Spiders held to draw at Methil
Stubborn Fifers see QP tie fifth in a row
Queens Park boss Gus MacPherson paid tribute to the battling qualities of his side after watching them draw their fifth game in a row.
The Spiders gaffer praised his determined side, who held East Fife to a goalless draw at the Bayview Stadium.
It was not a classic by any means but MacPherson was glad to see the players give a good account of themselves.
He said: “The players have shown they don’t want to get beaten. Last week at Alloa we hung in and got a goal in the 94th minute. It shows what the players are all about.
“There’s plenty to be pleased about, taking a draw from East Fife, and keeping a clean sheet is another bonus for us.”
It was a nervy afternoon, with both teams having chances to win it but neither able to find the killer touch.
After the late drama of last week MacPherson made just one change to the starting 11, bringing back Anton Brady for Dominic Docherty.
The first chance of the game fell the way of the home side, with the impressive Scott Robinson weaving through before firing a warning shot narrowly wide with just a couple of minutes on the clock.
Things got scrappy at this stage, with neither side able to string any passes together, but Queen’s did liven proceedings up as the first quarter of an hour passed. Firstly David Galt had a shot well saved by Mark Hurst before Brady went close with a cross-shot.
As half-time approached Dario Zanatta pounced on a mistake by Chris Kane and bore down on goal. He lost control at the vital moment, however, and the defender managed to get a toe on the ball. Sean Burns followed up and saw his shot deflected for a corner.
Queen’s came out the blocks well at the start of the second period and Galt twice went near to breaking the deadlock before Brady also tested Hurst.
Willie Muir was the hero for the Spiders as the first hour came and went, producing a stunning double save. First he beat away a shot from Kevin Smith and then bounced up to palm away a follow-up header from Alex Cooper.
The final 20 minutes saw the visitors turn up the heat without finding the goal they might have felt they deserved.
The home team had their moments as well, notably when Chris Duggan led a counter and Ryan McGeever had to get the timing right with his tackle.
Conor McVey had a chance for glory when he picked up the rebound from a Zanatta shot but the midfielder blasted over.
There was just time for Galt and Brady to raise hopes of a dramatic finale but there was no late goal this week.
Queen’s were set to play Albion Rovers last night (Tuesday) and host Peterhead this weekend.