LATEST MATCH SUMMARY

Mathieson
Moffat	Lilley	Aitken	McGuffie
Townsley	Cleeland	Boyle	Caldwell
Mallan		Adams

SUBSTITUTES
Weir 75 mins	Bailey 69 mins	Bryce 61 mins

It would have been a brave man who would have predicted that Queen's would escape with anything from this game after the first 10 minutes. Partick arrived at Palmerston re-born it seemed, all the pressure of the relegation dogfight, so recently won, suddenly lifted from their shoulders. The large travelling support boosting the Jags with their non stop singing, a transformation from the last Queen's game at Firhill. Within only four minutes the Jags went ahead, livewire striker Martin Lauchlan, a target of so many clubs and a comrade of our own David Mathieson in the Scotland Under 21 line up, was causing so many problems down the Queens right, so much so that Adam Moffat unceremoniously bundled him to the ground in the box as he broke through. The resulting penalty was stroked home with confidence by Lauchlan himself.

Partick kept up the tempo and Queen's were struggling to contain them as they chased down every loose ball and pressurised Queen's right side. The second goal was only delayed by some six minutes as again Lauchlan netted the ball from close range following a cross from the Queen's right. It looked at this stage as if the match was over for Queens and that Partick were on course for a party day as Mathieson in the home goal was forced into making a couple of excellent stops to deny primarily Lauchlan.

The spirit in the Queens team nowadays is one of never say die and indeed it wasn't too long before the Partick goal was coming under some pressure from the Queen's front-line. Charlie Adams had a couple of chances and the ever alert Stevie Mallan was looking in predatory mood once again. Then in the twenty third minute Jags 'keeper Kenny Arthur could only fumble a Charlie Adams shot around the post for a corner. Deggsie swept a curler from the left into the middle of the box where Andy Aitken rose above Arthur to knock it into the net to give Queen's a little bit of hope.

The remainder of the first half was played out with both teams serving up a good quality match with not a lot between the teams but some good football being played. Although this Derek Townsley free kick almost equalised things.

A stern half time team talk form Ken Eadie and George Rowe reminded the players of the standards that they had set themselves in previous weeks and a return to that standard was called for. The message certainly got through loud and clear as in the second half there was only one team in it for long spells. Queen's pushed for the equaliser incessantly with the Jags defence looking very suspect at dealing with any aerial attacks and not too quick on the ground either. Queen's midfield of Cleeland, Townsley, Boyle and Caldwell had performed well for most of the match with Boyle, Townsley and Caldwell regularly swapping positions to add variety to the attack.

In the sixty first minute Tommy Bryce entered the fray to a tumultuous welcome form the Queen's fans and, it has to be said a favourable welcome from the Partick fans, although Tam didn't get the last minute winner that the home fans were willing him to do. Partick made a couple of chances (See photo) in the second half with a couple of crosses that were well dealt with by Lilley and Man of the Match Andy Aitken, who today was immense all over the park and commanded the Queens defence which contained two seventeen and two twenty one year olds superbly.

The turning point of the half, however, came when Mark Weir who had been rested on the bench this week, came on in the seventy fifth minute. In the past few matches Mark will be the first to admit, his crossing has not matched up to the quality of his penetrating runs down the left wing. Today though he put over more quality balls in the fifteen minutes that he was on than he has done in the whole of some of his recent games. Indeed it was form one of these crosses that Stevie Mallan managed to break away from his marker and send a looping header over Arthur and into the net for the equaliser, no more than Queen's deserved.

Queen's had a couple more chances to win the match and on the second half performance should really have snatched it, however both sets of fans left well satisfied with the result with the Partick fans deciding to invade the centre circle for a good natured huddle. See picture below.