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QUEEN OF THE SOUTH 1 : 1 RAITH ROVERS

17th January 2004

Dodds Rating: 6.00

Paton Rating: 6.79

Thomson Rating: 7.49

S1 Reid Rating: 6.02

Aitken Rating: 7.25

Burns Rating: 7.15

McColligan Rating: 6.38

Bowey Rating: 6.98

S2 McMullan Rating: 6.42

1 O'Connor Rating: 7.70

S3 Burke Rating: 6.74

SUBSTITUTES
S1 - 22 McAlpine Rating: 6.27	S2 - 84 Payne	S3 - 90 Jaconelli	Bagan	Robertson

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Members of the Internet Fan Club can award players marks out of ten for their performance today. The player with the most points awarded in the two days following a match will be the IFC Man of the Match. All of the points will then be added to a running total for each player and the results published in the mom League Table.

Name or IFC No.

MATCH SUMMARY

It was certainly a case of two points dropped this afternoon as Queens had enough chances to kill the game before a disputed equaliser was awarded. But a combination of bad luck and woodwork contrived to deny the home side the victory that they undoubtedly deserved, still the undefeated run is now extended to six matches and we remain in third position in the league table. The side saw one change today with David Bagan surprisingly dropped to the bench to make way for Paul McMullan at left wing. Gary Wood too missed out completely as his back injury saw him confined to the stand which meant that Paul Burns was also back in the starting line-up. The game started off with a bang as from the kick-off Queens raced forward and forced three corners as the Kirkcaldy defence wobbled. Raith though soon composed themselves and their new signing Ramon Pereira should have done better when clean through on ten minutes with just the 'keeper to beat, Doddsy though did fantastically well to cut down the strikers options forcing the Spaniard to shoot wide. Queens responded and a good combination between Burke and Burns set up Burke with a shot on goal, unfortunately his effort was easily dealt with this time by Gonzalez. And it was Burke again on twenty minutes who almost opened the scoring as his cross shot from the left just cleared the bar.

O'Connor and Gonzalez grapple

On twenty-two minutes there was a potential major blow for Queens as Brian Reid pulled a hamstring and signalled straight away that he wouldn't be able to take part in any more of the action, however his natural replacement, Andy Aitken slotted back in comfortably next to Jim Thomson and sub Joe McAlpine, himself just returned from injury, came off the bench to take up the left-back's role that he had made his own prior to his appendicitis. On the half-hour mark Sean O'Connor bore down on goal and forced Gonzalez into a fine save that gave Queens a corner. From the set play the ball was floated by Eric Paton past the far post and onto the toe of Alex Burke who smashed a volley toward goal that beat everyone but hit the bar and bounced away to safety for the visitors.

Burkes effort smashes against the cross bar

With the half drawing to a close it was Raith that made some good chances as first John Sutton latched onto a ball on the left hand side of the Queens box, his shot just clearing the bar from twenty-five yards out. Then the final action of the half saw Paquito clear in the centre of the goals but only able to shoot over the top of the bar as Dodds closed him down. The second half started with a bang as Queens took the lead within the first five minutes. Paul Burns showed what a determined young player he is as he won a throw in through his persistence on the right hand side, the throw was taken by Eric Paton who aimed the ball at Burns just inside the area, Burns first timed the ball across goal where Sean O'Connor stooped to head the ball past Gonzalez for a deserved lead. Raith almost equalised straight away as Sutton picked up a loose ball from Jim Thomson and lashed a shot goalward but wide of target. Queens were still making the best of the chances and Sean O'Connor crossed for Alex Burke on the edge of the area to send a shot that was clearly going well wide toward goal. However the 'keeper was clearly looking for some acrobatics points as he made a theatrical dive to palm the ball away costing his side a corner. A minute later though we saw the other side of the Gonzalez as he somehow got his legs in the way of what would have been goal of the month on Scotsport,(or nominated which is as good as goal of the month if it's a Queens goal), Bowser set up the move by playing a superb ball out of a congested left-midfield to Alex Burke on the right hand side, Burke then fired a superb ball back across the pitch that Paul McMullan volleyed first time toward goal, it was a definite goal, until Gonzalez managed to get his legs in the way that is. On twenty-five minutes the groanometer went off the scale as a Paul McMullan skinned two men before sending a perfect ball across the goals to the far post, Steve Bowey met it as he raced in on goal and looked to have scored until the ball came back off the inside of the post and away to safety, missing Alex Burke as he was looking for the scraps. At the other end John Dodds was proving how confident a 'keeper he is as he was out very quickly to foil a Pereira run in on goal after the Raith man had beaten the defence. On seventy-seven minutes however Raith managed to be awarded a goal as a John Dodds spill was snapped up by John Sutton who crashed it against the underside of the bar, the ball bounced down and away and the players and referee played on, however the far side linesman raced to the half-way line and insisted that the ball had crossed the line so after the briefest of consultations between the linesman and the referee the goal was given.

A combination of Dodds and Thomson clear the danger

John Connolly made a couple of late changes and from what we saw of Stephen Payne he looks to be a great addition with his strength and pace causing trouble for the time he was on. Emilio Jaconelli was also give a minute or so but in fairness could do nothing in the time that he had. In summary the Raith fans absolutely went away delighted, whilst the Queens fans quite rightly felt hard done to, however the chances were there to kill the match and on another day they would have gone in effectively killing the game much earlier.