Queens Team:
1 L Robinson, 2 C Reid, 3 R Harris, 4 N MacFarlane, 5 C Barr, 6 M Lancaster, 7 B Wilson, 8 S Tosh, 9 S Kean, 10 S Robertson, 11 P Burns
Subs: 12 B Halliwell, 14 S Dobbie, 15 S O'Connor, 16 J McQuilken, 17 N Scally
Ross County Team:
1 D Soutar, 2 M McCulloch, 3 S Golabek, 4 S Watt, 5 S Boyd, 6 M Scott, 7 Richie Hart, 8 R Brittain, 9 J Stewart, 10 D Daal, 11 S Higgins
Subs: 18 J Malin, 12 A Strachan, 14 S Morrison, 15 M Gardyne, 16 A Keddie
Queens made the long trip to Dingwall looking for a first win since our last trip to the same venue. Who would have guessed back in November that we wouldn't win a single game before our return? When we left Dingwall that night we were top of the league, now decidedly at the wrong end of it! Gordon Chisholm stayed with the 4-5- formation used recently but made two changes in personnel. Back into the side came Craig Reid and Paul Burns in place of Gerry McLaughlan and Jamie McQuilken. Stewart Kean was still ploughing the lone furrow up front. For the home side Derek Adams handed a first start to our cup semi final hero, John Stewart, a recent signing from Falkirk. Derek Soutar, the Aberdeen keeper he beat for the winner that day is now a team-mate and started in goal.
It was a slow and testy opening period to the game with little of note happening in the opening quarter hour. Martyn Lancaster had the first hint of a chance but headed wide from the game's first corner kick.A minute later though the home side showed their hand for the first time when Sean Higgins fired a vicious drive narrowly over the bar from 20 yards. On 23 minutes Stewart Kean was fouled on the edge of the County box and Robert Harris fired in a low strike from the resulting free kick that forced a fine save from Soutar. The resulting corner caused panic too but was eventually cleared. At the other end County earned their first corner just before the half hour after good work from John Stewart but Watt headed it wide of target.
With 39 minutes on the clock Stewart Kean had a run through the County defence that was ended somewhat cynically by Scott Boyd who saw a yellow card for his troubles. Barry Wilson lifted the resulting free kick from the edge of the box narrowly over the crossbar though. A couple of minutes later County broke after Queens made a mess of a free kick and John Stewart stuck the ball in the net but he'd strayed offside first fortunately. The half ended with the stalemate still in place.
The second period was just over a minute old when Stevie Tosh collected a booking for somewhat spectacularly halting Daal in his tracks on a break from an early Queens corner. Before the game was restarted County introduced Alex Keddie for the injured Watt. A minute later Neil MacFarlane was booked for a trip in midfield.
With 65 minutes gone Adam Strachan replaced John Stewart for the home side as Derek Adams searched for a combination to make a breakthrough. It was Queens who came close immediately though with Wilson looping a header at goal from a Harris cross. Soutar clutched the ball on his line though. Shortly afterward though Richard Brittain's free kick was missed by everyone and narrowly missed the far post too. The breakthrough arrived for the home side on 73 minutes when Higgins headed a ball through and Dyron Daal slid in to give his side the lead from six yards. Bob Harris was immediately replaced with Jamie McQuilken and a minute later Kean and Tosh were replaced by Dobbie and O'Connor.
Straight away there was more urgency and a snap shot from out wide by Dobbie almost resulted in a spectacular goal. Next to try his luck was Barry Wilson, beating the offside trap but placing his shot over the bar from just inside the box. Queens had an enormous let off with five minutes to go when Scott burst through clear on goal but Robinson produced a fine save and Lancaster swept away the rebound. Scott Morrison then replaced Sean Higgins as County looked to eat up the clock a little. In injury time Dobbie curled a free kick well wide and moments later he was booked for a dive on the edge of the County box. Queens couldn't force an equaliser though so it was yet another defeat in the results sheet. To be fair County maybe deserved some luck after the previous two meetings but it was a game that should have been a draw really.