Queens go second with win at Clyde

Oct 1 2008 by Our Correspondent, Dumfries Standard Wednesday

Queens go second with win at Clyde

FOUR GAMES without a win was hardly a crisis for last season’s Cup finalists, but Queens boss Gordon Chisholm was still “absolutely delighted” to break that sequence at Broadwood on Saturday thanks to the club’s first away victory in the league this term.

Two goals in three minutes early in the second half proved too much for Clyde with former Bully Wee forward Gary Arbuckle grabbing the opener before top scorer Stephen Dobbie hit his fifth goal of the campaign.

That lifted Queens to second spot in the table, three points behind Livingston and well-placed to launch a genuine promotion push.

“We’re absolutely delighted to come to Broadwood, which is such a difficult venue, and get all three points,” said Chisholm.

“We struggled a bit in the first half and Clyde probably had the upper hand, but getting the two goals reasonably early in the second half settled us down.

“It’s going to be a tight league, there’s no doubt about that, so it’s very difficult to predict results in the First Division.”

As if to underline Chisholm’s point, Clyde dominated the early exchanges in terms of territory and possession, although an angled drive from Dave McKay which keeper Cammy Bell pushed round the post was the closest they went to scoring.

Queens had mere scraps to feed off yet still showed more of a cutting edge as Stewart Kean and Dobbie repeatedly threatened to sneak in behind a slow-turning home defence.

From one such attack in the 13th minute, Arbuckle followed up to fire a loose ball over the top from 12 yards.

Queens endured two worrying moments in the lead-up to half time. Full-back Tom Parratt survived a half-hearted penalty claim after appearing to handle McKay’s cross, while another teasing cross from Ricky Waddell found no takers inside the visitors’ six-yard box.

It was all to play for at the start of the second period, but Queens soon produced those two knockout blows with Arbuckle punishing some sloppy defending with a firm right-foot finish after 54 minutes.

Michael McGowan’s looping header was then forced home by Dobbie at the back post and there could have been further goals as substitute Neil MacFarlane had a shot parried and on-loan defender Craig Sives saw a late third disallowed for a foul.

Teams

Clyde: Cherrie, Lowing, Ohnesorge, McGregor, Gibson (Brown 36, Trouten 67), Kettlewell, McKay, Emslie, McSwegan (MacLennan 59), Gemmill, Waddell. Subs not used: Hutton, Connolly.

Queen of the South: Bell, Parratt, Harris (Reid 83), Simmons (MacFarlane 63), Sives, Thomson, Kean, Tosh, Arbuckle, Dobbie (Burns 67), McGowan. Subs not used: Halliwell, Weatherston.

Referee: Mike McCurry

Attendance: 1,096