Rae of hope on summer influx

May 20 2009 by Kieran Westbrook, Dumfries Standard Wednesday

THE LONG summer months without Saturday afternoon football to look forward to began for Queens fans last weekend.

After a turbulent season that included a relegation dog-fight, career-ending injuries and a Palmerston flu epidemic, the end-of-season push up the league saw Queens finish a respectable 5th place.

And with the dust settling, Chairman Davie Rae took time to share his thoughts with the Standard.

Rae said: “We started well and we finished well – it was the blip in the middle that was disappointing. It was a great start – beating Livingstone 6-1 and going top of the league.

“Then we were hit by all the injuries, lost some key players and I think the team lost its balance a bit. Then the results stopped coming and the confidence went.

“We went 12 games without a win, and then number 13 – lucky for us – we won against Dunfermline, against all the odds. That was a wee turning point for us, and it gave us a lift.”

He added: “Then we came back on song when we went to Partick Thistle. We beat them and then St Johnstone who of course went on to win the league. That was great, and then the 7-1 win over Clyde.

“And those were really the highlights: the 6-1 and 7-1 win, and the run of wins against Dunfermline, Partick and St Johnstone.

“Overall the season went reasonably well, but the injuries played a big part in it – we had key players out.

“And of course big Sean (O’Connor) battled hard to stay fit most of the season, and then announced he had to retire, and that was very sad. He’s a great player and could have played well into his mid-30s.”

Along with O’Connor, nine other players have since played their last match for Queens, and Rae is looking forward to seeing who comes in to fill their boots.

He said: “Obviously it’s the manager’s decision – he’s looking to freshen up the squad. There’ll be a few new faces, no doubt about that, which will be exciting for the fans. There’s six or seven new players to come in yet.

“And we need a goalkeeper which is obviously a pretty important position to fill!”

Chisholm has already signed his first of many players, with St Johnstone target man Derek Holmes joining Queens last week.

Rae said: “The idea is we need a big man up front. Having two small forwards isn’t ideal – you really want a tall and strong one to hold up the ball and lay it off for the other.

“So hopefully he’ll be a good replacement for Sean. He’s played at a good standard, and hopefully we’ll see him score plenty of goals for us.”

But despite the optimism surrounding the new signing, Rae clearly sees the club’s problems last season coming from the other end of the pitch.

“It was really our defence that wasn’t solid enough. We gave away far too many goals – and far too many late goals. It happened far too often – it was incredible.

“Talking about memorable games – the 3-3 draw with St Johnstone when we were 3-1 up with ten minutes to go. That game will live long in the memory for the wrong reasons.

“We let in too many cheap goals and it cost us. But it ended up okay – we finished in the top half and that’s a good platform for next season.”

While everyone associated with Queens eagerly waits to see who Chisholm can lure to the club, Rae is expecting the next campaign to be a particularly challenging season, regardless of the personnel.

He said: “It’ll be a tough season. Whichever team comes down will be favourites to go back up.

“And Dundee are looking like they’re going to throw a lot of money into their side next year. It’ll be as tough as ever – but it’s always hard and that’s what makes it such an exciting league.”