Queen’s Park vs Stenhousemuir

Match Report

MATCH REPORTS
Queens Park v Stenhousemuir at Hampden Park, Glasgow on 10.08.19
SPFL Ladbrokes League Two Att 565
Queens Park 1 [Kouider-Aissa 90] Stenhousemuir 1 [Hopkirk 47]

Queens Park – Muir, Mortimer, Summers [Clark 80], Little [b79], Jamieson [b85], Magee [Moore 74], Lidouren [b90], Block, Kouider-Aissa, Galt and Purdue [Thomson 62]. Subs not used – Martin, Gibson, Main and Heraghty.

Stenhousemuir – Smith, McIlduff [O’Neill 89], Marsh, Dykes [McKernon 76], McGuigan[b44] Hopkirk [b90], Cook, McLaughlin, M.Munro, Scullion [Gibbons 69][b87] and A.Munro Subs not used – Marley, Halleran, Watters and Anderson.

Referee – Gavin Duncan Assistants – Alastair Mather and Robert Thomson

This was the opening game at the national stadium this season as Queens Park had been playing their cup ties at Airdrie and thus it was a lush looking pitch for their last ever season at Hampden. The game played failed to suit the occasion though with a result that neither team would have been looking for prior to kick off.

When the Warriors conceded an equaliser deep into stoppage time through a Salim Kouider-Aissa penalty in the 96th minute there was of course disappointment that Stenhousemuir had been unable to see the game through to the end.

There was though also a feeling that we had picked up a barely deserved point after a poor performance and that if we had picked up a win we would have stolen the points. The game started with the visitors playing a possession game and indeed Queens Park barely touched the ball in the opening minutes. Despite having all the possession though it was not in the danger areas of the pitch and therefore didn’t trouble the home team.

As the game progressed Queens began to be seen more as an attacking force and the ease with which they created opportunities without too much hard work was worrying. David Marsh did well to block a David Galt effort in the 16th minute after he was given too much room and a couple of minutes later Graeme Smith did well to deny Kouider-Aissa after Andy Munro had been beaten.

In a rare attack Mark McGuigan tried to get on the end of a ball behind the home defence, keeper Willie Muir scrambled the ball clear where it fell to David Hopkirk who in trying to switch to his favoured foot took too long and the effort was blocked. Before the end of a half that could have seen the home side well ahead Galt was denied when Andy Munro managed to clear an effort off the line.

The second half was only two minutes old when Hopkirk bundled the ball home from a Liam Scullion cross-cum -shot and although it appeared to hit the striker to go into the net he was in the right place at the right time.

Lewis Magee will have felt that he should have scored on the hour following a goalmouth scramble as he put the ball wide from very close range. Queens then struck the post and Joffrey Lindouren saw a curling effort tipped over the bar in quick succession.

The latter stages of the game were a stop start affair with the Warriors slowing the game down where possible though Marky Munro was stupidly booked for kicking the ball away. There was also time added by the referee as Aidan McIlduff was injured when fouled by Nicky Jamieson. The full back tried to continue but had to be subbed.

With the game in the fourth minute of added time Graeme Smith in an attempt to cut out an attempt by Lewis Moore but only succeeded in fouling the Spider and after a delay for the Queens Park player to receive treatment up stepped ex-Warrior Kouider-Aissa to convert the penalty with some panache.