What can you say about today, an excellent crowd, perfect conditions and best of all a superb performance that saw Queens climb to the top of the First Division.
The team saw only one change with Paul Talbot not making the sixteen and Andy Aitken being given the left-back role with Joe McAlpine moving further forward into the left side of midfield, Andy's seat on the bench being given to Willie Gibson.
The match started brightly with both sides making dangerous moves, Queens with an early corner and Inverness causing concern in the home defence as a cross from the right had to be scooped over the bar as no one came to meet it. Joe McAlpine almost put Alex Burke in with a good chance as his lofted pass dropped over Burke but fell just too far for him to connect properly with.
Burke was particularly lively today as he seemed to be involved in most of the positive moves Queens made, he almost scored again in twelve minutes as he took an Eric Paton ball into the box and attempted to loft it over the Bell's Scottish Football League Player of the Month for September, Mark Brown in the Caley goal, the 'keeper made a good stop though as he managed to stretch just far enough to push the effort away. At the other end Steve Hislop almost got himself in on Colin Scott as he turned Brian Reid, Scott though was quickly out of his goal and collected at the feet of Hyslop without too much trouble.
Queens were certainly having the better of the match and the expectation of the crowd rose in the twenty-sixth minute as Eric Paton lined up a free kick on the edge of the box following a foul on Alex Burke. This week though Patons effort was straight at the 'keeper over the heads of the wall.
The 'keeper's got this one covered
The half hour mark saw a sweeping move involving both sides and the length f the pitch as first David Bingham broke down the left, his cross was cleared by Jim Thomson to Joe McAlpine and Joe set Sean O'Connor free with a perfectly weighted ball, a scoring chance looked on the cards but Sean's first touch made his second all the more difficult as the ball screwed high and wide.
The half ended as the first began with bth sides making decent scoring chances, first Bingham fed Hyslop wide right and his cross went right across the face of the goal with no takers and then with the last attack of the half Alex Burke fired and effort just past.
There were no changes at half-time, both managers happy to leave the starting elevens as they were following a well contested first-half.
It was almost disaster straight away for Queens however as an almighty scramble in the goal mouth offered up a few shooting opportunities for the Caley forwards, fortunately though Andy Aitken was on hand to clear the danger. Queens soon settled back into a rhythm though and both Sean O'Connor and Alex Burke had good penalty claims waved away before Andy Aitken was uncerimonioulsy taken out on the stand side by Barry Wilson.
Ten minutes into the half and it did look like disaster as a quick throw-in deep in the Caley half somehow ended up the other end of the pitch and although the shot from Paul Ritchie looked to be covered it took a huge deflection which wrong footed Colin Scott and ended up in the back of the net to give the visitors a surprise lead.
For the next ten minutes or so Caley had the bulk of the possession as Queens composed themselves. The it was all out attack as the Dumfries side saw the possibility of a table topping position slipping away. Joe McAlpine fired the ball through to Sean O'Connor, his effort fell to the edge of the box where David Bagan was waiting, his first time effort beat all of his team mates from last year and nestled in the back of the net to level the scores and send the home sides fans wild.
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Bowser salutes the crowd at the end of the match
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