Spiders lose at home
Queen’s Park ........ 0 Arbroath ............... 2 Queen’s Park suffered their first defeat of the season after falling 2-0 to Arbroath at New Broomfield.
Coach Gus McPherson had almost a full squad available for Arbroath’s visit, with David McWilliams the only absentee with a knee injury that has so far delayed his debut.
And Queen’s could have been punished for sloppy defending at a corner shortly after the whistle, leaving two Arbroath players free, but McBride’s attempted cross was blocked.
It was pretty disjointed stuff 20 minutes in, from both sides, with the game crying out for a bit of composure.
It took this long time for either side to manage a shot at goal, McBride’s strong left foot cross being headed wide by Buchan. Queen’s had yet to bother Crawford.
Queen’s almost broke the deadlock in 36 minutes Woods and Fraser combined on the edge of the box and the winger finished it off with a shot which was too straight and Crawford took it low down.
QP had the ball in the net a few minutes before the break.
Miller swung over a good outswinging cross from under the main stand, Fraser met it at the far post to tap in, and the standside linesman had his flag up for offside.
At half-time the two sides were level at 0-0.
Hesitation by Woods almost proved fatal for Queen’s when McManus picked up the ball and fired a shot wide, and then Gibson did well to head clear under pressure from sub Murray.
Queen’s sent on McElroy for Fraser but Arbroath took the lead in 69 minutes with a bizarre goal.
A corner from the left was cleared out, but when it was chipped back in the Queen’s defence couldn’t clear it cleanly and McBride knew nothing about the ball striking his foot and dribbling slowly over the line.
Arbroath made it 2-0 right on 90 minutes.
Linn was allowed to run 40 yards unchallenged, he found McBride wide left, and when the low cross came in Smith sidefooted a shot low behind Muir.