Mountain to Climb for Queens

Aug 20 2008 by Our Correspondent, Dumfries Standard Wednesday

THAT well-known Danish beer doesn’t do UEFA Cup nights.

But if they did, they would probably be nothing like this one.

Instead of watching Queens’ first-ever European game in warm sunshine, punters were forced to dig out the thermals ahead of their trip up the M74 to Airdrie.

And even in transit, Doonhamers fans didn’t know until the back of seven o’clock that their tie with Morten Wieghorst’s FC Nordsjaelland would even be on.

Two days of torrential rain, which threatened to wash Airdrie away, took its toll on the New Broomfield surface and left this first leg clash on the brink of postponement.

But a combination of sheer hard work from the groundsmen and a willingness to defy the elements ensured the sodden pitch coped with the deluge.

When the long-awaited match got underway, however, disaster was lurking just around the corner. Queens conceded an opening goal inside two minutes and despite equalising, poor defending allowed the Danes to earn a precious victory.

Two away goals are worth their weight in gold for the Farum-based outfit and now only an outright 2-0 win will be good enough for the Doonhamers if they are to progress to the next round of the competition.

Boss Gordon Chisholm was less than impressed with his side’s rearguard action, and to be brutally honest, the goals Queens lost were ones which would have been frowned upon if they had been leaked at First Division level.

“To lose a goal so early in the game after all of the preparation we had done was so disappointing,” said the Palmerston gaffer. “It left us with a mountain to climb.

“I was pleased with the players and we certainly didn’t let ourselves down but the one thing I wanted was a clean sheet.

“We created chances in the second half, I thought there was an equaliser in us and overall, I felt we deserved a draw.”

A crowd of 4,406 braved the inclement weather and generated a superb atmosphere as the players emerged but they were silenced when Patrice Bernier’s corner was guided home at the near post by Benjamin Kibbebe who escaped the attentions of Jim Thomson.

In the 15th minute the Doonhamers had the woodwork to thank after Soren Christensen’s wonderful defence-splitting pass found Stephan Petersen who cracked a fierce shot off the bar.

Another big let-off arrived in the 25th minute. Jamie McQuilken horribly misjudged a Martin Bernburg ball, Petersen was in again but this time his shot was cleared off the line by the Queens defender who managed to redeem himself.

Nordsjaelland were vulnerable in the air at set-pieces and three minutes later that allowed Chisholm’s men to level. McQuilken pinged over a free-kick that was powerfully headed home by Sean O’Connor.

But within four minutes the Danes had their noses in front again. Jonathan Richter’s excellent run and inside pass was perfect for Bernier who slotted a shot underneath the body of keeper Bryn Halliwell.

It was a dreadful goal to lose. Halliwell had given the Nordsjaelland marksman far too big a target to aim his drive, the Queens defence and midfield giving the visitors too much time and space to pick them apart.

The Doonhamers did fashion scoring opportunities but they were few and far between. Nordsjaelland were also handy up-front and their pacy front three caused all sorts of problems. Ex-Rangers rookie Bajram Fetai is a class act.

Queens substitute Stephen Dobbie enjoyed the Euro experience and insists his team still have it all to play for in Denmark next Tuesday night.

He said: “We had most of the ball in the second half but we just couldn’t put it in the net. I thought we were unfortunate not to win.

“The tie isn’t over. We now have to go over there and get two goals so we will see what happens. We could have taken more from this game and we will not give this up with a fight.”

Standard man of the match: Paul Burns. Young midfielder worked his socks off and covered every blade of grass.

Teams

Queens: Halliwell, Reid (Harris 78), Barr, Thomson, McQuilken, Burns, Tosh, MacFarlane (Adams 70), Arbuckle (Dobbie 45), Kean, O’Connor. Subs not used: Robertson, McGowan, Aitken, Bell (gk).

Booked: Reid, O’Connor.

FC Nordsjaelland: Hansen, Kibbebe, Kildentoft, Lundberg, Bernier, Karlsen, Bernburg (Dahl 81), Fetai, Christensen (Nakajima-Farran 65), Petersen (Pode 72), Richter. Subs not used: Cagara, Nielsen, Pedersen, Rasmussen (gk).

Booked: Fetai, Bernburg.

Attendance: 4,406

Referee: Mihaly Fabian (Hungary).