By The Spider
January 25 2003

Saturday, 25th January, 2003 Queen's Park 2 Hamilton Academical 2 (Scottish Cup - Third Round)

The absence through injury of key players like Stephen Moffat, Tony Quinn and Willie Martin makes it very difficult to know how close today's line-up resembles Kenny Brannigan's first choice team, but he certainly stamped his authority all over the side today both in terms of personnel and shape.

Whilst the return of Stephen Canning was always a distinct possibility, no-one could possibly have foreseen the move of Jimmy Allan back to left wingback, let alone the introduction of Paddy Gallagher in left midfield. Whether KB's choice of playing with only 3 at the back and 5 in midfield was a one-off for today or not remains to be seen, but it certainly took a little while for the players to come to grips with the new formation; the ultimate benefactors being Danny Ferry and Johnny Whelan who both thrived in the knowledge that Ross Clarke's holding role gave them licence to get forward whenever they wanted.

Unbelievably though, the game came close to not taking place at all. A torrential downpour prior to kick-off had left the stand side touchline flooded and it took some prompt reaction from the ground staff to remedy the position, otherwise referee Stuart Dougal was set to call the game off!

Hamilton started the brighter of the two sides and Walker sent a right foot shot skidding past Tony Mitchell's right hand post. Then, in the 5th minute, the visitors took the lead. Callaghan was the architect with an excellent early curling left foot cross along the Queen's six yard box which Tony Mitchell was unable to reach, and little Martin Bonnar had the easiest of tasks to not the ball into the empty net.

Queen's first attempt on goal came in the 9th minute, but John Gemmell pulled his right foot free kick wide of the target. A couple of minutes later, Callaghan sent over another teasing outswinger and Tony Mitchell dived to save McPhee's header. Callaghan himself sent a left foot volley well over the bar in the 15th minute before Jimmy Allan made his first impact on the game, sending over a low cross from the byeline which Potter dived well to cut out.

Paddy Gallagher turned well on a throw in to fire in a shot which Potter again dealt with comfortably. Then, in the 22nd minute, John Gemmell chested down a Danny Ferry cross for Stephen Canning whose first time left foot shot gave Potter his most difficult save of the afternoon. However, it was clear that Jimmy Allan and Stephen Canning were not making the impact that Kenny Brannigan would have been hoping for so, soon after this, he re-jigged things by reversing their roles.

Tony Mitchell was called into action again in the 28th minute, this time saving from a Russell header, before Queen's grabbed an equaliser in the 31st minute. A deep cross from the right could only find the head of Nelson who, under pressure from Johnny Whelan, could only direct his clearance out to Jimmy Allan at the right edge of the penalty area. Cutting back across the edge of the box and leaving two defenders in his wake, Jimmy soon found himself with only Potter to keep and tried to lob the 'keeper who had advanced several yards off his line. However, although Potter managed to fling up a hand to block Jimmy's effort, the ball rebounded nicely for John Gemmell to rise to head the ball into the postage stamp corner.

Hamilton looked stunned by this setback and now fell out of the game completely leaving Queen's to dominate the remainder of the half. Danny Ferry fired an over-ambitious long range effort high over the bar in the 39th minute before, two minutes later, a superb crossfield pass from John Gemmell found Paddy Gallagher racing into the penalty area where his run was brought to a halt when Potter dived bravely at Paddy's feet to smother the Queen's player's slightly overhit touch.

Then, in the last minute of the half, Paddy whipped in a right foot cross from the left wing which missed everyone but almost curled into the far corner on its way for a goal kick.

Upon the resumption, Johnny Whelan looped a header just over Potter's bar from a Stevie Fallon free kick, before Queen's took a deserved lead in the 53rd minute. Danny Ferry shot over the bar and Hamilton quickly made their way upfield only for Richard Sinclair to intercept a pass deep in his own half. Sinclair then played a great long curling ball beyond the Hamilton rearguard which John Gemmell gave chase to, just managing to shrug off Sweeney in the process, before clipping the ball neatly beyond the stranded Potter. A superb composed finish, much better than some of his efforts towards the end of last year, and one which gave the young striker his 9th goal of the season, and his 7th in his last six games.

Hamilton responded with a shot from Graham which just cleared the bar after McPhee's lay-off, and then Johnny Whelan made a fantastic sliding tackle in his own area after sprinting half the length of the pitch to make the decisive intervention

Jimmy Allan had an effort deflected over the bar in the 64th minute but now Hamilton, boosted by some fresh legs, took control of the game and began to assert themselves as Queen's struggled to contain them, and particularly Gribben on the right flank. The young substitute forced a diving save from Tony Mitchell in the 72nd minute before Queen's had something of a let-off six minutes later. Callaghan got on the end of an incisive pass into the Queen's box and, although Tony Mitchell got a hand to the winger's shot, it appeared to be heading for the far corner of the net. However, up popped Stephen Canning to fire the ball off the line and back into the hands of Mitchell who was still lying on the ground from the first effort!

The remainder of Hamilton's pressure was now mostly aerial as they flung a number of dangerous crosses into the box looking to find the head of their tall third substitute, the gnarled veteran Ally Graham. Tony Mitchell was dealing reasonably well with most of these by fisting them away in two handed fashion, but he wasn't looking quite so clever when it came to corners, and two late ones were surrendered far too cheaply by Ferry and Canning. From the latter of these, and right in the dying seconds of the 89th minute, a deep right wing corner was barely tipped away at the back post by Mitchell and Allan Russell had the easiest of tasks to nod the ball into the empty net after a colleague had headed the ball over Mitchell and back into the middle of the six yard box.

It was a bad one to lose and Tony may now find that he has increased competition for his place by the time that next Saturday's game at Peterhead comes around.

After that, there is the shorter journey to New Douglas Park on Tuesday, 4th February, to look forward to for the replay when Queen's fans will be hoping that the side can find the midweek cup form away from home which has served them so well throughout the season, with Dundee United being the only one of four teams to defeat the Spiders in such circumstances this season. The reward, if it can be called that, for either side is an away trip to Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the 4th round and, whilst neither side will want to lose, perhaps neither Queen's nor Hamilton will be too devastated if they are involved in a League match when the next round of ties is being played.

ENTERTAINMENT VALUE : 3/5           STAR SPIDER : Johnny Whelan (a key player in both penalty areas)

QUEEN’S PARK : Tony Mitchell, Danny Ferry, Jimmy Allan (David Menelaws - 87), Stevie Fallon, Damiano Agostini, Richard Sinclair, Ross Clarke, Paddy Gallagher, John Gemmell, Johnny Whelan, Jimmy Allan

Subs (not used) : Stuart Thomson (GK), Gordon Lappin, Stuart Kettlewell, Allan Dunning

Scorer(s) : Gemmell (31 & 53 mins)

Booked : none

HAMILTON ACADEMICAL  : Graham Potter, Mark Nelson, Paul McDonald (Darren Gribben - 66), Ian Dobbins, Sean Seeney, Alistair Graham, Martin Bonnar (Ally Graham - 83), Johnny Walker (Mahdi Elfallah - 57), Allan Russell, Brian McPhee, Stuart Callaghan

Subs (not used) : Ian MacFarlane (GK), Andrew Arbuckle

Scorer(s) : Bonnar (5 mins), Russell (87 mins)

Booked : none

REFEREE :  Stuart Dougal *** (* = inept, ** = poor, *** = mediocre, **** = good, ***** = excellent)