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QUEEN OF THE SOUTH 3 : 3 St JOHNSTONE 4th August 2007
MacDonald
Rating: 7.32
Paton
Rating: 6.92
Trialist
(Liam Atkin)
Rating: 7.29
Aitken
Rating: 6.94
McQuilken
Rating: 5.82
S2
Burns
Rating: 6.26
1
MacFarlane
Rating: 7.19
Scally
Rating: 6.70
S1
Gilmour
Rating: 6.23
2
Dobbie
Rating: 8.22
S3
O'Connor
Rating: 7.49
SUBSTITUTES
S1 - 59
Bingham
Rating: 5.78
S2 - 66
Robertson
Rating: 4.80
S3 - 75
Mole
Rating: 4.49
Harris
Grindlay
SUBMIT YOUR mom RATINGS
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 such a long list of injured, suspended and walking wounded most Queens fans would surely have taken a point prior to kick-off against one of the 'bookies' favourites for the title St Johnstone today. However at 4.50pm those fans were disappointed after seeing their favourites drop two points in the last two minutes of the game. Queens had produced the better football and outclassed the visitors in the middle of the park whilst demonstrating some clinical finishing that must have had Owen Coyle wishing that he could have reversed his decision to let Stephen Dobbie leave his side just eight months ago.

Queens lined up with semi-fit Sean O'Connor (Sean hadn't trained all week and literally came off the treatment table and onto the park) and a semi-fit Stephen Dobbie leading the line. Jamie MacDonald won the race with Stephen Grindlay to the No. 1 jersey for the first league start whilst the back line featured our regular backs with Paton and McQuilken but with trialist Liam Atkin alongside Andy Aitken. As it turned out Atkin is looking better with every game and has a fair turn of pace about him too. Midfield saw Paul Burns on the right and Brian Gilmour on the left whilst the central pairing of Neil MacFarlane (complete with Captains armband) and Neil Scally seemed to complement each other very well with MacFarlane looking to be a class acquisition with some sublime passing. The bench saw Friday nights loan signing from Hearts, Jamie Mole, along with David Bingham, Bob Harris, Scott Robertson and Stephen Grindlay. For their part Saints looked close to their strongest line-up.

And Queens started off the match with a bang as Stephen Dobbie demonstrated his killer instinct once more as he received the ball from strike partner Sean O'Connor on the right hand side of the box on only three minutes, looked up and saw Alan Main slightly off his line before chipping the former Gretna 'keeper with a precise effort that snuck in under the bar to the delight of the home crowd.

Dobbie sends in his first

Dobbs nets number 1 - from David Gow on the teracing
The game was raging from end to end and with a slight lack of height in the centre of the home defence Kevin James appeared to believe that he had the run of the box at every corner or free kick. The big man didn't have any success today though as both Liam Atkin and Andy Aitken proved stern opposition for him. The other 'main' threat from St Johnstone - Martin Hardie was also being given special attention today as Neil MacFarlane shepherded him in the opening stages.

Stephen Dobbie was having great success down the left hand side and took great pleasure in 'skinning' Andy Lawrie on more than one occasion, particularly on the quarter hour as he waltzed through the Saints defence before firing an effort just past Main. Seconds later and a similar move with Dobbie and Gilmour culminated in a cross ball that Paul Burns flicked toward goal but agonisingly just slipped past the post with Main beaten.

Dobbie bursts through the visitors defence
With Saints also looking threatening it was down to Jamie MacDonald to pull off a great block as a corner ball was headed down towards the bottom corner of his goal. Another threatening player in the Perth side was their new signing David Weatherston from Queen's Park, the highly rated goalscorer demonstrated plenty of pace today and will no doubt worry several defenders this season with his direct running.

Then on 27 minutes Neil MacFarlane pulled out a trick from the top drawer as he collected what looked like a harmless ball about thirty five yards out before looking up and then placing a dipping effort over the head of Alan Main and into the back of the net for a spectacular second goal.

MacFarlane scores a stunner - from David Gow on the teracing
However it was a mere four minutes before Saints managed to pull a goal back and it came from a direct run from Weatherston as the referee adjudged that Jamie McQuilken had done enough to impede the forward and enough to deserve a booking for it. Paul Sheerin made no mistake from the spot with his kick to pull it back to 2-1.

The second half started with Queens looking hungry to increase their lead and with around eight minutes gone the referee was once again on the spot to award a penalty, this time to Queens as Stephen Dobbie was adjudged to have been fouled inside the area. Dobbs himself took the kick but this time the effort was saved by Alan Main. Dobbs did make amends moments later with a superbly clinical finish as he stepped inside his marker and curled the ball past Main and into the far corner to finish the scoring for Queens with three top notch finishes.

It's a penalty - and a save - from David Gow on the teracing

Dobbie curls home his second

Dobbs celebrates his second and Queens' third - Photo from Sandy Robertson

Dobbie with clinical finishing for his second - from David Gow on the teracing
Saints, to their credit were not finished and forced a superb one handed save out of Jamie MacDonald shortly after Queens' third goal. Chis made the first of his substitutions with David Bingham coming on for youngster Brian Gilmour on the left hand side, this signalled some superb football from the home side as Bingham, MacFarlane and Dobbie put together some excellent moves that left the visitors chasing shadows.

Scott Robertson then came on for Paul Burns but the big midfielder was to receive a booking early after his introduction following a challenge in the middle of the park and would later have a starring role in the award of a penalty to the visitors.

A final change of on loan Hearts striker Jamie Mole was necessary as Sean O'Connor signalled to the bench that he had played his match.

Then those final few minutes as Queens tired and Saints were awarded another penalty. Again the ball was decisively despatched to the back of the net by Sheerin and you could sense that the last few minutes were going to see at least an equalising goal for the visitors. As it turned out it was an equalising goal slipped through the legs of Jamie MacDonald that won a point for the visitors and that stunned the home side support who had fully expected only seconds earlier to be walking home having deservedly taken three points out of their first game of the season against one of the league's favourites.

MacDonald goes the same way as he did for the first penalty and Sheerin does likewise
However it was not to be, a superb performance by Queens though and one that should see the side steer well clear of the wrong end of the table this year!


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