LATEST NEWS
For previous news articles see the monthly archive at the foot of this page.
Team News 31st October 2002
Queens will have an unchanged squad for the visit of league leaders Falkirk on Saturday. If they show the same determination and appetite for the game as they did against Ross County, manager John Connolly is confident they can take something from the match.

The most unlucky player at Palmerston must be Barry Donald, at the start of the season he needed an operation on a knee injury which sidelined him for three months. Barry only resumed training a few weeks ago but after complaining about a pain in his foot he visited hospital and after an X-ray was told he had a broken bone. This could keep him out of action until the new year.

Bill Goldie
Travelling Bairns 29th October 2002
Crawford Baptie, General Manager of Falkirk Football Club, expects between seven hundred and one thousand fans to make the trip to Palmerston on Saturday, he said, "We've a great travelling support at present and took about one thousand to Paisley on Saturday and recently over eight hundred made the long journey north for the match with Ross County."
Man of the Match 28th October 2002
Winning his third award in the last five matches it is goal machine Derek Lyle who is the winner of this weekends Man of the Match competition as voted by members of the Internet Fan Club, second place goes to midfield engine room Steve Bowey and third to Peter Weatherson for another hard working performance.

The full scores can be found via the 'Latest Report' link and the Player of the Season league table has been updated and can be found via the 'Man of the Match' link.
Reaction 26th October 2002
Said John Connolly, "Coming on the back of our Cup Final victory it was a great result for us. After all the hype it's always difficult getting back to the bread and butter of league football but we played well today and ran out worthy winners. The fans may not have appreciated it but the swirling wind made conditions difficult and I have to say that the players coped remarkably well.

We've now had eleven games in the league and I feel we're as good as or better than five or six of the teams, all we need is belief in ourselves, some breaks going our way and we could finish mid way up the table."

Two goal hero Derek Lyle was also delighted, "That's four goals I've scored in our last two matches at Palmerston," he said, "One of these days I'll manage a hat-trick.

We were really up for the game and I felt we controlled it right from the kick-off. We competed well and we won fairly comfortably. We've now moved one place up the table and we're now in striking distance of the four teams above us, next week we're at home to league leaders Falkirk and if we play like we did today we'll just maybe give them a bit of a fright."

Referee, Mr Somers, was initially thought to have cracked a rib, but at the final whistle it was mooted that it was only a badly bruised muscle in his back. The call for volunteers produced a remarkable response for a 1500 crowd with three referee's in the crowd volunteering, the fourth official, Mr McCluskey, was also happy to run the line but in the end it was local referee Bob Park who appeared and did a fine job running the East Stand line.

Bill Goldie
Team News 24th October 2002
Queens have the full cup final squad, (John O'Neill included), available for the match against Ross County on Saturday, only Alan Gray, (who is suffering from flu), will be missing from Sunday's travelling pool with Robbie Henderson (chest infection), Derek Allan and Barry Donald still absent.

Asked how he would get the players off cloud nine following the cup triumph John Connolly said, "I can't foresee any problem, it was great to win the cup but now it's back to the usual business of collecting league points, we're still second bottom of the table and will have to start winning at Palmerston, but we're now back to normal training and back to one game a week, so I'm hoping the fans will get behind us and cheer us on, we had well over 4000 at Broadwood which was brilliant and if 75% of theses fans turn up on Saturday I'll be delighted.

When you get over 2000 at Palmerston the atmosphere is so much better, I know it and the players know it, so I hope the fans come along, it makes all the difference.

Bill Goldie
Man of the Match 22nd October 2002
The members of the Internet Fan Club agreed with the sponsors on Sunday as they chose Derek Lyle as the Bell's Cup Final Man of the Match, in second place came right back Robbie Neilson whilst left winger Joe McAlpine scooped the third place.

The full results have been added to the match report and can be found via the "Latest Report" link whilst the Player of the Season League Table has also been updated and can be found via the 'Man of the Match' link.
Jonjo 22nd October 2002
It was with some relief that we heard that John O'Neill's girlfriend had managed to emerge from the horrific road traffic accident on the M74 on the way back from the Bell's Cup victory with minor injuries. Our best wishes go out to both John and his girlfriend and we wish Karen a speedy recovery.
Reaction 20th October 2002
Speaking to Queen's Press Officer, Bill Goldie after the match, John Connolly said, "I'm a very happy man tonight, I'm happy for the club, I'm happy for the players, I'm happy for all the fans and I'm also happy for the local community. To win two major trophies in the space of six months is a massive achievement and it says a lot for all involved at Palmerston, from the Chairman right down to the Backroom staff.

We have a great atmosphere in the dressing room at present which helps a lot, for it's never easy having to tell players that they are not playing - particularly when it's a cup final, however they all understood.

We gave a very professional performance out there today and at no time did we look like losing, there were a few hard tackles during the early stages but it was never a dirty game and I can't even recall a trainer being on the pitch.

We'll go out and celebrate now but it will be back to normal tomorrow with the match against Ross County to plan.

Andy Goram was also delighted, said The Goalie, "It was a great day out for the Punters and I think they all enjoyed it, personally it was great to get a Challenge Cup medal to add to my collection but I was even happier for my team mates who played their hearts out for their medals.

I was sorry for the boys who played in the early rounds of the competition and weren't in the team for the final, it must have been very hard for them.

Now I've shown the lads at Palmerston how to win cup medals I'm taking them out tonight to show them how to celebrate."

Comparing todays final to the one five years ago Andy Aitken said, "There was probably more atmosphere at Fir Park because we were the underdogs, but this afternoon we went in as favourites.

The fans were a wee bit subdued in the first half but once we scored the second goal they really got behind us and cheered us on to victory.

When I got my hands on that cup I just didn't want to let it go."
In the Mood 19th October 2002
Dumfries was warming up today for the big day at Broadwood tomorrow with many fans seen sporting the team colours around the town and not just in the form of strips. Look out for a number of fans with 'special occasion' hair styles and numerous with the very popular jesters hats, the last of which was sold today from the Club Shop just after being modelled by this former Queens star!
Programme Notes 19th October 2002
Unearthed by programme editor Bruce Wright from a 1933 Queens programme is the following battle cry, which seems appropriate on the eve of the Bell's Cup final;
UP, QUEENS!


IF YOU THINK YOU ARE BEATEN, YOU ARE;
IF YOU THINK YOU DARE NOT, YOU DONT;
IF YOU WANT TO WIN, BUT THINK YOU CANT,
ITS ALMOST A CINCH YOU WONT.


IF YOU THINK YOU"LL LOSE, YOUVE LOST;
FOR IN THIS GREAT GAME YOU"LL FIND,
SUCCESS BEGINS WITH A PLAYERS WILL
IN ACCORDANCE WITH HIS MIND.


FOR MANY A GAME IS LOST
BEFORE EVER A STEP IS RUN,
AND MANY A COWARDLY TEAM HAS FAILED
ERE THE MATCH WAS WELL BEGUN


IF YOU THINK YOU CAN WIN, YOU CAN;
YOU MUST ALWAYS THINK HIGH TO RISE;
BE ALWAYS QUITE SURE OF YOURSELF, MY MAN,
IF YOU WANT TO WIN THE PRIZE.


SUCCESS DOES NOT ALWAYS GO
TO THE STRONGER OR FASTER MAN,
AND MANY A TIME THE TEAM THAT WINS
IS THE TEAM THAT DECLARES, IT CAN.
Last Chance Tomorrow 18th October 2002
Remember that tomorrow afternoon will be the last chance that you have to get your cup final memorabilia, the Club Shop will be open between 1.30pm and 3.30pm and if you need a reminder of what is available then check out the 'Club Shop' link for a photograph and prices of all that is on offer.

Please also remember that you can only get official club merchandise from the Club Shop or the normal outlets, i.e. the Tourist Information Office at the Midsteeple, the Standard Offices at the Loreburne Centre and Low's Newsagents in Castle Douglas. The items that will inevitably be on sale at the ground before the game will not be associated with the club and the club will therefore not get a penny from your purchase of these goods.
Cup Final Build-Up 17th October 2002
The build-up to the Bell's Cup Final has started in earnest with the press coverage set to escalate tomorrow following the lead of the Sun today. Look out for articles in the printed press in the next three days. Some of those that we are aware of are locally based players Andy Aitken, Jim Thomson, Andy Goram and Peter Weatherson all being interviewed for both the Standard and the Courier. Andy Goram in the Record tomorrow, Robbie Neilson in the Sunday Mail, John Connolly in the Sunday Post and a number of the other players in the News of the World, Scotsman, Daily Mail, Express, Star and the Sunday Express amongst others.

On the TV you can look out for some footage on BBC tomorrow evening of tonight's training session and interviews with Andy Aitken and John Connolly and some footage of the Queens Trophy room, and on Border TV tomorrow evening you may catch John Connolly, Peter Weatherson and Andy Goram being interviewed. Border also hope to be at Palmerston for the team bus leaving at 1.00pm on Saturday for an overnight stay in Cumbernauld and around Broadwood for some footage of the atmosphere created by the Queens fans. They will also carry footage of the match on Monday evening provided by the Scotsport camera inside the ground.

Those of you that also tune in to the Radio for Queens news can listen to both West Sound tomorrow morning for an interview with John Connolly and Jim Thomson and to Good Morning Scotland on BBC Radio Scotland for an interview with John Connolly.

Finally some team news and as it is a cup final we do not have a comprehensive list of who is in and who is out, what we can say is that John Connolly tells us that he will take with him a squad of twenty one players on Saturday for the final on Sunday and that final team selection will be made on the day of the match. Two players that are unlikely to feature though are Robbie Henderson who pulled up in training and Barry Donald who has not been able to train recently.
Flags, Hats, Badges etc 14th October 2002
Make sure that you get your Cup Final gear at Palmerston before heading for Broadwood this weekend, the Club Shop will be open between 1.30pm and 3.30pm on Saturday afternoon, if you need a reminder of what is available then check out the 'Club Shop' link for a photograph and prices of all that is on offer.

Please also remember that you can only get official club merchandise from the Club Shop or the normal outlets, i.e. the Tourist Information Office at the Midsteeple, the Standard Offices at the Loreburne Centre and Low's Newsagents in Castle Douglas. The items that will inevitably be on sale at the ground before the game will not be associated with the club and the club will therefore not get a penny from your purchase of these goods. Those of you that were at the last Challenge Cup Final will surely remember there was lots of fans wandering about with left over light blue and white Kilmarnock hats from their Scottish Cup Final appearance a few months previous that didn't even resemble the royal blue that you will find on the genuine Queens gear.
Under 21's Win 14th October 2002
In the first ever Scotland Under 21 match to be held at Palmerston Scotland ran out comfortable winners against their Ghanaian opponents. Scotland scored two early goals, the first from Gary Caldwell in nine minutes then the second from Brian Kerr just five minutes later. The young Scots never looked in any serious trouble until the closing stages of the match when the Ghanaian side came close a couple of times.
Man of the Match 14th October 2002
Robbie Neilson wins his first Man of the Match award from the members of the Internet Fan Club for his performance versus Clyde on Saturday past, second place went to Peter Weatherson and third to goal scoring captain Jim Thomson.

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 from Saturday can be found via the 'Latest Report' link.
Reaction 12th October 2002
Said a despondent John Connolly after the match, "Again it was a game which we should have got something from, yet we came away with nothing.

Two mad-minutes early in the second half cost us dearly and as I've said before we must defend these situations better.

Jim Thomson gave us the lead when his header was deflected in via a defender but Peter Weatherson missed a great chance to put us two up just before the interval. They came at us after the break and two lapses of concentration in defence gave them two goals in as many minutes, okay they had a man sent off but I feel that worked against us for they just pulled bodies back behind the ball and were content to hold onto their lead.

We did have two or three chances in the second half but were not putting a big enough percentage of these chances away, and if you don't do that you won't win games, it's as simple as that.

One or two of the lads took knocks out there today but I don't think there's anything serious and they should all be fit for the cup final next week."
Club Shop 10th October 2002
Remember that the Club Shop is open at Palmerston tomorrow evening between 6.00pm and 8.00pm and you will find a great range of Bell's Cup Final items, the flags in particular are proving popular so make sure you get yours and of course a cup final is not the same without a silly hat, we have both a jesters and a crown style hat for you, get along tomorrow evening, but if you can't make it the Shop will be open on Monday 14th October before and after the Scotland U21 game and next Saturday 19th October between 1.30 and 3.30pm.
Team News 10th October 2002
Following last night's training session, Monday's and Wednesdays now that the midweek games have finished, John Connolly tells us that he will be selecting the side on Saturday from the same squad that he had available for last Saturday's away win at Alloa, although a couple of players are still carrying knocks. All of the squad players trained on Wednesday evening and John is hopeful that all will be available.
Tickets Lost 10th October 2002
Two tickets for the Bell's Cup final have been lost in the post between Dumfries and Edinburgh, they are seat numbers J170 and J176, if by any chance you are offered these tickets then it would be wise to refuse as they are not with their rightful owners and sitting beside you will be a friend of the rightful ticket holders!

Also there are some rumours about that there are tickets without the stub attached, if you have one then it would be wise to contact the office at Palmerston as you will not be admitted to the ground without a full ticket including the stub.

BLW
Ross Recovers 9th October 2002
Fortunately the injury that Under 18's striker Ross Kerr picked up in the closing stages of the SFA Youth Cup tie at Gretna was not as bad as first feared, despite leaving the ground in an ambulance after taking a nasty knock on the back of the head Ross was back home today recovering well.
SFA Youth Cup 8th October 2002
Queens Under 18 side crashed out of the SFA Youth Cup this evening as they went down 1-0 to a determined Gretna side.

Despite having the best of the opening half-hour Queens could not turn their dominance in those early stages into a goal.

In thirty-five minutes Gretna suffered a blow when they had a man sent off for a second bookable offence, however this seemed to spur them rather than hinder them and the game began to swing their way.

The second half was a reasonably open contest, Gretna defended stoutly and Queens could find no way through. Gretna for their part were looking dangerous on the break and forced a number of corners in a spell of sustained pressure. Their goal though can be put down to a mistake at the back by Queens as an attempted pass-back from the half-way line was mis-hit and was pounced upon by Gretna's Milligan, the player rounded the advancing Robertson and slotted the ball into the empty net for the only goal of the game.


Parker in the Gretna goals tips an effort over the bar

The final fifteen minutes saw Queens inject some urgency to their play and a number of chances were made but not taken, particularly a fine effort that came back off the post from close in and was then somehow knocked away before being fired back towards goal and once again cleared.

The night ended on a sour note as Ross Kerr came off worse in a challenge with the Gretna 'keeper that saw the Scotland Under 18's player fall to the ground motionless and eventually taken by ambulance to Hospital.
SFA Youth Cup 7th October 2002
Queen's stars of the future are in action tomorrow evening as the Under 18 side take part in the SFA Youth Cup, they face Gretna at Raydale Park with a 7.30pm kick-off. If you can make it then get along and support the lads.
Man of the Match 7th October 2002
Peter Weatherson seems to have found an effective role in midfield and is certainly enjoying the it as his Man of the Match winning performance testifies, second place goes to Steve Bowey and third to goal scorer John O'Neill.

The Player of the Season league table has been updated and can be found via the Man of the Match link, the scores for the rest of the side can be found via the Latest Report link.
Goal Action 5th October 2002
Thanks to David Gow we can bring you John O'Neill's winning goal from this afternoon to your PC tonight. The best way to view it is to right click and 'Save As' then open when they are downloaded.

John O'Neill Strikes
Reaction 5th October 2002
Manager John Connolly was absolutely delighted with the victory, said John, "That was a really big win for us this afternoon, for Alloa hasn't exactly been a happy hunting ground for us in recent years.

We totally dominated the game, particularly in the first half and had we gone in at half-time three up it would have been a true reflection on the match.

A very pleasing factor was our defence which was rock solid, it's a while since we've had a clean sheet in the league. I believe it was against St.Johnstone away back in August so that was good for we've been giving away a lot of silly goals recently.

Looking at the other results we really needed these three points with both Arbroath and Clyde pulling off shock wins against the top two. It really has tightened up the league, as I've said we've been playing quite well these past couple of weeks but not getting the rub of the green, so it was great to win today which will give the team a real confidence boost."

John O'Neill, scorer of the all important goal was another happy chappy, said John, "I was really thrilled to get the goal in such an important game, the lads played really well out there today and it should have been three or four nothing.

I had a great chance myself to make sure of the points near the end but missed it, however it's been coming for a while and all the boys are delighted.

Again our fans were just brilliant, every game away from home they're like that, I can only say to them that the lads really appreciate the support, it really does give us a big lift."
Ticket News 3rd October 2002
The tickets for the Bell's Cup are selling out fast, we have some left for the End Stand at £9.00 but fewer left for the Main Stand at £11.00. You can still buy them between 10:00am and 4:00pm from the Palmerston office or by post.
Team News 3rd October 2002
Speaking earlier this evening John Connolly told us that he will be adding both Paddy Atkinson and Alan Gray to the squad for the trip to Recreation Park, Alloa on Saturday. The two players are almost fully fit but are added as back-up as it is unlikely that they will be called upon to play. Stuart Robertson will continue on the bench with Colin Scott remaining on the injured list.
Club Shop Extra-Time 2nd October 2002
With no more home matches at Palmerston until after the Bell's Cup Final the Club Shop is going into extra-time and opening between 6.00pm and 8.00pm the next two Friday evenings and between 1.30pm and 3.30pm on the Saturday before the final.

Make sure that you get your gear for the final, here's a reminder of what we have just for the Cup Final:

£5.00

£6.00

£6.00

£3.00

£14.00

From £2.50
Man of the Match 30th September 2002
Top man on Saturday according to the Internet Fan Club members was Derek Lyle for his two goal performance, second went to Peter Weatherson and third to Joe McAlpine.

The full scores are listed on the 'Latest Report' page and the 'Fixtures & Results' page whilst the Player of the Season League Table has also been updated and can be found via the 'Man of the Match' link.
Welcome 30th September 2002
Tonight we welcome 274 new members of the Internet Fan Club, they didn't all join today but have submitted their applications between the end of last season and tonight, it has just taken us a wee while to get round to putting all the information on the site. Eighty five more and we will hit the magic 2000 so encourage all those that haven't yet joined to fill in the form.
Tickets Available 29th September 2002
There are still some tickets left for the Bell's Cup Final and they will be on sale to the general public from the club office at the ground between 10:00am and 4:00pm each weekday.

They will be available on a first come first served basis with no limit on the number purchased.

Postal applications will also be accepted.
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