By The Spider
March 24 2002

Saturday, 5th March, 2002 Peterhead 1 Queen’s Park 2 (Scottish League - Third Division)

This reporter has been calling for changes for some time now and, following the last defeat by Dumbarton, a plea was made to Cowboy to bring in Tony Mitchell, Chris Fisher and some other youngsters too. That wish was granted yesterday but, fair play to Cowboy, he also persevered with his strategy of the infrequent (enforced by work commitments) use of Mark Gallagher as well as reverting to the use of James Bruce in central defence as opposed to wingback. Both were absolutely outstanding yesterday and, had Tony Mitchell not had "a blinder" yesterday, either could have been genuine candidates for "Star Spider" nominations.

However, Gal will be unavailable every time that Killie have a home game, and it's just a shame that something can't be done to get him a job as groundsman at Hampden (or perhaps the SFA are happy with the state of our former hallowed turf?) to enable us to play him every week and thereby go some way to achieving the consistency of which Cowboy is so desirous. Also, whilst James Bruce was afforded tremendous aerial protection yesterday by Collins and White, his lack of height is still a concern.

Anyway, never mind the future for now. Let's wallow in the joy that was Peterhead v Q.P. yesterday......

There was some delight when the team news filtered into the Peterhead Social Club as Chris Fisher was at long last being given a place in the starting line-up. Perhaps he actually turned up on time for the team bus this week and has learned from his punishment of being "benched" for recent fixtures? The little talisman made his first appearance this season as a substitute in the home defeat by Peterhead in November and, although his introduction that day came too late to have any influence on the outcome, it is worth noting that in his next seven appearances until injury halted his progress, he was not on the losing side even once. Surely not a co-incidence?

Although John Cunningham was again inexplicably left out of a defence which has been leaking goals like a sieve, Tony Mitchell had finally been given the nod over Graeme Smith who needs some time to consolidate the experience gained this season, and Jamie White had also been called in from the cold in the absence of Ross Caven who has succumbed to another virus. Paul Borland also returned at the expense of Liam McVey - perhaps this was a Club first with two on-loan players actually being second choice to our own home grown ones?

A gale force wind was blowing down the pitch from right to left (from a main stand perspective) and Peterhead had it at their backs for the first half. It will therefore come as no great surprise to learn that 19 of their 24 goal attempts would come before the interval.

The first of many long range shots was executed in the 5th minute by Craig Yates, but Tony Mitchell had a clean view of it all the way and confidently clutched it above his head. Craig Cooper was next to try his luck and this time Mitchell saw it late but still produced a great diving save to his right to tip the ball away for a corner. Cooper's inswinger was more like a shot as it bent in at the back post but again Mitchell showed that he was "up for it" by leaping to palm the ball over the bar. When the cross from the other side was cleared, Cooper again fired on target but Mitchell was equal to the task and again saved well.

There had been some quiet criticism of Peterhead manager Ian Wilson, currently in his third spell in charge, before kick-off for making unnecessary changes to the balance of his promotion chasing side by playing several players out of their normal positions. That criticism turned to several raised voices of dissent in the 13th minute. Allan Dunning worked his way into a good position on the left wing and float over an inviting cross to the back post. With his acceptance speech at the ready, Mark Gallagher climbed high above his marker to head majestically down towards the base of Pirie's left hand post. Although the startled 'keeper managed to get a hand to it, the ball was already climbing back up beyond his grasp to give Gal as good a headed goal as he must have scored at any stage in his entire playing career. So disgusted was one Wilson berater in the centre stand by the apparent ease at which Queen's had taken the lead that he promptly got to his feet and left muttering that he had seen more than enough already!

It took five minutes for Peterhead to gain control of the game again and once more a considerable amount of pressure was exerted on the Queen's defence. Iain Stewart, the smallest man on the pitch, somehow got his head to a Cooper inswinging cross and a deflection took it marginally past the target. Tony Mitchell was called into action again in the 20th minute when he flung himself full length to touch away another long range howitzer before earning further applause from visiting fans by coming off his line to punch the resultant corner clear.

Yates had another go from 25 yards, but yet again Mitchell was right behind it. In a rare breakaway, a neat turn in the area from Allan Dunning forced a corner in the 23rd minute. Chris Fisher's cross produced a melee in the area and, when the ball broke back out to him, he shot high over the bar from a wide angle when another cross had a far greater chance of providing dividends. Still, it was good to see a player with sufficient confidence in his own ability to at least have a go, something for which no player should ever be faulted unless he is just being plain greedy.

The equaliser came right on the half hour mark, but should never have been allowed to stand. With James Bruce isolated at the far post with a larger opponent, a deep cross found him struggling to contain King's leap and Iain Stewart pounced on the header across the six yard box to slam the ball home from point blank range. So often the scourge of Queen's defences previously, he was never going to miss that kind of chance, but to create it King had clearly pushed Bruce in the back and Peterhead were indeed fortunate that neither referee Hardie nor his assistant Paul Watson who was away on the other touchline spotted the offence.

With a full quarter of an hour of the half still remaining, there were fears that Queen's could have crumbled under some sustained pressure, but Tony Mitchell and his colleagues had other ideas. Cooper was first up in the 32nd minute, but his left foot shot went narrowly wide. Then Yates tried to curl the ball round the 'keeper, but Mitchell used his feet very well and ran three full steps from his near post before diving full length to tip the ball away for a superb save. Many a taller 'keeper would have relied on their height to try to reach the ball by simply diving for it, and nearly all would have been beaten had they tried to do so. That was what made that particular save just that little bit more special.

Bruce, Collins and White were all dreadfully guilty of ball watching a minute later and the completely unmarked Robertson had time and space to pick his spot with a diving header but it was directed within Mitchell's reach and he rose to tip it over the bar. In the 38th minute, the Queen's 'keeper came out confidently to clutch another dangerous cross before, five minutes later, another Stewart header was cleared by James Bruce.

In the last minute, in a position similar to the one that an early goal was conceded at Firs Park not that long ago, an inswinging cross was missed by everyone and was heading in at the back post before Mitchell showed wonderful reflexes to dive to his left at the last moment and tip the ball wide for a corner which fortunately came to nothing.

Well into the 2nd minute of injury time, Queen's nearly stole a second goal but Allan Dunning's back post header was smothered by Pirie who had made up lost ground well.

Being level at this point was genuinely a great boost to morale and the players emerged for the second half with the wind at their backs this time, and the scent of victory in their nostrils. Within two seconds of the restart they had their first attempt at goal as Gal tried a speculative shot from the centre circle as soon as the ball was touched to him. A minute later, Stephen Canning tried to curl a free kick in at the back post but Pirie had anticipated well and rose to make a fine save. Chris Fisher's inswinging corner kept up the pressure and produced another tip-over from the home goalkeeper.

Fisher himself tried a long range effort in the 50th minute before Queen's had a lucky escape in the 53rd minute. A cross across into the Queen's area was missed by Jamie White's boot but his hand made full contact with the ball on the follow through as Robertson prepared himself for the excellent shooting chance which was to follow. Incredibly, despite White being a full yard inside the area when he made contact, perhaps deceived by the Queen's defender's quick reaction to thrust his body outside the area afterwards, referee Hardie awarded a direct free kick right on the edge of the area rather than the penalty it undoubtedly appeared to have been. Anyway, after White had been booked for his trouble, the wall did its job to block the resultant shot.

Robertson manoeuvred himself into a good position in the 57th minute but spoiled it by slicing the ball wide. At the other end, Gal sent over an splendid cross only for Fisher to head past. With Queen's not applying as much pressure as had been hoped, there were calls for Cowboy to make a change, with one player in particular being suggested as he looked especially weary after having played in every game so far this season. However, such suggestions were immediately withdrawn in the 62nd minute.

With Peterhead caught on the counter attack, a sweeping move saw the ball played crossfield to Chris Fisher who promptly despatched back to the other side where Stephen Canning latched onto it some 30 yards from goal before firing an unstoppable shot high beyond Pirie. Stephen may have had a quiet hour but he now exploded into action bring ridicule to the notion that he was too tired to continue.

Chris Fisher was again the architect as he wriggled his way to the left byeline before pinpointing Canning's run across goal with a great driven cross which Stephen volleyed just wide of the far post. The young midfielder then sent a cross-cum-shot from the left onto the roof of the net as it agonisingly just failed to dip in time. Paul Borland then tried his luck from some distance before Cooper broke up the right wing and brought out a good diving save from Mitchell who again cleanly held the outswinging cross.

Johnny Whelan fired in a left foot shot but too near to Pirie to stand any chance of beating him. Back came the home side again and Tindal beat Mitchell all ends up with a cute lob over him as Tony positioned himself for a shot, but fortunately the ball dropped onto the net rather than fall just under the bar.

As Peterhead desperately tried to salvage something from the game, they left gaping holes at the back and Queen's did their best to exploit one such opening in the 79th minute. Gal laid the ball across the edge of the area for the onrushing Johnny Whelan. Any shot on target from that range had a great chance of going in by the speed of the ball alone but Johnny tried to be just a little bit too clever by executing a cute chip which he got horribly wrong and the ball miscued off his toe and went weakly wide of goal.

Chris Fisher's last contribution before making way for Jim Brown was a low shot with the outside of this left foot which lacked sufficient power to beat Pirie and then, in the last minute, Stephen Canning curled a free kick from the left touchline over the home 'keeper only to see it come back off the face of the crossbar and then cleared away.

With some very nervous Queen's fans screaming at Hardie to blow the final whistle, the Queen's youngsters showed commendably more composure than their own supporters and were content to play the ball into the corners until the inevitable shrill peep ended the agony on the other side of the touchline.

So, considering the respective side's league positions before kick-off, a famous victory and one that will be savoured for the remainder of the week until the char-a-banc heads off to New Bayview for the 6th encounter of the season against East Fife. With two wins to each side and a draw in the other game so far, it's anyone's guess as to the outcome, let alone trying to figure out what team John McCormack will elect to field this time if the injury position improves sufficiently to allow him a greater degree of choice.

Thanks, in the main to Mitchell and Bruce, the defence got away with it this week and Collins and White didn't look comfortable. Still, should you change a winning team? Let's hope for more opportunities to pose that question!

ENTERTAINMENT VALUE : 4/5    STAR SPIDER : Tony Mitchell

QUEEN’S PARK : Tony Mitchell, James Bruce, Paul Borland, Neil Collins, Jamie White, Anthony Quinn, Allan Dunning (Willie Martin - 74), Johnny Whelan, Mark Gallagher (Liam McVey - 89), Stephen Canning, Chris Fisher (Jim Brown - 84)

PETERHEAD : Ivor Pirie, Scott Clark (Shaun McSkimming - 68), Greig Smith (John Duffy - 79), Stuart Mackay (Mark Slater - 70), Craig Yates, Kevin Tindal, Craig Cooper, Iain Stewart, Keith Robertson, Martin Johnston, Steve King