Match Report

Queen of the South v Stenhousemuir at Palmerston Park, Dumfries on 3.9.16

Irn Bru Challenge Cup Third Round           Att 1,158

Queen of the South 7 [Hilson 6, Anderson 10, Dobbie 33, 53, Lyle 37 pen, Rigg 66,79] Stenhousemuir 1 [Cook 81]

The last meeting between the clubs was a close affair with the Doonhamers winning by the only goal of the game so the Warriors would have been hoping to build on that match. It was always going to be difficult though with Queens flying high in the Championship and looking to make amends for their performance in the Betfred Cup. With Oliver Shaw excluded by his parent club David Sinclair came in for his first start for Stenhousemuir.

Any hopes of getting anything out of the game were soon extinguished after a slow start saw them play catch up which they were never realistically going to achieve. Dale Hilson saw a shot blocked by Jamie McCormack who was winded but the warning signs were already there. The home side didn’t have long though before they took the lead when Hilson once again was allowed to cut inside after only six minutes and his shot went through Colin McCabe’s hands and into the net.  Four minutes later the game was effectively ended when ex-Warrior Grant Anderson was allowed to run across the 18 yard line unhindered before tucking the ball into the net.

Stenhousemuir were making it hard for themselves losing possession cheaply on a number of occasions and they could have easily conceded another when McCabe had a clearance charged down by Stephen Dobbie whose block went just wide. A minute later Dobbie came close once again with a shot dragged wide.  It was one way traffic and Kyle Jacobs will have felt that he should have done better with a header that went over the bar.  Dobbie had been a threat throughout the game and he was rewarded for his efforts in the 33^rd minute when a strike took a slight deflection off Fraser Kerr as it went into the net. In the 37^th minute Queens were awarded a penalty for handball and Derek Lyle converted from the spot.

The Warriors failed to register an effort in the first period but any thoughts of Queens easing off in the second period were soon extinguished when they went nap a minute after the resumption. Dobbie proved to be far too strong for Ross Meechan and fended off a challenge before dispatching the ball home. In the 53^rd minute another Dobbie effort was deflected but this time McCabe saved.

Stenhousemuir had their first attempt at goal on the hour with a long range effort by Mark Gilhaney that troubled no one. This was followed by an Alan Cook effort that came closer but hit the side netting.  In the 66^th minute a Sinclair crossfield pass was intercepted and the ball was quickly transferred up to Steven Rigg who scored from close range. Rigg then had another effort cleared off the line. Other efforts followed with Jake Pickard also seeing an attempt cleared off the line before the home side scored their seventh in the 79^th minute when Rigg took full advantage of Jamie McCormack getting in a tangle and once again the substitute scored from close range.

In the 81th minute the Warriors got scant consolation when Cook fired a free kick into the net and then came close once again with a dipping effort that went just over. To make things worse Ross Meechan limped off just before the end to complete a day that will live in the memory for all the wrong reasons.

 Queen of the South – Robinson, Hamill, Marshall, Dowie, Brownlie, Anderson [Moxon h/t], Millar, Lyle [Rigg 60], Hilson, Dobbie and Jacobs [ Pickard 50]. Subs not used – Atkinson, Higgins, Tapping and Brotherston.

Stenhousemuir – McCabe, McCormack, Summers [Docherty 72], Meechan [Hamilton 89], Kerr [b78], Sinclair, Gilhaney, Millar, McMenamin, Stirling [McCroary 78] and Cook. Subs not used – Robertson, Smith, McMaster and Runciman

Referee – Greg Aitken   Assistants – Stuart Hodge and Michael Banks