 5 games to go ahead in Scotland. We were literally the only show in town.
It was surprising then to find a rather subdued Social Club as I enjoyed a pre-match pint with my Dad. It looked as if very few neutrals had taken up the opportunity to attend a game. It was a rather surreal set up at Hampden as our usual seats were cordoned off due to safety concerns with the stairways, forcing the supporters to sit further away from the pitch. I grabbed the chance to take one of the posh leather seats. The crowd of 452 which shivered in temperatures of -4 degrees celcius comprised diehards and Christmas shopping dodgers, one in the same thing really. Among that number I counted 27 Elgin supporters. Fair play to everyone who came down the A9 to support their team at this time of year in these weather conditions.
Queen's had not played since a lame 1-0 defeat to Albion Rovers on 13th November, 6 days after the last time I raced. Whether it was absence having made the heart grow fonder or a genuine improvement, I thought Queen's were playing pretty well. Elgin were first to threaten, forcing home keeper Adam Strain into a fine diving save. The Spiders hit back, in particular, with a header from David Anderson bringing the best out of Elgin goalie Peter Donnelly, resplendent with tights under his shorts, at his left hand post. The game ebbed and flowed well enough and both teams chittered their way to half time with no goals.
The second half began with Queen's on the offensive. As has happened so often, we were not making it count, leaving the familiar fear of falling behind.
Just after the hour though, we conjured up a goal. Ian Watt played a cross into the box. It found its way to Martin McBride whose header brought an excellent save from Donnelly. Tony Quinn got on the end of the rebound. Donnelly could only palm his effort into the roof of the net. 1-0 to the Spiders.
Queen's reacted in the way they often do- retreating into their defensive shell. Manager Gardner Speirs actually showed some positivity, lining up striker Craig Smith to come on. Before he could, Craig Frizzell played a cross into our box. Elgin striker Jason Crooks met it very well with his head. Strain's outstretched hand helped the ball into the top left hand corner. 1-1, something for the two dozen or so Elgin fans to cheer and the lead lost after barely 5 minutes. Smith then replaced Paul Harkins. Too late was the cry.
Both teams to their credit still went at it. In the last 10 minutes, Speirs brought on two more strikers, David Murray and Michael Daly, for Ian Watt and Tony Quinn and went from one up front to three. A bold move for a normally conservative manager. However, it was Elgin who continued to give us the jitters, forcing two corners as the 90 minutes came and gone. We managed to clear the second one and had enough time to break away to force one of our own. The pressure came to nothing and the final whistle signalled a stalemate.
It was a fair enough result for me and one I would have taken beforehand against a team on a decent run of form. 2010 has not been a vintage year for Queen's Park. We reached the promotion playoffs at the end of season 2009/10 before being thumped 6-2 over two games by Arbroath. This season has been a write off. Second bottom of the Third Division with 11 points from 14 games at the time of writing and turfed out the Scottish Cup by junior side Bo'ness United. Here's hoping 2011 brings better things.
We certainly have a DJ with a sense of humour who played "Driving Home for Christmas" as we exited Hampden. Provided all associated with Elgin hit the road within half an hour of the final whistle, they may make it in time.
Teams
Queen's Park- Strain, McGinn, Meggatt, Little, Gallacher, Capuano, McBride, Anderson, Watt, Quinn, Harkins. Subs -Sinclair, Smith, Daly, Murray, McPherson (GK)
Elgin City- Donnelly, Dempsie, Inglis, Kaczan, Niven, Crooks, Duff, O'Donoghue, Cameron, Nicolson, Frizzell.Subs - Millar, Wilson, Edwards, McDonald, Calder (GK)
Above: preparing to kick off.
Queen's had not played since a lame 1-0 defeat to Albion Rovers on 13th November, 6 days after the last time I raced. Whether it was absence having made the heart grow fonder or a genuine improvement, I thought Queen's were playing pretty well. Elgin were first to threaten, forcing home keeper Adam Strain into a fine diving save. The Spiders hit back, in particular, with a header from David Anderson bringing the best out of Elgin goalie Peter Donnelly, resplendent with tights under his shorts, at his left hand post. The game ebbed and flowed well enough and both teams chittered their way to half time with no goals.
The second half began with Queen's on the offensive. As has happened so often, we were not making it count, leaving the familiar fear of falling behind.
Above: Queen's putting pressure on Elgin (blue shirts)
Queen's reacted in the way they often do- retreating into their defensive shell. Manager Gardner Speirs actually showed some positivity, lining up striker Craig Smith to come on. Before he could, Craig Frizzell played a cross into our box. Elgin striker Jason Crooks met it very well with his head. Strain's outstretched hand helped the ball into the top left hand corner. 1-1, something for the two dozen or so Elgin fans to cheer and the lead lost after barely 5 minutes. Smith then replaced Paul Harkins. Too late was the cry.
Both teams to their credit still went at it. In the last 10 minutes, Speirs brought on two more strikers, David Murray and Michael Daly, for Ian Watt and Tony Quinn and went from one up front to three. A bold move for a normally conservative manager. However, it was Elgin who continued to give us the jitters, forcing two corners as the 90 minutes came and gone. We managed to clear the second one and had enough time to break away to force one of our own. The pressure came to nothing and the final whistle signalled a stalemate.
It was a fair enough result for me and one I would have taken beforehand against a team on a decent run of form. 2010 has not been a vintage year for Queen's Park. We reached the promotion playoffs at the end of season 2009/10 before being thumped 6-2 over two games by Arbroath. This season has been a write off. Second bottom of the Third Division with 11 points from 14 games at the time of writing and turfed out the Scottish Cup by junior side Bo'ness United. Here's hoping 2011 brings better things.
We certainly have a DJ with a sense of humour who played "Driving Home for Christmas" as we exited Hampden. Provided all associated with Elgin hit the road within half an hour of the final whistle, they may make it in time.
Teams
Queen's Park- Strain, McGinn, Meggatt, Little, Gallacher, Capuano, McBride, Anderson, Watt, Quinn, Harkins. Subs -Sinclair, Smith, Daly, Murray, McPherson (GK)
Elgin City- Donnelly, Dempsie, Inglis, Kaczan, Niven, Crooks, Duff, O'Donoghue, Cameron, Nicolson, Frizzell.Subs - Millar, Wilson, Edwards, McDonald, Calder (GK)
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