QUEENS CAN WIN AT IBROX, INSISTS MILLAR
QUEEN of the South midfielder Mark Millar insists his side do not need to play on plastic to prove to Rangers they are the real deal. The build-up to this weekend’s nerve-shredding play-off first leg in Dumfries has centred on the artificial surface at Palmerston Park, which has already borne witness to a 2-0 and 3-0 defeat for the Ibrox side this season. But instead of the 5G pitch gnawing away at the Rangers players, Millar believes Stuart McCall’s men will be wary of Queens simply because they have only beaten them once in four matches this season — home and away. And with James Fowler’s side possessing one of the deadliest strike partnerships in the league in 28-goal Gavin Reilly and Derek Lyle, 27-year-old Millar is adamant that, in the event of a first-leg draw, his side is capable of going to Ibrox and condemning Rangers to another season in the Championship. ‘I don’t think we need to win the first leg, no,’ said the former Dundee United and Falkirk midfielder. ‘We have done really well against Rangers this season, even at Ibrox when we drew 1-1. So we don’t fear going there. We are capable of going there and getting a result. ‘Yes, we enjoy playing on our plastic pitch but I don’t know if the pitch is a mental thing for other players. I don’t know what the Rangers players are thinking. But I do know that if I was playing against a team that had already taken seven points off us in the league this season, I would be wary. ‘We have a really talented team and we are just looking forward to these games. Whatever team we put out is capable of getting a result. ‘We have goals in our side with Derek Lyle and Gavin Reilly. Teams don’t want to play against those two because they are so dangerous.’ Despite Queens being in such fine form towards the end of the season, it has been to Millar’s frustration that the Dumfries side has been largely ignored by rivals and media. He believes the Palmerston dressing room is determined to belatedly hog the limelight in the play-offs. ‘We have been under the radar the whole season,’ he complained. ‘Nobody really spoke about us — even when we were fourth in the table with a few games to go. For some reason, everybody was speaking about Falkirk in the play-offs even when they were behind us. ‘I don’t know why there was so much focus on Falkirk. I kept reading about how they could catch Rangers and Hibs — but we weren’t mentioned. ‘And as it turned out, it was ourselves who were chasing Rangers and Hibs for second spot. Let’s not forget we have taken maximum points in our last three games against Rangers, Falkirk and Hibs — and that is massive going into the play-offs.’ Ironically, Millar helped dump Queens out of the play-offs last season with Falkirk, whose young squad found four games in 12 days a bridge too far after a long, tough season. The Bairns went on to lose narrowly to Hamilton over two legs in the semi-finals, with Alex Neil’s men then beating Hibs to claim their Premiership place. Yet while former Celtic trainee Millar recalls last season’s heavy fixture slog leading to tired minds and bodies and, ultimately, beaten men, he believes the SPFL’s scheduling this season is far better. And as a result, he feels Queens even have a chance of triumphing over six games to help secure top-flight football for Dumfries for the first time in 50 years. ‘This season, it has worked out better as the quarter-final play-off games are Saturday then Saturday,’ he said. ‘Last season, we played Saturday– Tuesday and it was hectic. You didn’t get a break. And by the time Falkirk’s second game came along against Hamilton, the boys were out on their feet. ‘Outwith (Falkirk captain) David McCracken, I was the most experienced player in the team and I was only 25. ‘So if I was asked what I would do differently in the play-offs to last year, I would say nothing except maybe more rest. And this time we will have more chance to rest and prepare. ‘I know what to expect in the play-offs because this is my second year. But mainly, we take confidence because we have done really well against Rangers this season — and we hope to do so again this weekend.’
“I don’t know if the pitch is a mental thing for other sides”