Queen’s Park defender Tony Quinn will have a late pre-match breakfast ahead of facing Berwick Rangers this weekend - with the centre-back out to ensure the Spiders show their appetite for promotion.
The game at Hampden is being shown live on BBC ALBA at 5.30pm and Quinn said: “A Saturday evening kick-off is a new one for me. It is a bit strange and it could feel like a long day as I am always keen to get to the ground and get the game started. I will just need to have my pre-match meal of scrambled eggs, toast and beans for lunch and not breakfast!
“I have had a couple of live TV games in my career and they both came against Rangers at Hampden when they were in the Third Division a couple of years ago. When we played Celtic in the Scottish Cup a few years ago they filmed it for Celtic TV - I managed to get a copy so I am classing this as my fourth live TV game.”
The Borderers head to the National Stadium having secured their place in the last eight of the William Hill Scottish Cup on Tuesday night, when they defeated Spartans 1-0 in a replay.
Quinn added: “That would have been a hard game for Berwick both physically and mentally but I am not a great believer in that affecting players come the following Saturday.
“Tiredness after a midweek game starts in the mind and Paul Ronald talked me through a really intense warm-up that he would do after midweek games when I was not long into my career. That stood him in good stead for years and has done the same for me.
“I do not look too much into midweek results as come a Saturday you are up for a new game, win, lose or draw. Berwick will be on a high after getting through to face Hibs but this game always had a bit of extra excitement as it is on live TV.
“They will see this as a chance to keep themselves very close to the play-off chase. It is a chance to get closer to us, so whatever happened on Tuesday has nothing to do with this game.”
This fixture gives the Spiders the chance to bounce back from disappointment last weekend, as Quinn explained: “We had gone to Annan and had a very good first half but we just could not score. I felt a goal was coming but, before I knew it, it was half-time and we had not cashed in.
“I thought I had scored, or at least a combination of Shaun Rooney and I had scored, in that first half with a close-range chance. I was a yard off the line and got a touch on the ball and it looked to be over before their goalkeeper Alex Mitchell picked it up. The referee and his assistant were both blocked so it was not given.
“We were passing the ball very well but the half-time break gave Annan a chance to regroup and they came out a lot better in the second half. The nagging doubt about not scoring when you are on top came back to bite us as they won 2-0. They deserved it based on their second-half performance and it was not to be our day - Peter Weatherson's 35-yard lob summed things up.
“Last weekend was a strange one as all three top sides lost and we view it as a chance lost. We could be top of the league and missing chances to do that has happened to us a few times this season.
“The Elgin game at home last month was one we should have won and we only drew and we cannot keep wasting chances like that.
“However, we need to be positive as being in the play-offs was not a target we discussed at the start of the season after our disappointing season last time out. We are in a good place just now and long may that continue, starting against Berwick.”
Craig Stewart
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