Sad farewell for Queens heroes

May 6 2009 by Kieran Westbrook, Dumfries Standard Wednesday

QUEENS heroes Sean O’Connor and Stephen Dobbie’s Palmerston swan song was marred in a disappointing 3-0 defeat by Dunfermline on Saturday.

It was O’Connor’s last match for the club, retiring through injury. And with Dobbie looking likely to agree a lucrative deal with Swansea, it was also a last chance to see him at Palmerston.

A lot was expected of the home side after last weekend’s 7-1 trouncing of Clyde.

And with Dobbie and O’Connor both bidding farewell to the home support, a win would have been a fitting end to a prolific partnership.

The early stages of the match saw Queens enjoy most of the possession but rarely threaten - in contrast to the visitors whose direct approach regularly asked questions of the Doonhamers’ backline.

But it was Queens who had the first good chance.

With ten minutes gone, Stuart Kean played a cross to Stevie Tosh whose blocked shot found its way through to Kean as he bore down on goal. But the Dunfermline keeper charged out to block his effort and the ball of was cleared to safety.

That was as good as it got for Queens, who fell a goal behind eleven minutes later.

With Dunfermline putting Queens under a lot of pressure, Nicky Phinn flicked the ball through to Andy Kirk. Lee Robinson came off his line to meet the forward, but Kirk put it past him and into the net before being clattered by the Queens number 1.

And it didn’t get any better for the home side from then on.

In the next fifteen minutes, Queens found themselves three goals down and unlikely to get anything from the match.

The second goal came five minutes after the first. Alex Burke played a great ball into the Queens box which found Calum Woods’ head who sent it into the top corner of Queens net.

Queens then had a chance to get back into the match - a chance that could have seen the game turn around.

Kean chested down the ball under pressure from the Dunfermline defence and knocked it on to Tosh who drove into the Dunfermline box. He belted the ball towards goal but sent it wide.

It was a good chance and he will have been disappointed not to have worked the keeper.

Had that gone in Queens might have sniffed out a comeback.

On the half-hour mark, there was another good chance to make it 2-1.

A corner swung in from Barry Wilson found an unmarked Neil Scally who headed the ball wide.

Those were by far the best chances of Queens’ first half, and either might have spurred the home side on for a home win.

But it wasn’t to be, and minutes later came the knock-out blow that would have left even the most optimistic Queens fan with that sinking feeling.

Nicky Phinn rifled a thunderous 20-yard strike past Robinson making it 3-0 with just over half an hour played.

Chisholm’s men would have welcomed the half time whistle, looking a well-beaten side.

Queens looked a more solid side second half, and kept a clean sheet for the half.

And in the 65th minute they looked odd-on to score.

A long direct ball from Lee Robinson found Stephen Dobbie on the left. He brought the ball into the box but had his shot blocked.

The Queens faithful responded to the chance by singing Dobbie’s name, hoping it wouldn’t be the last chance to see him at Palmerston.

Then Dobbie had another chance to get a goal as a slack back-pass by the Dunfermline defence fell short of meeting the keeper.

Dobbie charged down Paul Gallacher’s clearance, which fell kindly to the Queens striker. But with the empty net gaping, his shot clipped the post and went wide.

Sparing his blushes, however, was the linesman who ruled Dobbie had handled the ball challenging the keeper.

Queens then found themselves down to 10 men after Jim Thomson reacted angrily to an aerial challenge from Graham Bayne. The Queens captain lashed out but seemed to apologise after.

But referee Chris Boyle’s mind was made up and Thomson left the field in disgust.

Then came the moment many had been waiting for. Sean O’Conner took to the field, replacing Stephen Dobbie who received a standing ovation from the appreciative crowd.

And O’Connor’s 20-minute shift earned him the Man of the Match award.

He nearly made it a fairytale send off in the dying minutes of the game.

Taking the ball past two Dunfermline defenders, he broke into the box, but his near post shot was well saved.

The final whistle brought an end to a disappointing performance, and an end to the O’Connor and Dobbie partnership.

Speaking after the match, Gordon Chisholm said: “I think our problem all season has been giving goals away like we did. Their boys have got free headers and it was disappointing.

“After the way we’ve set our standards over the past few weeks and done absolutely great. That’s the same team out there today, so it was disappointing.

“We had a few decent chances, but it’s the same story - you’ve got to keep it tight at the back and I felt that the boys have had free headers and out boys haven’t been picking them up.”

Queen of the South: Robinson, Lancaster, Thomson, Harris,Wilson, Scally, McQuilken (Weatherston 58), Kean, Dobbie (O'Connor 67). Subs not used: Barr, Halliwell.

Dunfermline Athletic: Paul Gallacher, Calum Woods, Scott Wilson, Scott Muirhead, Greg Ross, Austin McCann, David Graham, Nick Phinn, Graham Bayne (Jamie Mole 82), Andy Kirk (Rory Loy 76), Alex Burke. Subs (not used): Greg Paterson, Paul Willis, Lee Graham