Gordon Chisholm was a manager without his troubles to seek as regards fit players for the trip to Morton. Of the six players on the injured list through the week, only Jim Thomson was passed fit. The skipper came back into the line up then at the expense of Andy Aitken, who dropped right out of the sixteen. Otherwise it was an unchanged pool to that which lost to the Greenock side last weekend but it lined up very differently with a back three and McQuilken and Parratt serving as wing-backs.. The home side of course contained plenty of players familiar to the Queens fans despite Peter Weatherson continuing to sit on the bench. Dumfries boys Ryan McGuffie and Iain Russell were in the starting line up though along with two former Gretna players in Erik Paartalu and Allan Jenkins.
 

 

Queens were in all-red for the first time today

Queens made a bright start, playing in their red change kit for the first time, and Stephen Dobbie struck a fine early shot into Kevin Cuthbert's body following a Tosh free kick. Ryan McGuffie though soon responded with a fierce strike of his own after a mistake from Craig Barr. It was mainly Queens though in the early minutes and Stewart Kean forced a fine save from Cuthbert having latched onto a poor defensive clearance. The resulting corner ended with Craig Barr heading over the crossbar too. Morton were under the cosh a little and Alex Walker was booked for a foul on Jamie McQuilken as he tried to seize on yet another defensive error. Seconds later Tom Parratt went down under a challenge in the Morton box and the referee, Mr Crawford Allan, had a question to answer? His answer was "no" though.

 

Midway through the half, out of nothing, Kean chipped the ball across the penalty box and Stevie Tosh rattled the ball against the post from 15 yards out with Cuthbert nowhere near it. Dobbie was able to latch onto the rebound but couldn't control the ball in time to get a shot off. Craig Sives though saw yellow shortly afterward for a foul on Russell as Morton ventured forward but traffic was soon back to heading the other direction. When Jamie McQuilken lifted in a cross at a second attempt from a corner Stewart Kean flicked a header over the crossbar. The half ended with Queens completely in charge but without a goal to show for it.

 

Bell stretches

The second period started in slow fashion with neither side able to create much of an opening before, on 58 minutes, Cammy Bell was booked for sliding out of his penalty area with the ball in his hands. Fortunately the free kick came to nothing and neither was there any end product to Iain Russell's mazy run a few moments later. David Irons had seen enough to make his first change and Kevin Finlayson replaced Jenkins on the hour.

 
On 65 minute Alex Walker chanced his luck from 30 yards and, though Bell covered the strike easily, the ball slipped from his hands in the conditions and Tom Parratt had to move smartly to clear the ball before it ran to either Wake or McAlister. Straight away at the other end Dobbie's fine run set up Kean to flick wide. Stevie Tosh became the third Queens player booked after talking his way in there. He was to regret that seconds later as Jim Thomson was very harshly adjudged to have handled on the edge of his own box and Mr Tosh was not slow to share his similar opinion with Mr Allan. The response was inevitable as Tosh got a second yellow and then red for his dissent. Craig Barr was also booked for dissent in the arguing that followed. The free kick yielded only a corner but, from that, Dominic Shimmins should have scored but placed his free header over the crossbar.
 
Some reorganisation was needed and Queens immediately adopted a flat back four with Barr moving out to right back and McQuilken dropping to left back. Parratt moved into the midfield and Kean dropped to left midfield in front of McQuilken. The new formation didn't last long before Parratt pulled up with injury and was replaced with Michael McGowan. The new man lasted 60 seconds before being booked for unceremoniously slicing down McAlister. And he'd already been warned for another foul!
 
The left-hand crossbar was struck for the second time in the match on 80 minutes when Russell ran crossfield unchecked before hit venomously from 25 yards. Bell might have got there had it been on target but I'm not certain. Davie Irons had decided that Morton could afford to be more ambitious with only Dobbie up top and replaced his left back, Chris Smith, with Peter Weatherson, going three up front. Seconds later Chisholm's response was to replace Dobbie with the much pacier David Weatherston. In the final minute Kean robbed a defender and set up McGowan to get into the box down the right. His cross was controlled and then turned goalward by Weatherston but it didn't have enough pace to trouble Cuthbert. In injury time Barr deflected McAlister's effort over the crossbar but despite a succession of follow up corners the home side offered no further threat as Jim Thomson mopped everything up.
 

In the end perhaps a disappointing point in a game we dominated for long spells but, given we played a large chunk of it with ten men, perhaps not a bad result.

Report - Ewan Lithgow

Photos - David Gow