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QUEEN OF THE SOUTH 1 : 1 AIRDRIE UNITED

16th December 2006

Hinchcliffe Rating: 7.18

J Thomson Rating: 6.20

Lauchlan Rating: 4.71

Henderson Rating: 6.18

Swift Rating: 5.55

O'Neill Rating: 6.25

Scally Rating: 6.39

S2 Burns Rating: 5.66

Paton Rating: 6.96

S1 Weir Rating: 5.93

Barrowman Rating: 6.00

SUBSTITUTES
S1 - 57 O'Connor Rating: 5.73	S2 - 75 Robertson Rating: 4.95	B Callaghan	A Thomson	Scott

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Members of the Internet Fan Club can award players marks out of ten for their performance today. The player with the most points awarded in the two days following a match will be the IFC Man of the Match. All of the points will then be added to a running total for each player and the results published in the mom League Table.

Name or IFC No.

MATCH SUMMARY

With Warren Moon missing through injury and Willie Gibson through suspension Ian McCall found himself short of players for the left hand side of the park, the solution saw Paul Burns come in for Moon and play just inside Eric Paton who had moved to the left hand side to allow Steven Swift take the right hand side of the midfield.

Swift had a hard time off Barrau

Although the side lined up as a 3-5-2 the entire first half was spent more as a 5-3-2 as the lively visitors overran the Queens three man midfield and continually pressed the home side back. The bulk of the pressure for the visitors was actually channeled down their left hand side through the pacey Barrau who gave Steven Swift a torrid time. For all Airdrie's first half pressure it was Queens who had the better of the chances, on fifteen minutes an Eric Paton corner was headed goalward by Murray Henderson forcing an acrobatic save from the diminutive Stephen Robertson as the United 'keeper pushed the effort onto the bar and out for another corner.

Robertson touches it onto the bar

Craig Hinchcliffe then needed two attempts to gather a long range shot from Stephen McDougall on twenty minutes. The game was generally played in good spirits but Graham Weir was booked early on for a high and late challenge on Robertson then on twenty minutes John O'Neill also earned himself a yellow card as he caught Neil McGowan as the defender was coming out of defence. The victim then found himself booked as in the very next move he took the opportunity to return the compliment and sent O'Neill into the air with a heavy challenge. It was a bit ragged as Queens struggled to get a grip of the game and on the half hour Paul Burns picked up what seemed a harsh yellow card as he was adjudged to have caught the back of a United player's heels. The half ended with the referee awarding a corner to Airdrie United when the ball had clearly been headed over by a red and white shirt, a typical type of decision really. The second half began with Queens looking much more purposeful. Eric Paton fired a shot goalward that again Robertson just managed to touch over the bar, in all honesty it didn't look as though it was going in but did force the save anyway. The resulting corner saw Jim Lauchlan head across goal and Andy Barrowman arrive just too late to late to prod the ball home.

Big Murray uses the head to clear

Just after Sean O'Connor came on for Graham Weir Queens took the lead. Paul Burns made a great run down the left before turning inside and sending the ball across the face of the goal, Andy Barrowman was just a fraction too late but fortunately Airdrie United defender Paul Lovering couldn't get out of the way and the hapless defender could only deflect the ball into his own goal.

Celebrate the goal - from David Gow on the terracing

Queens then retreated into a more defensive formation and almost conceded an equaliser immediately as Jim Lauchlan managed to put Craig Hinchcliffe into trouble with a pass-back that was never going to reach the 'keeper and indeed ended up off the park for a corner despite Hinchcliffe's best efforts. Queens were enjoying some good pressure at this point and Eric Paton was unlucky to see his effort blocked away by Robertson in the United goal. Then shortly after a free kick from Paton was headed goalward by Jim Thomson but John O'Neill couldn't quite connect at the back post.

Big Sean is back

Disaster struck in the minute just before the final whistle as the ball found itself at the feet of substitute Brian Prunty, the former Celtic youth had one effort blocked but with his second chance he buried the ball past Hinchcliffe to tie the scores. In the very last seconds of the game Sean O'Connor could have given Queens the points that the fans desired so much but his headed effort went just past the post and the Doonhamers fans left disconsolate at the loss of another two points. In summary Airdrie United deserved a share of the points today based upon their first half performance, however on chances made we should have had the game wrapped up long before the end. We just need someone who wants to score.