LATEST NEWS

For previous news articles see the monthly archive at the foot of this page.

Cup Kick-Off

31st March 2003

It is a 7.30pm kick-off on Wednesday evening as Queens face Rowan Alexanders Gretna side in the second round of the Southern Counties Challenge Cup at Palmerston.

Why Peter loves "Nellie the Elephant"

29th March 2003

Peter Weatherson openly admits he just loves it when he hears "Nellie the Elephant" blaring out from the P.A. system at Palmerston."It's great" he says with a big smile on his face "For it means I've just scored another goal.

"It was our physio, Kenny Crichton, who started it all off. He's a bit of a practical joker is Kenny and he said I looked a bit like John Merrick on whom the film 'Elephant Man' was based. The lads in the dressing room thought this was hilarious and they too nicknamed me 'Elephant Man'. The next thing I knew our P.A. man, 'Alex the Hat' had cottoned on and when I scored a goal at Palmerston he would play 'Nellie the Elephant' over the tannoy. But it's all good fun and I enjoy it". Although only 22, Peter is in his third season with Queens and thoroughly enjoys it here. Apart from Andy Aitken and Jim Thomson, he is our longest serving player, having joined from Newcastle Blue Star in July, 2000. However, before that he did have a spell with Gretna Ponteland United.

That first season he took Palmerston by storm, knocking in goals from all angles. In only his 5th appearance he had the distinction of playing on the hallowed Hampden turf when he faced Queens Park. "It was marvellous experience for a 20-year-old" he recalled. "Apart from myself there were several other players from the North East and we all enjoyed the occasion" In October, in his 12th game, he notched a 'hat-trick' in a 4-2 victory over Stenhousemuir. "I remember it well" he grinned "Jarrod Suddick laid on all three goals for me--in fact I still have the match ball at home". His goal-scoring soon attracted the attention of Premier League sides from both sides of the Border (including his beloved Newcastle) but unfortunately for Peter no serious offer materialised. "Were you aware of the scouts in the stand watching you and did it affect you in any way" we asked. "Not really" he replied. "But I must admit it was on my mind at times". Peter scored 20 goals in 37 games in that first season and scooped the pool at the Doonhamer Travel Club's annual presentations winning all three major awards--'Player of the Year', 'Young Player of the Year' and 'Away Day Player of the Year'. "Ever since I arrived at Palmerston the fans have been great and have given me tremendous encouragement" he confessed. "To me they're just brilliant, particularly all those who travel to the away games at places like Peterhead and Ross County. That's dedication for you" To date he has netted 44 times for Queens and his most memorable strike was the second of his two goals in the recent match at Alloa. This goal incidentally won the 'Scotsport Goal of the Month' award for January. Another he vividly remembers was at Hampden against Queens Park. "We were 1-0 down but I rammed home a cracker and we went on to win the match 2-1". And his most memorable games? "Three immediately spring to mind-- the Challenge Cup final at Broadwood; the match up at Forfar when we clinched the Championship and, of course, the following Saturday at Palmerston when we were presented with the trophy". And how do you compare first division football to last season? "The pace is a lot quicker; the quality of football is much better and you get punished more for any mistakes" he confessed.And what about playing in the deeper role you've been allocated of late. "Obviously I prefer being an out-and-out striker, but we've such an accomplished squad now I'm just glad to get a game. I'd play in goal if I was asked" he joked. Born and bred on Tyneside, Peter has supported Newcastle United since childhood. "It runs in the family" he explains. "My father and grandfather attended all their games and I used to hear them argue and compare all the great players from the past like Jackie Milburn, Bobby Mitchell, Peter Withe and Malcolm Macdonald. So it must be in the blood so to speak". His own boyhood stars were Peter Beardsley and the irrepressible 'Gazza', both of whom he describes as 'Magpie Heroes'. In more recent times it was the legend himself, Alan Shearer that Peter hero worshipped. Last season it was strongly rumoured that he would be turning out for Newcastle against Queens in a pre-season friendly match. "But he wasn't there and he may regret losing out on his one and only chance to play against Peter Weatherson" he laughed. "I used to work in a flooring factory which was quite close to St James Park. I've actually played at the 'shrine of football' once" he said with pride in his voice. "I was only 14 and turned out for my school team, Kenton Comprehensive. Sadly, we lost 2-0, but it was an exciting day for me". At the beginning of this season Peter re-located to Dumfries but it didn't quite work out as planned, so he has now moved back to Newcastle. "I had hoped to get in a lot of extra training by using the facilities available at Palmerston and also improve my fitness at the Barracuda Leisure Club. However, being more-or less on my own it wasn't so easy" he explained. "I really like Dumfries, but being a small town and me playing for Queens I felt I was always being 'watched'. I'd to be very careful what I said and what I did--it was like living in a goldfish bowl at times". "Did you have any trouble with the usual Scotland/England issue when in Dumfries" we questioned." "No, not at all" he confessed "But I think the Scots and the Geordies have always got along famously. If I'm ever going to a nightclub with a bad reputation I always take my 'minder' Kenny Crichton with me. Let's face it, yobs would just take one look at Kenny and run a mile" said Peter, chuckling to himself. Away from football he relaxes by playing snooker and golf, working out at the gym and we believe he's a very polished performer at karaoke. Peter openly admits he owes an awful lot to the 'gaffer', John Connolly and also 'Scottie' (the assistant manager); Warren Pearson (First team coach) and physio, Kenny Crichton. "They gave me a chance to prove myself" he says "And have always watched over me and guided me in the right direction". As for characters in the game, he puts Andy Goram right up there at the top of the list and describes him as a 'great guy'. "He's a laugh-a-minute--great fun when out socially; great with the young players and I feel he's been a great asset to the club". And what about Peter's hopes for the future. "I'd love to go full-time and, with no disrespect to Queen of the South, play at the highest level possible. I'm only 22 and all I want to do at present is play professional football" he concluded. This concludes our series of Player Chat for this season however, next month we feature a Manager Chat as John Connolly relates his story. Bill Goldie

SCCC - Opponents

28th March 2003

Round two of the Southern Counties Challenge Cup will see a return to Palmerston for Queens former player and manager Rowan Alexander, for on Wednesday night his side Gretna defeated Crichton 2-0. The match will be played this coming Wednesday with a 7.30pm kick-off. Bill Goldie

Round Up

28th March 2003

It's Player Chat time tomorrow night with Peter Weatherson. Nellie tells us how be got the famous nickname, his favourite goals and his aspirations for the future. Make sure you check out the site tomorrow night. Remember that the Queen of the South Museum is open tomorrow morning from 9:30 to 12:00 for viewing, remember to take your camera with you as it will be the last chance to see the Bell's Second Division Championship trophy and the Bell's Cup together.

Victory in CD

26th March 2003

A Queens side tonight progressed to the next round of the South of Scotland Challenge Cup with a 2-0 victory over Threave Rovers in Castle Douglas. The side contained Jamie Campbell, who saved a penalty, Steven Renicks, Alan Gray and Ben Dawson from the first team squad with all of the others coming from the Under 18's. Ross Kerr and Willie Gibson (penalty) were the scorers. Queens will now take on the winners of the Gretna Crichton match next Wednesday at Palmerston.

Museum to Open

26th March 2003

The Queen of the South Museum will be open this Saturday for fans to come along and view the excellent collection of memorabillia on display. Museum Curator Ian Black will be on hand and points out that this will be the last chance to view the League Championship Trophy as it will very soon be leaving Palmerston for its new owners. So remember to bring along your camera and get a unique photograph of both the Bell's Second Division Championship Trophy and the Bell's Cup together. The Museum will be open between 9.30 and 12.00 on Saturday morning.

Goalie to Go

25th March 2003

The big news from Palmerston today is that keeper Andy Goram has been informed that his contract is not being renewed next season. Said manager John Connolly "Queens are like every other club in Scotland--we've got to cut our cloth to suit the pattern. Andy has been a great asset for us and has been a tremendous influence in the dressing room. He is respected by all the players--both young and old. I'll be sorry to see him go but if we can help him in any way to secure a new club, we'll most certainly do so". The news was broken to the ex-Scotland keeper last night at training and he admitted he was very disappointed to be leaving. "They're a great bunch of lads here at Palmerston and I'll really miss them. But I realise the decision was all down to finances". The 'Goalie', who played 43 times for Scotland, last turned out for Queens in the cup-tie against Aberdeen at Palmerston back in January in what was his 750th competitive club match. A few weeks later he broke a bone in his hand during training and has been on the injured list ever since. However the news will still come as a shock to many Queens' fans. In the next couple of weeks John Connolly will be speaking to several other players regarding their future at Palmerston.

Man of the Match

24th March 2003

The man with the most Man of the Match awards collects another as Steve Bowey gets the highest vote from the members of the internet fan club. Second place from Saturday's win in Dingwall was Colin Scott and third went to Club Captain Jim Thomson. All of the scores have been added to the 'Latest Report' and the Player of the Season league table can be found via the 'Man of the Match' link.

Nice Touch

24th March 2003

It was nice to see that the wee lad who suffered a bloodied nose during the warm up on Saturday at Dingwall was so promptly attended to by the home sides officials, the Queens fan was also given a goodie bag from the Staggies Club Shop after being checked out by Queens Club Doctor.

Ross County 0-3 Queens - Reaction

22nd March 2003

John Connolly was naturally delighted with the scoreline, "It certainly makes a long journey home a bit shorter. It was another great result for us and another good all-round performance by the lads, the win now takes us above Ayr United in the table and into fifth place, if we can retain that spot to the end of the season I'll be a very happy man for we've exceeded all our expectations since winning promotion. We were against a gale force wind in the first half and they put us under a bit of pressure in the first fifteen minutes, but we defended superbly and gradually got on top, John O'Neill netted a goal just before half-time which is always a good time to score but we could easily have had more. When we came out for the second half the wind had died down, just our luck, I thought, they came at us again but we weathered the storm and started to pass the ball about and play some excellent football and when big Sean scored the second goal that was it - game, set and match. I'm told that was our biggest away win of the season, but we deserved it, we've come through a hard time these past few weeks with all the midweek games but we've only lost once in our last eight outings and we've had four clean sheets in our last five matches, which speaks volumes for the players. We have a free Saturday next week which gives us a bit of a rest, but on Wednesday night we play Threave Rovers in the South of Scotland Challenge Cup at Castle Douglas which gives me the chance to try out some of the youngsters and players who didn't feature this afternoon, hope we get a good support down to cheers us on." Bill Goldie

KC's Casualty Room

21st March 2003

Scotland's Top Physio Kenny Crichton has once again opened the doors to his Casualty Room for us, click on the link on the top right of the page to see what the man with the Healing Hands has to tell us this week.

Team News

20th March 2003

With the long trip to Dingwall ahead this weekend Queens welcome back into the squad Peter Weatherson following his two match suspension, there are however still a couple of players carrying injuries and it will be a case of some pre-match fitness tests to determine what the final sixteen will be. The squad will leave Dumfries tomorrow afternoon and will stay overnight in Aviemore before making the final part of the trip on Saturday morning.

Man of the Match

20th March 2003

No doubt this week with the man of the match as two goal hero John O'Neill wins the Internet Fan Club vote, second place went to Eric Paton with Steve Bowey winning the third place award following another commanding midfield display. All of the scores have been added to the match report and the Player of the Season League Table has also been updated. You can see a behind the goals fans eye view of John O'Neill's second goal, courtesy of David Gow by clicking on the link below, use your right mouse button and click on 'Save Target As' to download it and play it on your computer. John O'Neill scores number two

Queens 3-0 Arbroath - Reaction

18th March 2003

Said John Connolly after the game, "Following Saturday's disappointment I decided to make a few changes and freshen the side up a bit. I told the lads to go out and try not to do anything too difficult - basically keep it simple. It worked out well and after the second goal went in, just before half-time, I was confident we'd win for at 1-0 anything can happen. Infact if it hadn't been for their 'keeper who had a brilliant game it could well have been five or six in the end. I've been waiting for my chance to introduce some new players and I took the opportunity tonight. Although we were playing the bottom side we put up a good performance and with that win I think we've now consolidated out first division spot." Sponsors Man of the Match, John O'Neill thought it was a great game, he too praised the Arbroath 'keeper and said, "He had a fantastic match, as the game progressed we grew in confidence and later in the game I felt we played some lovely football. I'm only sorry my shot which came off the bar in the first half didn't go in for I'd love to get a hat-trick for Queens." Ben Dawson, who was making his debut for the club added, "It was terrific to get such a good win in my first game for Queens. I hadn't played a full match for over three months so it was just nice to get on the park for the full ninety minutes."

Team News

17th March 2003

Queens may have to call on Under 18 squad players to boost their pool for tomorrow nights match against Arbroath at Palmerston. Peter Weatherson is still suspended and both Derek Anderson and Brian McColligan are listed as doubtful and their fitness will be assessed prior to the game. Derek twisted his ankle and had to leave the field on Saturday while Brian is still suffering from the ankle knock he sustained in the midweek tussle with Caley Thistle. Bill Goldie

Man of the Match

17th March 2003

In his first full game since his latest injury Sean O'Connor wins the internet fan club Man of the Match competition, second place goes to 'keeper Colin Scott and third to captain Jim Thomson. The full scores are available via the Latest Report link and the latest player of the season league table can be found via the Man of the Match link

Queens 0-2 St.Mirren - Reaction

15th March 2003

Said John Connolly after the game, "It's a funny old game football, over the past few weeks we've played the top five sides in the league and showed a very high standard of football but the standard we displayed today was certainly not good enough. There was no zip in our play whatsoever, the first half was very poor and we conceded a bad goal in th opening minutes, we sent on two subs to freshen the team up in the second half and played a bit better but it still wasn't good enough. It was one of those occasions where we could have played all day and never scored, but all credit to St.Mirren they needed the points more than we did and deserved their win. Perhaps it's a wake-up call to us, there appears to be some very tired players out there today and maybe the midweek games are beginning to catch up on us. However we can't afford to be complacent, we're not completely safe yet, there's still eight games remaining and it would be so easy to slip back into the relegation zone. We'll now have to get our act together before Tuesday night's match against Arbroath, for after that we have three very long journeys ahead of us to Ross County, Inverness and Arbroath." In comparison John Coughlin was delighted with the three points, said the St.Mirren boss, "Queens are never an easy team to beat, particularly at Palmerston so that was a massive win for us, we worked hard in the first half and snatched an early goal, but as I suspected Queens came back at us in the second half but we held out well, however I must admit I was very relieved to see that second goal go in, I'm just out of the dressing room and we still can't agree who scored it." Big Sean O'Connor was aptly named as the sponsors Man of the Match for Queens, although he was very pleased with the award he admitted, "It's always an honour but it's so much better to win it when we've had a good result." Bill Goldie

Queens on Tour!!

14th March 2003

This should bring back some memories for some of the most loyal Queens fans out there. Sent in by Alan Cowan is shows a number of well kent faces around Palmerston. The photo was taken before a match against East Stirling supporters in April 1983 before our league game in Falikirk. The final score was 6 all with Alex Bomphray scoring 2 and Alan Cowan letting in 6 ! We could only muster 10 players, which probably counted for a quarter of the travelling support in those days! Six of the crew are still regulars even if one sits in the directors box these days!. For the record - Back Row L-R Andy Little, Andy Hunter, Alan Cowan, Craig Paterson. Front Row L-R Jim McCormick, David Gardiner, Philip "Johno" Johnston, Alex Bomphray, Norman Montgomery & Stephen Tweedie.

Directorship for Leigh

14th March 2003

Former Queens Girls Team Coach Leigh Manson has been appointed Director of Football at Gretna according to Friday's "Cumberland News". BLW

Team News

13th March 2003

With the exception of Peter Weatherson, who is suspended for two matches, Queens will have the same squad who faced Caley Thistle available for the visit of St.Mirren on Saturday. Two players picked up knocks in midweek but both have now recovered. Bill Goldie

Special Offers

13th March 2003

There are some bargains to be had at the Club Shop at the moment as John Paterson tells us of some special offers that seem too good to miss. All Polo tops have been reduced to just £18 and T Shirts to £10, there is a further saving if you purchase one of each as the bill will only be £25. There aren't too many left so make sure you're first in the queue on Saturday.

Man of the Match

13th March 2003

The sponsors got it right this week as both the fans and they agreed that the man of the match against Inverness was Brian McColligan, the battling midfielder winning his second award of the season. Second place was taken by the top form club captain Jim Thomson whilst Steve Bowey picked up the third place. The full team scores can be found via the 'Latest Report' link and the player of the season league table has also been updated and can be found via the 'Man of the Match' link.

Away Strip

12th March 2003

There have been several queries lately as to how Queens choose to play in their yellow 'away' strip even when there is no colour clash. And it happened again at Ayr on Saturday. Apparently, it's the players' own choice as they believe the yellow strip has been lucky for them. Who says footballers aren't superstitious. Bill Goldie

Under 18's

12th March 2003

The Under 18's lost their unbeaten league record going down 2-0 away at Arbroath. Title hopes are now slim but a top three place should be achievable - not too bad out of twenty sides - Well done Hissy and his fellow coaches. BLW

Queens 0-0 Inverness - Reaction

11th March 2003

Said John Connolly after the game, "That was another huge result for us against a side that's beaten us twice this season, both teams had chances to score but over the ninety minutes I think a draw was just about right. We got a bit of a break in the first half when the ball came off the post and was scrambled away but let's remember they had their let-off's as well. Again the team spirit and commitment from the lads was brilliant, remember they're all part-time players who have to travel home tonight and be at work tomorrow morning. We've played the top five sides in our last six matches, won two, drawn two and only lost to St.Johnstone, but that one was a travesty of justice. That's two shut-outs which proves just how well the defence is playing at the moment. Earlier in the season Caley Thistle came to Palmerston and gave us a real roasting, but tonight we matched them in every department which just goes to show how much we've improved. Sponsors Man of the Match, Brian McColligan modestly dismissed his award and claimed it was a real team effort, said Brian, "Everyone out there played well and to get a result against the side who've beaten us twice this season was great. I got a nasty knock on the ankle late in the game but I'm hoping I'll be fit for Saturday." Added one of the defensive heroes, Derek Anderson, "It was a game we could easily have won, for I felt we had more clear cut scoring chances than they had, they put us under a bit of pressure at the start of the second half but then we came right back into the game and could easily have snatched another win, however I'll settle for a draw for it keeps our unbeaten run going." Bill Goldie

Team News

9th March 2003

For the home match against Inverness Caley Thistle tomorrow night Queens will have John O'Neill, who was suspended on Saturday, back in the squad, doubtful however is veteran defender Derek Anderson who suffered a leg knock against Ayr United at the weekend. Said Manager John Connolly, "We've played sixteen games at Palmerston this season and only lost three, Caley Thistle are one of those to beat us so we'll be all out for revenge. The win at Ayr was a big result for us and although we're not mathematically safe yet I think the two teams at the bottom of the league will be hard pushed to catch us. Our next three matches are all at home so our target now is to overtake Ayr and move up into fifth spot in the table." Bill Goldie

Man of the Match

9th March 2003

No prizes for guessing this weekends Man of the Match as Jim Thomson wins by more than a point from his nearest challenger Steve Bowey, third place went to 'keeper Colin Scott for another solid display. The Player of the Season league table has been updated and can be found via the Man of the Match link whilst all other scores can be found on the Latest Report.

Report Now On

8th March 2003

Apologies for the lateness of the report of today's match with Ayr, this was due to hardware problems at our end that are now hopefully overcome. The fully comprehensive report from Ewan is now on.

Ayr 0-1 Queens - Match Reaction

8th March 2003

John Connolly was a very happy manager when we spoke to him on the team bus heading back to Dumfries, he said, "As you know I'm a very cautious man but I think it's safe to say we have now more or less consolidated our first division status with that win today, the four sides below us all lost and we are now fourteen points clear of Alloa and twenty clear of Arbroath so I think we're pretty safe now. Again the lads fought hard and it was a great result for us, we have played three of the top five sides in the last twelve days, we've collected seven points and conceded only two goals so that sums up how well we've battled. I'm told that it was only big Jim Thomson's fifth goal for the club but it proved a vital one. We're only five points behind Ayr now and we've a game in hand so I've set the boys a wee target - to overtake them. We've a tremendous bunch of lads at Palmerston just now, they all play for each other and as we've proved, on our game we can beat any side in this division. On Tuesday night we take on Caley Thistle, Inverness are one of only two teams we've not beaten this season so we have to sort that one out. Again thanks to all the travelling fans for their support, it's much appreciated and helps us a lot. Bill Goldie

Globe Inn Pennant

7th March 2003

The Globe Inn Doonhamers have a new Queens pennant in blue/white/gold. Anybody want one for their Queens memorabilia collection see secretary Bruce Wright at Palmerston on match days. BLW

Team News

6th March 2003

The big surprise this week is that Sean O'Connor returns to the squad for the away match at Ayr. Missing will be John O'Neill through suspension whilst Andy Goram remains on the injured list and Paddy Atkinson is not ready yet despite returning to training this week. Bill Goldie

"The most traumatic day of my life"

5th March 2003

Dawn was breaking over the Westerwood Hotel just outside Cumbernauld when John O'Neill awoke. It was Sunday, the 20th of October, the day of the Challenge Cup final.

John went down for breakfast, then, after a team meeting the coach set off for Broadwood. Little did he realise then what a traumatic day it would be for him. "The atmosphere in the dressing room prior to kick-off was electric" he recalls "When the game started we were all very confident and it was a match we never looked like losing. "I scored the opening goal and although it was hotly disputed I still maintain the ball crossed the line. But there were no argument with the second goal scored by Derek Lyle and we all celebrated lifting the cup to add to the League Championship Trophy we'd won only a few months earlier. "We then returned to our hotel for a buffet and some drinks before setting off down the road to Dumfries to party. As we sped down the M74 we had to slow down to pass a row of cars in flames. I remember thinking 'O my God, I hope there's no-one trapped in there'. About half an hour later I received a phone message saying my girlfriend, Karen, had been in one of the blazing cars and was being taken to hospital by ambulance. "I recall running down to the front of the bus in an awful state for I had no idea the extent of her injuries. It seemed like an eternity before another message came through saying it wasn't critical but she was in hospital. When we eventually reached Dumfries there was a taxi waiting to whisk me back up the road to the hospital in Wishaw and I was so relieved to find Karen had only superficial burns. She was so lucky--how she managed to kick her way out of her car I'll never know. But I felt so sad for those who didn't survive. However, it put everything into perspective--although we'd won the cup it was still only a game of football".

Americans will never forget 9/11 but John O'Neill will never forget 10/20. Born in Glasgow, he played for his school teams, St Fillans Primary and Holyrood Secondary as a youngster but signed amateur forms for Queens Park when only 15 years old. "All my mates envied me at that time for there I was playing regularly at Scotland's National Stadium only weeks after battling it out on muddy school playing fields. "I was five years at Hampden before joining Celtic. I was really thrilled, imagine John O'Neill being a Celtic player--it's something you just dream about. It was Lou Macari who actually signed me but only weeks later he left the club and Tommy Burns took over. All of a sudden I was mixing with stars like Paul McStay, John Collins and Pierre van Hooijdonk--it was marvellous. I only made three first team appearances but I'll always remember my debut. It was a testimonial match against Manchester United at Old Trafford with 44,000 packed into the stadium. It was a magical moment". After two years at Parkhead John moved to the south coast of England to join Bournmouth. "I enjoyed my spell down there" he confessed "It was a really mild climate and we established quite a reputation as 'giant killers'. We knocked West Brom out of the F.A. Cup and beat both Wolves and Crystal Palace in the Worthington Cup. We also reached the final of the Auto Windscreen Shield at Wembley but lost 2-1 to Grimsby Town. That must rate as one of the most disappointing moments of my career" He joined Queens on the 1st of January 2001 and soon became a big favourite with the Palmerston fans with his goal-scoring ability. His boyhood idols were Kenny Dalglish and Eric Cantona, two legends renowned for their goalscoring prowess but, for a player who operates more in a midfield role than a striker, John doesn't do too badly in that department himself. That first season (or should we say half season) he scored 10 goals in 18 games and last season did even better, netting 21 times. Many of his goals have come from the penalty spot and he has now built up the reputation of being the 'Penalty King' of Palmerston. "I don't mind taking penalties" he says. "You've got to be positive and once you make up your mind where you're going to place it, don't change it" One well-known player from the past said the secret of taking a penalty is based on the three Cs--Confidence, Composure and Concentration, and John wholehearted agreed with that. He has always been the type of player who loves to be out on the park rather than on the subs bench. "All players feel the same" he admits. "Sometimes you're left out for tactical reasons or maybe you're not quite recovered from an injury. I accept that, but I'm always much happier when I'm out there in the thick of the action". His most memorable match for Queens was the game up at Forfar last season when we clinched the League Championship. "It was a great day in the history of the club and our fans were unbelievable. We were under a lot of pressure but played well".John has scored many fine goals since coming to Palmerston but two he recalls with pride was the one against Stenhousemuir last season when he chipped the keeper from 25 yards and the other was in the Challenge Cup at Peterhead earlier this season which he describes as his "best ever". Last season he was voted the P.F.A. 'Player of the Year' for Division Two. "It meant an awful lot to me" he acknowledged "Because those voting were fellow professionals not fans or sportwriters. It was the ultimate compliment and just topped off a great season for me". John now lives in Newcastle and is currently the accounts manager for a business magazine. "I stay only two doors away from our club physio 'Healing Hands' Crichton" he joked "But I suppose we all have crosses to bear". He is affectionately known by the fans as 'Jonjo' after the famous jockey but John laughed and chortled "I hate horse-racing. I'd rather stick needles in my eyes than watch that". So here endeth the saga of John O'Neill. Next month on 'PLAYER CHAT' we feature the 'ELEPHANT MAN' himself, PETER WEATHERSON. Bill Goldie

Nellie Ban

5th March 2003

Peter Weatherson has received a two match ban after his weekend booking against Falkirk, it will see the striker missing the St.Mirren and the Arbroath matches later this month.

Under 18's Draw

4th March 2003

Queens Under 18's drew 2-2 away at East Fife yesterday and with three games to go it looks like a three-horse race for the title between Queens, Ross County and Ayr United. Decider could be the last game of the season (30th March) at Dingwall. BLW

Suspension Status

3rd March 2003

Leading scorer John O'Neill has been suspended for one match and will miss Saturday's fixture against Ayr United at Somerset Park and following a great deal of confusion in the press it has now been confirmed that it was Peter Weatherson who got the yellow card following the celebrations after the winning goal against Falkirk. Peter will not know his fate until midweek but it is expected, now he is over the points limit, he'll miss either one or two games commencing with the home match against St.Mirren a week on Saturday. Bill Goldie

Man of the Match

3rd March 2003

The man the middle of the park that keeps the engine running again wins the Internet Fans Man of the Match award, Steve Bowey put in another tremendous shift on Saturday, second place went to captain Jim Thomson and third to stopper Colin Scott who pulled off a couple of fantastic saves to dent the "Bairns". The player of the season league table has been updated and can be found via the Man of the Match link and the rest of the scores can be found via the Latest Report link.

Player Chat - John O'Neill

2nd March 2003

Make sure that you log on on Wednesday evening to read the latest in our feature of Player Chats, this week it is John O'Neill who talks about the most traumatic day of his life, his signing for Celtic and his prowess as a penalty taker.

Queens 2-1 Falkirk - Reaction

1st March 2003

John Connolly said he was "absolutely delighted" at the result "in recent weeks we've been drawing matches we should be winning and losing matches we should have been drawing. We've actually drawn five of our last seven matches so to win today against the league leaders and the best team in our league was tremendous. When we went 1-0 down I feared the worst but the players didn't bottle it, they worked really hard and snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, each and everyone of them deserves credit for a great performance. Peter had a great chance to put us ahead after the penalty equaliser but though he missed it he did well to regain his confidence and strike away the winner, it's the mark of a good striker. That was a massive result for us out there today and I rate it as probably our most important win of the season, with the other four sides in the bottom half of the table all losing we are now sitting comfortably in the middle of the league again." Falkirk Player Manager Owen Coyle admitted they'd only themselves to blame, "we dominated for most of the match", he said, "and should have had it all tied up by the interval for we were playing the ball really well. Queens played better in the second half but we took the lead with a well struck free kick and looked certain to win but there must be questions about the two goals we conceded, it was bad defending and we were made to pay for it." Queens skipper and sponsors Man of the Match, Jim Thomson emerged from a jubilant dressing room smiling from ear to ear, "They were well on top for the opening fifteen minutes and had us under the cosh, but we weathered the storm and had a good second half. I felt that the free kick which led to their goal was a bit of a dubious decision but all credit to Lee Miller who executed it really well, but we staged a tremendous fight back to score twice against the side I rate by far the best in our division, it was a big win for us and three very valuable points." Peter Weatherson said he was just so relieved to strike the winning goal into the back of the net, "I missed a half chance in the first half and an even better one at 1-1 so I owed it to the lads and the fans to put that one away." PS There is no truth in the rumour circulating on the terracing today that Queens had signed Rob Jones, a six foot seven inch centre half from Gateshead. Bill Goldie

Shirts on Offer

27th February 2003

All replica shirts from the Club Shop have been reduced to £25 each to clear, most sizes are available, but only a very few Fila tops are available, the bulk of shirts available are the Special Edition strips. Be quick as stocks are limited.

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