Queen’s Park return to their Hampden home this weekend, for the first time since November 2013, when they face Clyde in a New Year derby.
Skipper Tony Quinn is in line to lead out an entirely different group of players than he did the last time the Spiders played at the National Stadium.
Queen’s Park went down 5-0 to Peterhead prior to their move to Airdrie’s Excelsior Stadium due to the Commonwealth Games and much has changed since then.
Quinn said: “I have been at the club since 2001 and I have seen a lot of players come and go. Normally three or four would leave at the end of a season but a lot of players left in the summer of 2013. Andrew Robertson, Aidan Connolly and Lawrence Shankland all went to the top flight and everyone at the club took pride in helping them achieve that.
“Blair Spittal from the team that faced Peterhead has now made that jump as well. Players leaving for full-time football is nothing new and I played with Paul Paton and Stuart Kettlewell before they went on to star in the Premiership.
“Barry Douglas, who is Poland now, is another player who I am proud to have called a team-mate, as is Paul McGinn who came back to us on loan in 2012/13 from St Mirren but is now at Dundee.”
Quinn added: “However, the amount of players who left for other clubs in League 1 and 2 hurt us. Jamie Longworth went to Stranraer and our big keeper Neil Parry went to Albion Rovers, with Ricky Little joining Arbroath.
“The team last season struggled as a result and that led to major overhaul under Gus MacPherson for this season. It is strange to think that it could be everyone else’s first game at our home and I have played there about 150 times!”
The 33-year-old reckons that MacPherson’s summer recruits from the junior, amateur and juvenile ranks will love playing at the National Stadium.
He added: “I loved playing at Hampden and the rest of the team will as well. We had a short training session on it during the week and you could see the excitement running through the boys. Other teams get a lift from coming to Hampden but our players will as well.
“It has been a roller-coaster time since we went to Airdrie but we were back where we belong now.”
Team v Peterhead Team v Annan Athletic
November 23, 2013 December 20, 2014
Lucas Birnstingl Willie Muir
David Gold Shaun Rooney
Bernard Coll Conor McVey
Michael Keenan Scott Gibson
Ross Fisher Tony Quinn
Ricki Lamie Bryan Wharton
Blair Spittal Paul Woods
David Anderson Darren Miller
Tony Quinn John Carter
Liam Gormley Shaun Fraser
Sean Burns Ciaran McElroy
Where the Spiders have gone:
Lucas Birnstingl: Canadian-born goalkeeper lost his place shortly after Gus MacPherson was appointed in January 2014. Joined Airdrie for a month at the start of this season then moved to Montrose where he made headlines by returning to Canada within hours of losing a goal to Arbroath shot-stopper David Crawford in a 5-1 defeat in which he was also red carded.
David Gold: Was on loan from Hibs at the time and only played twice more. Gold then joined Cowdenbeath on loan for the second half of the season with Hibs releasing him last summer. The 21-year-old now plays for Berwick Rangers.
Bernard Coll: Left-back who was a product of the Hampden Youth system but failed to establish himself in MacPherson’s squad for this season. Currently on loan at Lowland League side East Kilbride.
Michael Keenan: Hard-working Mr Versatile who kept his place for the rest of the season but was released and is presently with Junior side Irvine Meadow.
Ross Fisher: Former Kilmarnock defender who could actually play against Tony Quinn after agreeing a deal with Clyde this week.
Ricki Lamie: Defender who was on loan from Airdrie returned to the Diamonds at the end of last year. Was loaned out to East Stirlingshire in March and secured a chance at full-time football with Morton during the summer.
Blair Spittal: Was only 17 at the time of the 5-0 defeat to Peterhead but showed enough promise during a disappointing time for Queen’s Park to earn a move to Dundee United.
David Anderson: The much-admired midfielder was the Division Three Player of the Year in 2012/13. An ankle injury saw him leave Queen’s Park last summer with the door still open at the club should Anderson ever want to return.
Tony Quinn: Played in attack against the Blue Toon but now takes up a defensive position in his 15th season at the club.
Liam Gormley: Former Celtic kid who scored the winning goal in a Scottish Youth Cup Final and was once a target for Birmingham City. Another player who has linked up with former Hampden coach Billy Ogilvie at East Kilbride.
Sean Burns: The only player who, like Quinn, remains at Hampden. Has battled with Ciaran McElroy all season for the starting role on the left wing and was on the bench for the final game at Airdrie.
Craig Stewart
.png){kind=logo}
