After a disappointing cup game against Berwick, it was back to our league fixtures and the visit of league one leaders, Ross County. Manager, Nicky Clark made a return to the starting eleven as one of six changes made to the side. Caleb Goldie, Jack Stott, Liam Smith, Shaun Want were also back along with Zander Hutton who made his first start since joining on loan from Rangers. They came in for the injured Aaron Davis and Chris McQueen, the others who missed out and dropped to the bench were Brodie Dair, Ben Johnstone, Cole Coughlin and Ruari Ellis.

Having suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of County already this season, Queens knew it would be a tough afternoon. Smith got the game underway but it was the visitors who came out the traps fastest and within two minutes, Brian Graham had their first chance when he fired a right foot shot wide.

They moved the ball around with pace and as Graham won the ball ahead of Clark, he played it forward for Richard Chin who hit a shot low past Mehmet to open the scoring after just four minutes.  Queens had barely drawn breath before County added a second.  A poor clearance fell to Chris Hamilton who fired the ball into the net.

The Staggies were rapid and as Queens struggled to deal with the speed they were hemmed into their own half.  And with only nine minutes of the game gone, County held a three-goal lead.  Mehmet pulled off a good save to turn Luke McCarvel’s header out for a corner but as it was delivered into the box, Akil Wright headed home.

Queens had been floundering and the game was already gone but they needed to do something and as they looked to get forward, Zander Mackenzie gave the ball away at the half-way line and McCarvel made a break, he played the square pass to Graham who looked odds on to add to the tally but Mehmet got down to save.

However, they continued to press and with twenty-one minutes on the clock, Connor Randall got on the end of Graham’s cross from the right-hand side and headed home number four.

Midway through the half, Queens won a free-kick but as Mackenzie floated it in, it had too much power and carried no threat. 

On the half hour mark, Chin was waiting inside the six-yard box but Niall Rogerson hooked the ball clear and two minutes later, Taylor Charters made a good challenge out wide to clear as Chin looked to make a break.

It had been extremely tough going as County were quick and clinical, but with ten minutes of the first half remaining, Queens started to push more and Stott made a good run down the left, holding off the chasing Chin to win a corner.  The set-piece was cleared but opened up an opportunity for Charters who hit a terrific strike from 20-yards but Brad Foster reacted and got down well to push it out for a corner.

It had been a good couple of minutes from the home side but County hit on the break and Graham’s effort was deflected for a corner.  The delivery into the box was good but Wright skied the ball over the bar. Queens hit back and Goldie played the ball forward for Connor Young who linked up well with Hutton but as the latter looked to back-heel the ball into space inside the area, the danger was cleared.

And three minutes before the break, as Queens looked for the offside flag to go up, it didn’t and Ross Docherty lifted the ball over Mehmet to give the Highlanders a five-goal cushion at the interval.

HALF TIME: Queens 0 Ross County 5

Two minutes after the restart, the flag did go up as Chin played the ball across for Kieran Phillips.  Five minutes later, Docherty wasn’t far away with his right foot shot from distance.

Queens got their heads down and became a lot more competitive in the second half and as Smith was taken out by Randall, the free-kick was played to the 18-yard line where Clark had his shot blocked.  As the ball spun around inside the area, Rogerson was on the deck but managed to get his foot on it to direct it towards goal but again the visitors blocked.

As they won another free-kick, the defensive wall did its job as it stopped Young’s kick.

It was better from Queens but County always looked dangerous and as Lewis Strapp broke through the middle, he was one on one with Mehmet, but it was the keeper who came out on top as he blocked with his feet.

Sixty seconds later, Young was just inside the County half when he spotted Foster off his line and fired the ball towards goal, but it was just wide.

With an hour gone, Chin crossed from the right for Phillips, but the striker headed over.  

It was more of a contest and end to end and as Hutton crossed from the left it was just out of reach of Young. The forward then had a cross of his own blocked. Before Smith cut in from the right to drill a shot across goal into the bottom corner to pull one back with twenty minutes to go.

Six minutes later Mehmet kept it to five when he got behind Rocco Diack’s header from point blank range. And with eight minutes of the game remaining, he made another fine stop this time to deny Jack Turner. However, Graham pounced on the loose ball to score from the rebound.

Mackenzie tried to reduce the deficit as he went wide to make space before hitting the ball the wrong side of the upright.

But it was County who rounded off the scoring six minutes from time when Goldie made a challenge inside the box and Graham converted from the penalty spot to score his second of the afternoon, County’s seventh.

FULL TIME: Queens 1 Ross County 7

Teams:

Queens: Mehmet, Goldie, Charters, Stott (Ellis 46), Smith, Mackenzie, Young, Clark (Coughlin 80), Want, Rogerson & Hutton (Dair 86). Subs not used: Petry, Johnstone, Luissint, Gray, Kelly & McColm.

Ross County: Foster, Strapp (Reid 74). Wright, Randall, Chin (Lindsay 74), Graham, Phillips (Diack 66), Smith, Hamilton, McCarvel (Emslie 66) & Docherty (Turner 74).  Subs not used: Suman, Williamson, Reid & Brown.

Ref: Graham Grainger

Crowd: 845

As our academy teams prepare for their Scottish FA u18s cup tie next Friday, the coaches selected players from the u19s and u17s groups to form an u18s team to play a warm up friendly against St Cuthbert Wanderers u18s who are also in second round action.

Both sides saw it as an ideal opportunity to get some game time into the squads. Queens raced into a five-goal lead by half-time. Saints did find the net in the second half but Queens added a further two and ran out seven-one winners.

William Salfenmoser impressed again with another hat-trick, while Lucas Jones grabbed a double.  The other Queens goals were scored by Alfie Copland and Cairn Hunter.

Coach Eddie Warwick said “It was a well worth exercise and we are pleased with the football played and the goals scored by the boys. We feel the work rate and sharpness from the players puts us in a good place and ready for the challenge that lies ahead.”

Queens will make the trip to Fraserburgh for their tie next Friday, while Saints have a home game against Elgin City.

Following two away games against Peterhead and Berwick Rangers, we return to Palmerston tomorrow for the visit of high-flying Ross County.

Our last meeting was one to forget. It was a long painful night in Dingwall as the Staggies scored for fun, finding the net eight times without reply.  Tomorrow’s visitors currently top the table with eight wins and a draw from their nine games.  Hamilton Accies have the same record but County top the table thanks to their goal-difference, having scored 31 goals so far and only conceding five.

Ahead of the game, manager Nicky Clark said “Tuesday night was frustrating, we needed to be so much better on the ball, a lot calmer, like we had been in our previous three games.  The result at Berwick felt that we were back to where we were about four weeks ago which is very disappointing, it’s a bump on the road. We need to get back on it for a massive game on Saturday.”

Supporters Information

HOME supporters will be located within the main stand, BDS Stand, sections 1-5 and the Oakbank Terracing. While, section 7 of the BDS has been allocated to AWAY fans.

To gain entry to the BDS stand – ALL supporters should use turnstiles 1 & 2. Disabled access for fans is via Gate H on the south side of the BDS stand. Entry to the Oakbank Terrace will be via turnstiles 16 & 17 only. And for the main stand, supporters should use turnstiles 3 & 22 on the west side of the ground.

Turnstiles will be open for spectator entry at approximately 1345.

Entry is by ticket. Season Tickets are valid for this match; season ticket holders should use match day 6 ticket. 

On the day ticket prices are:

Adults: £20
Concessions: £12

Students /16-21-year-olds: £10

U16s: £5

Accessible tickets: £12 (includes a carer)

Tickets are on sale now and will be available online Queen of the South v Ross County until kick off or at the ground on the day of the game from the ticket office located within the QOS Arena which will open at approximately 1230. There will be no ticket office at the BDS stand for this match.

The only way to buy tickets in advance will be online.

Tickets purchased are non-transferable or refundable.

Car parking will be available to all spectators within the Queen of the South Arena car park on a first come first served basis. Supporters’ buses including minibuses will not be allowed to park in the Arena car park. Instead, they should drop off their passengers in Terregles St/King Street and thereafter park on College Mains Road just off the roundabout with the A76 on the town bypass (adjacent to Curry’s/PC World, as the other side at Aldi is the access road to the ambulance depot and is extremely busy). Pick up should be the same location as drop off.

Those travelling to the game should be aware that there is roadworks in and around the town may cause some delays. People travelling should check Traffic Scotland website at http://trafficscotland.org/index.aspx for confirmation of any road closures or delays.

Shared catering outlets within the supporter’s areas of the ground will be open for use. Fans should note that these kiosks are cash only.  If you are looking for catering before entering the ground, The Queen of the South café within the Arena will be open and will have a range of food/snacks on offer and will accept card. The lounge bar under the main stand will be open to both sets of supporters from noon.

For safety reasons, QOS have adopted a robust and thorough search policy for spectators entering the ground to ensure that ground rules and regulations are strictly adhered to, especially in relation to pyrotechnic devices and controlled containers. We would like to remind supporters that letting off smoke devices/ pyrotechnics is a criminal offence, and anyone found doing so will be referred to Police Scotland. Not only is it against the law, it is also extremely dangerous and a health hazard to other spectators. No bottles or cans will be permitted through the gates, so anyone bring juice should bring cartons. All bags will be searched and spectators presenting themselves for entry may also be subject to search. Spectators who refuse to be searched by stewards will be denied entry to the ground.

Palmerston Park is a non-smoking venue; this includes e cigarettes and other such devices. Stewards are empowered to eject spectators who disobey these rules. No persons will be admitted to the ground who are deemed to be under the influence of alcohol.

The club shop located in the Arena will be open until kick off where you can purchase our club merchandise, including this season’s home and away tops & half-time draw tickets.

Tomorrow’s match kicks off at 3pm

After qualifying from the KDM Trophy group stage we have been drawn away to Arbroath in the next round.

The tie will be played on the 3rd or 4th of November.

Tonight saw the end of our six games in the league stage of the KDM Evolution Trophy. With a big game against Ross County in the league to come on Saturday, the manager made five changes to the starting eleven from the win at Peterhead. Caleb Goldie, Liam Smith, Jack Stott and the Gaffer himself dropped to the bench while Shaun Want sat this one out. Aaron Davis, Brodie Dair, Chris McQueen, Ruari Ellis and Ben Johnstone were the players to come in.

It was the hosts who made the better start and as Daniel Handling chased down a long ball, Niall Rogerson had to be switched on to marshal him away from goal. Two minutes later Handling was on the right to delivery a teasing ball into the box but it went unchallenged and out to safety.

As they continued to push forward, they made a claim for a penalty but it wasn’t given as the ref had spotted a handball. Queens hadn’t really threatened but Zander Mackenzie did well to keep the ball as he skipped a couple of challenges on the left but couldn’t get past a third time as they cleared at the edge of the box.

Berwick were playing the long ball and it was working for them but as Greg Binnie tried to make the connection, Rogerson was there to knock it out for a corner. As the set piece was played in, Michael Mbewe was at the edge of the six yard box but headed wide. 

Queens huffed and puffed as they looked to get into the game, Dair won a corner that Mackenzie played in but it was an easy clearance for Grant Leitch.

Midway through the half Cole Coughlin pounced on a loose ball but as he squared it across the box for Connor Young, Alfie Robinson got there first. Then with just over half an hour played, Young held off three defenders before playing the ball across from the left but Mackenzie had his shot turned away.

Sixty seconds later, Young himself was inside the box but Owen Hayward saved at his feet. And ten minutes before the break, Taylor Charters tried to clear and as they got the break of the ball, Rogerson missed the challenge. Handling delivered but there was no takers.

HALF TIME: Berwick 0 Queens 0

Queens had struggled in the first half and Nicky Clark made changes at half time coming off the bench himself along with Smith.

Thirty seconds after the restart, Smith forced a save from the keeper and won his side a corner but it came to nothing. And within six minutes of the second half getting underway, the home side took the lead. Queens weren’t convincing as they looked to clear and as Clark was out muscled, Handling hit a right foot shot from outside the box to beat Deniz Mehmet at his left hand post.

As they hit back. Smith burst forward but Leitch cleared for a corner. On the hour mark, Davis picked up and injury and had to be replaced by Goldie. Queens had barely regrouped when, Kyle Somers fired a left foot shot from outside the area just wide.

Midway through the half, Rogerson found himself in the book as he gave away a free kick 19-yards out, it was Handling who took it and Mehmet tipped it over the bar. 

It was a let off for Queens and as they started to attack more, Rogerson was at the back post to meet Mackenzie ‘s free kick but the keeper saved. 

Two minutes from time, Smith made another lung bursting run through the middle but he was stopped on the 18-yard line by a well timed challenge. He wasn’t giving up though and at the end of regulation time he headed off down the right and kept the cross low to win a corner. As the ball was delivered, McQueen headed wide.

And in added on time McQueen’s ball down the channel was too strong for Goldie to catch and with the last chance of the game, Smith slipped the ball in for Young. The striker’s effort was cleared for a corner and as it was played to the edge of the area, Mackenzie dragged a right foot shot wide.

It was Queens first defeat in the challenge cup but a result that saw them miss out on a top six finish and a place amongst the seeded teams for the knockout stages of the tournament.

FULL TIME: Berwick Rangers 1 Queens 

Teams:

Berwick Rangers: Haywood, Robinson, Somers, Binnie, Handling (Barr 70), Mbewe (Gregory 85), Leitch, McConnell, Nelson, Turner & O’Connor (McCrone 85). Subs not used: Antell & Den.

Queens: Mehmet, Charters, McQueen, Mackenzie, Young, Dair, Johnstone (Clark 46), Rogerson, Coughlin (Smith 46), Ellis & Davis (Goldie 60). Subs not used: Petry, Stott, Luissint, Gray, Kelly & McColm.

Ref: Gary Hanvidge

Crowd: 304

It’s been a busy time for our Academy sides with three games this week. 

The under 19s travelled to Glasgow for a CAS league game against Queens Park. The hosts opened the scoring after just two minutes and added a second three minutes before the interval to give them a two goal lead at half-time. 

Three minutes after the restart, Brodie Dair pulled one back to the reduce the deficit but the home side restored their advantage two minutes later. Within sixty seconds our boys were reduced to ten men as Billy Gray was shown a red card and they made the extra man count, scoring a further three to win by six goals to one.

Coach Eddie Warwick said “After conceding the early goal we settled into the game and played very well reducing Queens Park to very little in our box and our goalkeeper had nothing to do until we conceded a poor goal from a corner just before the break. It was a really disappointing end to the half where we produced so many positive moments without a clinical finish and goal I felt we deserved. We started the second half on the front foot, scoring a well worked goal and a fine finish from Brodie and then the sucker punch of a red card early in the second half obviously changed the game massively in there favour and it was extremely difficult playing with ten men. 

Queens team v Queens Park: Scott, Reilly, Murphy, Copland. Morton, Luissint, Harris, McColm, Jones, Dair & Gray.

The under 17s also had an away game in their league on Friday night when they travelled to Almondvale to take on Livingston.

The first half was nothing to write home about for both sides but Queens fell behind as the home side scored with a freak deflection from a free kick.

The second half was a different story as Queens upped their levels and took the game to the hosts. With twenty minutes to go the young side were unlucky not to get a penalty when the ball was handled above head height on the goal line. However the referee was not 100% sure and it wasn’t given. Credit to the boys, they continued to press the home defence and were unlucky not to equalise.

Coach Ross Newlands said “ It was a hard one to take based on the second half performance. The boys knew the first half wasn't up to scratch but responded well.”

And yesterday the under 19s were back in action as they took on Wigtown in the first round of the Potts Cup.

William Salfenmoser set the tone of the game as he opened the scoring after just forty-five seconds with a right foot rocket into the top corner from just inside the box. A good start to the game saw them race into a five goal lead after 25 minutes. They added another to go in six up at the break and another five in the second half eased them into the next round. Amongst the eleven goals, Ants Harris and Rocco McColm both grabbed a double while Salfenmoser added another hat-trick to his amazing goal tally.

Eddie Warwick said “We had a incredible start to the game, the quality of the goals were excellent. They never let up as they stayed hungry and relentless in there play and working ever so hard to maintain standards and concentration. Overall a very good afternoons work and we will are delighted to get through to the next round of the cup.”

Queens team: Webster, Morton, Thomson, Robinson, Murphy, McColm, Harris, Bell, Jones, Reilly, Salfenmoser, Copland, Cluckie, Aldulemy,& Udieba.

The sides now have a break until their Scottish FA U18s cup tie away at Fraserburgh on the 23rd.

On the back of a win over Cove last weekend, Queens made the long trip north for another massive game against Peterhead. Manager, Nicky Clark made one change to the side with Cole Coughlin starting and Chris McQueen dropping to the bench.

It was a slow start by both sides with neither team creating any clear chances. The hosts did try to make a break after six minutes but Taylor Charters made a good challenge to stop them from getting near the box. From there Liam Smith broke and tried to play it out for Connor Young but the cross was cut out by the home defence.

Quarter of an hour in they cleared again as Coughlin collected a Charters throw in on the left channel and cut inside. Two minutes later, Caleb Goldie’s clearance was knocked on by Coughlin to Smith but again the ball was cleared.

Smith and Jack Stott both delivered crosses into the box without causing any danger.

Midway through the first half, Lyall Keir and Andy McCarthy combined at the edge of the area but Shaun Want was there to cancel out the move. Within sixty seconds, Keir got away from Goldie and Niall Rogerson and crossed for Zak To, he managed to have a shot but Deniz Mehmet made the save.

Smith made another break and played in a good delivery from the right but Young couldn’t reach it. Back at the other end a short free-kick was played across to Jason Brown but Clark knocked it out for a corner. A second set-piece followed from the other side this time and as it was delivered, To hit a low drive wide.

There was still nothing between the sides and it was fairly scrappy and neither keeper had much to do. Zander Mackenzie played a long cross ball looking for Young at the edge of the six-yard box but the defence did their job as they got the ball first.

On the half hour mark, Mackenzie played a free-kick into the far side of the box where Clark had peeled away from his marker but the move came to nothing.

Four minutes later the hosts had a decent chance but Cieran Dunne dragged left foot shot just the wrong side of Mehmet’s left hand post. Minutes later, Keir and McCarthy worked their way forward to set up Mitch Megginson but as he reached the box he went down to easy.

The best chance of the opening forty-five came a minute before the break when Young hit a great shot from the right hand side of the box but Craig Hepburn made a save to match.

In added on time, Queens weren’t convincing with their clearance from the box and Cameron Smith hit a right foot shot from outside the area but he was off target.

HALF TIME: Peterhead 0 Queens 0

It was positive from Queens as the second half got underway and Young had an early chance but his left foot shot from outside the area was high and wide. Seven minutes later, Charter’s had his effort from distance blocked.

Just before the hour mark, Dunne made a poor challenge on Smith and as he landed awkwardly the home side were forced into a change as he had to leave the field on a stretcher.

The change didn’t upset them too much and minutes later, Seb Ross was just wide with a header from the centre of the box.

As the game entered the final fifteen minutes, Clark pounced on a poor header but didn’t have enough space to turn to have a shot himself so instead laid it back to Stott who did but it lacked power and it was an easy collection for the keeper.

Peterhead hit back and as the game moved to the other end, Archie Graham got his head on the end of a free-kick but couldn’t direct the ball towards goal. However, it wasn’t cleared properly and To dragged a shot wide.

As both sides looked for the opener, Smith did well on the by-line and played it to the front post for Coughlin, but he couldn’t turn it in. 

With eight minutes remaining, Mehmet got down to save at his right hand post to keep it goal-less. It looked like that’s how it would end until two minutes later when Graham made a challenge on Smith inside the box and Young kept the ball low to beat Hepburn from the penalty spot.

Queens managed the game in the final minutes with the use of substitutions although the final chance of the game saw Mehmet get down low to save from Bobby McLuckie as he cut along the 18-yard line and fired a left foot shot towards goal.

It wasn’t the most entertaining game but it is a massive three points that moves Queens to sixth in the table.

FULL TIME: Peterhead 0 Queens 1

Teams:

Peterhead: Hepburn, Graham, Jason Brown, Yule, Keir (Ross 53), McCarthy, Megginson, Dunne (Davis-Brown 60), Smith (McLuckie 78), To (Searle 78) & Forrest. Subs not used: Newman, Strachan, Stokes, Teklemichael-Bahta & Kerr.

Queens: Mehmet, Goldie, Charters, Stott, Smith, Mackenzie, Young (Dair 93), Clark (McQueen 86), Want, Rogerson & Coughlin (Hutton 79). Subs not used: Petry, Johnstone, Ellis, Davis, Luissint & Gray.

Ref: Joel Kennedy 

Crowd: 574

We are delighted to announce Jellyfish as the club’s new Energy Supplier/Partner for the next two seasons.

The Jellyfish brand will feature on the front of our training kit, worn by the first-team squad and coaching staff throughout the 2026/27 and 2027/28 campaigns. The agreement between the two organisations who have a shared ambition to support the local community and create positive opportunities across Dumfries and Galloway is an exciting partnership. 

Jellyfish’s branding will have a prominent presence around the club, with the partnership providing opportunities to engage with supporters, players and the wider community while helping to strengthen the club’s commercial platform.

Queens CEO Dan Armstrong said “We are delighted to welcome Jellyfish to Queen of the South as our Energy Supplier/Partner for the next two years. To have a partner of Jellyfish’s quality demonstrates the growing strength of our commercial partnerships. We want to build long-term relationships with organisations that share our ambition for the club and for Dumfries and Galloway, so we are particularly pleased that this is about more than simply a sponsorship arrangement. The training kit is seen every day within the club and the community as a whole, so having Jellyfish at the forefront of that is a great opportunity for both organisations. We look forward to working closely with the Jellyfish team over the next two seasons and developing the partnership even further.”

The arrangement sees Jellyfish become an integral part of the club’s commercial network, with both organisations looking to maximise the opportunities that come from working together over the next twenty-four months.

Jellyfish representative Paul Brannen added “We are delighted to become Queen of the South’s Energy Supplier/Partner and to have our brand featured on the front of the club’s training kit for the next two seasons. Queen of the South is a hugely important organisation within Dumfries and Galloway, and we are excited to be partnering with a club that has such strong connections with its community. We look forward to working with the club, supporting its ambitions and seeing the partnership develop.”

The partnership further strengthens our growing commercial portfolio and reflects the club’s commitment to building sustainable relationships with businesses and organisations across the region.