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QUEEN OF THE SOUTH 1 : 2 HIBERNIAN

24th February 2007

MacDonald Rating: 6.67

Paton Rating: 6.18

Thomson Rating: 7.50

Lauchlan Rating: 6.95

McQuilken Rating: 6.70

S2 1 O'Neill Rating: 6.93

Adams Rating: 7.75

Scally Rating: 7.77

Gibson Rating: 7.24

Dobbie Rating: 7.06

S1 O'Connor Rating: 7.02

SUBSTITUTES
S1 - 61 Barrowman Rating: 5.16	S2 - 73 Weir Rating: 5.16	Robertson	Henderson	Corr

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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 Stevie Tosh sidelined through injury and Stevie Murray cup tied there were two enforced changes to the side that had so comprehensively defeated Airdrie in the league just seven days before. In for Tosh came John O'Neill to an unfamiliar right sided midfield role whilst Willie Gibson made his final appearance for Queens on the left. The Hibs side look about as strong as it could be with many familiar names with great reputations going before them.

Palmerston was bursting at the seams

The first chance of the game came from a free kick after Jamie Adams was pulled down on the edge of the visitors box, Stephen Dobbie took the kick but could only send his effort over the bar without giving Simon Brown in the Hibs goal anything to do. It took Hibs twenty minutes to gain their first corner but it was followed by another three in the same number of minutes after it. Fortunately though there were no clear cut chances made from any of the corners taken. Willie Gibson almost went out with a bang as he beat two Hibs players down the left before cutting in and shooting just over the top. Then again on the half hour Willie broke free and found himself on the edge of the box as he curled an effort that Brown again collected with reasonable ease. Strangely Eric Paton found his way onto the referee's book when everyone else expected a free kick for Queens, he was quickly followed by John O'Neill for a challenge that looked more clumsy than with any intent. Then just as the half was coming to an end out of absolutely nothing came a wonder strike from Hibs left back David Murphy, the ball came out of defence and fell to the former Middlesborough trainee who, from thirty yards, struck an unstoppable shot that MacDonald could only dive despairingly at as it hit the back of the net. A cruel end to the half for Queens who had done enough to be going in level after 45. The second half started with a bang as Queens equalised within the first three minutes. A Jamie McQuilken throw in the bottom left corner was nodded back to the taker by Chris Hogg, this time McQuilken crossed and the ball was met by the head of John O'Neill who finished with some skill to lift the volume at Palmerston way past anything heard in the last few years.

Brilliant goal footage - from David Gow on the terracing

John O'Neill heads past Brown..........

.........and celebrates

Queens fans were still celebrating though as the Hibees restored their lead with a hopeful cross that found the defence static and the goalkeeper in no man's land, that was enough to allow debutant Thomas Sowunmi to bundle the ball home and this time it was the turn of the Hibs fans in the East Stand to lift the lid.

Sowunmi gets the better of MacDonald

Queens were not deterred and infact dominated the game from here on in. 15 minutes into the half and Jamie Adams almost put the home side back on level terms following a scramble in the box from a corner kick, twice the big man was denied by a last gasp save and then a tackle. Ian McCall made the first of his two changes in the sixty fifth minute as he gave Sean O'Connor a well deserved rest and introduce Andy Barrowman, then five minutes later he swapped John O'Neill for Graham Weir with Barrowman dropping into O'Neill's right midfield slot and Weir partnering Dobbie upfront.

Jim Lauchlan makes a forceful challenge on Brown

From a free kick wide right the ball was played deep to Jamie Adams, he headed back to Andy Barrowman who from around the penalty spot curled an effort to the top corner that Simon Brown just managed to push away, however Jamie Adams popped up to attempt to squeeze it back and into the net - it just wouldn't go in though and another effort slipped away.

Almost but not quite - from David Gow on the terracing

Adams can't believe his bad luck as the ball just won't go in.

The only Hibs efforts of any note in the closing stages of the game were a turn and snapshot on the edge of the box by Scott Brown, it didn't cause MacDonald any problems though and a free kick from Whittaker who attempted to catch MacDonald out but the youngster got across his goal well to turn away the effort from the top corner. The final real Queens effort of the half came from a ball cleared out of defence by Hibs but only as far as Neil Scally, the midfield battler cracked a low shot toward goal only to be denied by a good stop by Brown to groans of despair from the home crowd. Notably today almost everyone in the crowd was still there after 4.45pm as there was significant doubt about the end result right until the final whistle.

The last word has to go to Willie Gibson after his long association with Queens finished at the final whistle today - best of luck at Kilmarnock Willie!