retired_steffani

June 2007

Jack Jolly had been dispatched around the UK and was already suggesting several players to me, one of whom was central defender Scott Wilson who was playing in the Scottish second division with Brechin. Jack told me that he was on the transfer list and that he could be signed without a fee so I phoned up Brechin to arrange a possible deal. Brechin agreed to let Scott go for free. Subsequently terms were quickly agreed with the player who would arrive on the 1st of July.

----------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------

The next day I travelled to Hampden for our end of season awards. Amongst the copious amounts of free wine and delicious food various awards some serious such as Bryan Hyland picking up player of the year, whilst more humorously Neil Teggart was presented with a McDonalds loyalty card. But Neil also picked up the manager’s player of the year award for his fantastic efforts at the end of the year.

------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------

Jack was doing his best to scout out new talent but I pulled a few strings of my own to tempt a few former Lancaster players to join me north of the border. I phoned Mick Parkinson and enquired about defender Ryan Andrews and striker Tom Ward too youngsters who hadn’t really featured under new manager Lee Bullen. Mick agreed to let me talk to both players and positively both expressed a strong desire to come here. I had signed both guys at Lancaster viewing them as long term prospects and I thought that they could help realise such potential at Queens Park. That week I also arranged for a former Lancaster loan signing, left winger Matthew Hazley to join us from Lincoln. Within days all 3 players had agreed terms and would join us on July 1st alongside Scott Wilson.

retired_steffani

July 2007


July saw more comings and goings starting with the official unveiling of Scott Wilson, Tom Ward and Ryan Andrews in a press conference at Hampden on July 1st. But they would be joined days later by defensive midfielder Alan Hamill from Coleraine on a free transfer. More notably we added to our coaching staff with veteran striker and defender Dion Dublin agreeing to continue playing for 1 final season and another striker/defender John Brough agreeing to become a player-coach for the club.

On the way out of the club were Dennis Boyle who went on a free to Hamilton, whilst Richard Sinclair, Shaun Molloy, Andrew McGinty, all were released at the end of their contracts.

Meanwhile left winger Stephen Canning and striker Brian Felvus were two youngsters who earned new 1 year deals at the club. We weren’t blessed with massive finances so it was credit to both the guys that they had earned new deals. I knew that we were still light in all areas of the squad so I would need to try and secure some more free transfers and possibly the odd loan signing. Alas only 1 loan signing was possible and that was Hibernian’s right winger/striker Ross Campbell who joined us for the season.


With all the comings and goings at the club the bookies had given us generous 7/4 Odds of winning the title, making us 3rd favourites. I was pleased in a way not to be the favourites as it would take ‘some’ of the pressure off the lads. The board only expected me to strengthen the squad but my ambition was much higher, I wanted the title.

------------------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------------------

Our 3 pre season friendlies all ended in defeat as we shipped 10 goals scoring just 1 away at Falkirk, St Mirren and Aberdeen. Whilst such results may not have inspired confidence in our supporters, I paid little attention to the results as all that mattered was that the squad was fit and raring to go from the start of the season.


Pre Season Round-up


Pre Season Friendlies:

Falkirk (A) L 0-4
St Mirren (A) L 0-2
Aberdeen (A) L 1-4 (Dublin)


Pre Season Signings and Additions

Scott Wilson Sco 25y/o DC (Brechin – Free)

Scott’s free transfer here would bolster the defence and I expected him to provide solid cover for McKenna, Carter, Burke and Dublin over the course of the season.

Ryan Andrews Eng 19y/o D RL (Lancaster – Free)

Ryan’s versatility in playing either right or left back will mean he is always in contention for a starting spot. However he is unlikely to start opening day

Alan Hamill Sco 22y/o DM (Coleraine – Free)

The defensive midfielder had age on his side and his tenacious style of football would be needed to help get us out of the 3rd division and then to survive in the 2ns.

Matthew Hazley N.Eire 19y/o AM L (Lincoln – Free)

Matthew had pace and flair and would fill the void left by Scott Downie. Expected to compete with Bryan Hyland who had no set position as of yet.

Ross Campbell Sco 20y/o M R, ST (Hibernian - season long loan)

Ross would be useful either up front or on the right wing and I hoped his year here would benefit both his parent club and us.

Tom Ward Eng 21y/o ST (Lancaster – Free)

Tom would bolster a worryingly thin forward line and alongside Bryan Hyland would be our other option after Neil and Steve.

John Brough Eng 34y/o DC, ST (Unattached) (Player Coach)

I was unlikely to call on John to play very much but had retained his registration in case of emergencies. John’s coaching duties would be mainly with the reserve team this season.

Dion Dublin Eng 38y/o DC, ST (Unattactched) (Player Coach)

Dion had been an unbelievable and unexpected coup for the club. Eager to get into coaching I had managed to persuade Dion to play one final season. His vast experience would most likely see him lineup at centre back although he could fill in at times up front.

--------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------

The new season was just around the corner and we faced a home tie against Berwick in just four days. I was really optimistic about the campaign ahead and every one of my signings had the potential to be that missing piece. It was also nice to bolster the coaching staff and both John and Dion would help immensely with bringing on the youngsters at the club.

My aim for the season was the title but realistically I’d settle for a place in the play offs and a money spinning cup run. However the time for talk and speculation was over. It was now all systems go for the Spiders for the 2007/2008 season.

retired_steffani

August 2007

I stood in the dressing room with 10 minutes to go before the kick off and took a long hard look at every player in the dressing room. What I saw in front of me was a group of hungry guys ready to take the title and lift this club into the Scottish second division.

--------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------


Berwick (H) BSL D3 4/8/2007 D 0-0 Att. 421


Lineup:Blower, Andrews, Tulloch, Dublin, McKenna, Campbell, Leliuga (Hazley), Blair, Hamill, Teggart, Fitzpatrick (Wilson)


Our campaign got of to a disappointing start as we couldn’t make a breakthrough against Berwick at Hampden Park. I gave debuts to Wilson, Andrews, Campbell, Hazley, Hammil and Dublin, yet nobody could produce a goal in a very frustrating game for the spiders. Neil Teggart again looked sharp and the partnership between him and Steven Fitzpatrick picked up where it left off last season, as they combined to set up Neil for a chance in the opening 5 minutes. From there we poured forward and again went close through Ross Campbell who saw his shot go inches wide of the far post. The second half was a lot more frustrating as we struggled to gain any momentum and I brought on Mat Hazley to replace the ineffectual Leliuga. Despite this change we still didn’t break through and the full time whistle blew signalling 2 points dropped.

---------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------


After the game the press pointed out that my first 15 games in charge had yielded 28 goals, I would have settled for just 1 on Saturday….Before our visit in the league cup to Patrick I was able to add another signing to the squad as we captured 20 year old right winger Steven Notman from Dundee on a free transfer. Steven was quick and had plenty of flair an old fashioned winger who could get the ball into the box for Neil and Steven. With Steve added to the squad my shopping was just about complete for the season.

------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------



Partick (A) SLC 1R 7/8/2007 L 0-1 Att. 2498

Lineup:Blower, Andrews, Tulloch, Dublin, McKenna, Notman (Campbell), Leliuga (Hazley), Blair, Hamill, Teggart (Hyland), Fitzpatrick

The visit to first division Partick was a game I never expected us to win, but the fact we held them to 1-0 was pleasing and demonstrated our resilient qualities that would be called into play over the season. Steve Notman had a fairly solid debut showing one or two moments of inspiration and setting up a half chance for Brian Blair on the hour. Disappointingly we lost leliuga to a thigh injury The Partick goal came in the 32nd minute when their towering centre back Dave Robertson nodded home from a corner on the left. Partick did then threaten to run away with the game going close numerous times, but Blower, Dublin and McKenna all combined to ensure the score remained respectable and we could travel home with our heads very much held high.



Ayr (A) BSL D3 11/8/2007 L 1-2 Att. 1145

Goal Scorer:Teggart (78)

Lineup:Blower, Andrews, Tulloch, Dublin, McKenna, Notman (Campbell), Hazley, Blair, Hamill, Teggart, Fitzpatrick

We never deserved anything from this game and we fortunate to be given a sniff at the end after a pointless red card from Ayr midfielder Rocco Quinn. Our play was sluggish and laboured and didn’t resemble the passing fast football I had been trying to encourage in training pre season. Blair and Hamill in the midfield looked spineless and let the Ayr midfield 3 dictate the play from the onset. Ayr soon went ahead after 21 minutes and doubled their advantage early in the second half as they continued to dominate proceedings. Then out of the blue we were given a lifeline when Ayr midfield man Rocco Quinn was red carded for a rash challenge on Hamill who was dithering in the midfield. Quinn got a straight red and fortunately for us Alan was fine. Now against ten men we poured forward and Steve Fitzpatrick set up Neil Teggart who made the score 2-1 with a rasping drive into the top corner from 15 yards out. From there we threw caution to the wind but some superb keeping from the Ayr keeper kept us at bay. Three games into the season and we were out of the league cup and had just 1 point from 6 in the league.



Arbroath (H) BSL D3 18/8/2006 W 3-0 Att. 339

Goal Scorers:Notman (32), Hazley (44), Fitzpatrick (69)

Lineup:Blower, Andrews, Carter (Tulloch), Dublin, McKenna, Notman (Campbell), Hazley, Blair, Hamill, Teggart, Fitzpatrick


This was the type of display that had seen us charge towards the playoffs last season as we demolished Arbroath at Hampden Park. Goals from Notman , Hazley and Fitzpatrick led us to our first maximum of the season and brought a cheer to the 339 people inside the ground. John Carter made a first start of the season having missed the opening couple through injury and his defensive and attacking skills gave us much needed impetus on the left. We dominated from start to finish and for the first time this year we took our chances and punished the opposition for lacklustre defending. Dion Dublin and Steve McKenna were once again superb at the back and Hamill was finally showing the bite that Jack Jolly told me about in his reports. Overall a highly pleasing display that once again sent out the message that we meant business.



East Stirling (A) BSL D3 25/8/2007 W 2-1 Att. 182

Goal Scorers: Notman (Pen 40), Teggart (70)
Red Card:Andrews (66)

Lineup:Blower, Andrews, Carter, Dublin (Wilson), McKenna, Notman, Hazley, Blair, Hamill, Teggart (Ferry), Fitzpatrick

Three more precious points, but worryingly an injury to Dion and a suspension for Ryan Andrews. We had started in the same positive manor that had seen us take apart Arbroath the week before and we deservedly went ahead when Steven Notman scored a spotkick he himself had won. Our priorities early in the second half were merely consolidating our lead but Ryan Andrews took it a step too far getting himself booked for a second time just after the hour to see him receive a red card. Just when it seemed as if we might cave however, Neil Teggart latched into a long through ball and rounded the East Stirling ‘keeper to put us firmly in the driving seat. From there until the finish we defended solidly to ensure a second successive victory and put us into the playoff places.


Inverness CT (H) CC 1R 28/8/2007 L 1-2 Att. 1979

Goal Scorer: Teggart (88)

Lineup:Blower, Trouten, Carter, Wilson, McKenna, Notman, Hazley, Blair, Hamill, Teggart, Fitzpatrick

Scott Wilson and Alan Trouten came in for Dublin and Andrews as we once again faced division 1 opposition, this time in the Challenge Cup. Inverness, like Partick before them, showed their superior ability as they worked the ball around easily on the immaculate Hampden pitch, creating several early chances. Eventually these chances turned into 2 quickfire goals before the break to put the tie beyond us. However the 1500 or so Queens park supporters did have something to cheer about as local hero Neil Teggart riffled home late on to set up a frantic finale. Despite our loss we couldn’t really complain, and I praised the lads for a committed performance.

---------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------

Our August had ended positively with 2 league wins and a spirited display in the cup. Points from 12 wasn’t a bad start and the only negative was the loss of potential earnings from going out of both cups in the 1st round. Neil Teggart had found the scoring touch and Steve Notman had made a flying start on the right wing. So into September and onwards and upwards for the Spiders.


August 2007 Review

League Record: P4 W2 D1 L1 GS 6 GC 3
League Cup: P1 W0 D0 L1 GS 0 GC 1
Challenge Cup: P1 W0 D0 L1 GS 1 GC 2


Leading Scorers:

Neil Teggart 3
Steve Notman2

retired_steffani

September 2007


I received a real mix of good and bad news at the start of September. On the plus side Matthew Hazley was called up for the first time to the N.Ireland U21 side and Steve McKenna was awarded the player of the month. I myself picked up the bronze in this month’s managerial awards and Steve Notman picked up the equivalent in the young player category. On the downside the results of Dion’s scan showed that he would be missing for 2-4 weeks with an ankle knock. Dion had been immense at the back for us and his leadership and presence would be missed on the pitch. In other injury news David Crawford would play in goal Saturday as David Blower had a knock. Also last seasons attendence figures were officially released and our final stat of 757 was pleasing...if we didnt have another 49k spare

------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------


Elgin (H) BSL D3 8/9/2007 D 0-0 Att. 500

Lineup:Crawford, Andrews, Carter, Wilson, McKenna(C), Notman, Hazley, Blair, Hamill, Teggart, Fitzpatrick


Much like our opening fixture against Berwick, Elgin came to Hampden looking for nothing more then a point, leaving us frustrated and unable to find a breakthrough. Both Neil Teggart and Steve Fitzpatrick went close in the first half as we camped out in the opposition half. Matty Hazley and Steve Notman were also causing the Elgin full backs some trouble but in the end we just couldn’t find a goal. Then right at the death we were in danger of being hit by a sucker punch when Elgin stormed forward only to be superbly denied by young David Crawford. So another game another point, we were unbeaten in 3 league games and I hoped the momentum would continue away at East Fife.


East Fife (A) BSL D3 15/9/2007 D 1-1 Att. 605


Goal Scorer: Blair (55)

Lineup:Crawford, Andrews, Carter, Wilson, McKenna(C), Notman, Hazley, Blair, Hamill, Teggart, Campbell


Brian Blair netted his first of the season to help us earn a fine away point at East Fife. His 55th minute strike gave us a share of the spoils after East Fife had gone ahead in the opening 10 minutes, and a draw was a pretty fair result. I had given Ross Campbell the nod up front due to Steve Fitz’ having a minor niggle and the nippy Hibs man worked well alongside Neil Teggart, but always lacked the finishing instinct of Fitzy. We would return home satisfied with another match unbeaten and confidence still high and 1 point closer to our goal.



Montrose (H) BSL D3 22/9/2007 W 3-1 Att. 491

Goal Scorers: Fitzpatrick x2 (33, 74) Hamill (41)

Lineup:Crawford, Andrews, Carter, Wilson, McKenna(C), Notman, Hazley, Blair, Hamill, Teggart, Fitzpatrick


We were smack bang on form for the visit of Montrose to Hampden Park, as Steve Fitzpatrick ran riot. Things didn’t look so rosy after 10 minutes when we fell behind to a strike from Montrose striker Henry Brown. But the goal seemed to wake us up and we began to string together a series of chances which culminated in two goals at the end of the first half, first for Fitzpatrick and then for Hamill . The second half saw Montrose try and force their way back into the match but we held firm and counter attacked effectively, resulting in Fitzpatrick grabbing a second goal to kill of the game. Five games unbeaten now and we were up to 3rd in the league just 4 points off the leaders.


Dumbarton (A) BSL D3 29/9/2007 L 2-3 Att. 566

Goal Scorer:Ward x2 (68,89)

Lineup:Crawford, Andrews, Carter, Wilson, McKenna(C), Notman, Hazley, Blair, Hamill, Teggart, Ward


Back down to earth with a bang as Dumbarton ripped us to shreds in the first half, before we battled back bravely to come up just short. Tom Ward made his first start for the club as Steve Ftizpatrick’s niggling knee injury flared up again, but the former Lancaster man made the most of his chance and bagged a brace to nearly snatch us an unlikely point. Things had started awfully as once again we conceded an early goal, followed by 2 swiftly after to leave us 3-0 down at the break. After a half time rollicking we finally began to play proper football and Tom Ward was twice able to break down the Dumbarton defences to score. Alas it was all too little too late, and we slumped to a first league defeat in 6 games.

------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------

September had generally been a success with just the 1 loss, but even so we had only taken 5 points from 12, and that wasn’t the championship form I was looking for. We still had plenty of work to do before we could eye up the trophy.


September 2007 Review

League Record: P4 W1 D2 L1 GS 6 GC 5

Leading Scorers:

Neil Teggart 3
Steve Fitzpatrick 3
Steve Notman 2
Tom Ward 2

retired_steffani

October 2007


The month started with us agreeing to sell reserve left back Scott Dornan to Guisley on a free transfer, and news from the boardroom that we had lost £26,000 last month. The financial situation at the club was pretty dire, £150k in debt and with little sign of a big cup run we would need to sell a player for big money or make serious progress in the Scottish Cup to have any hope of going back into the black. In international news Leluiga started for Latvia in their international against Belgium and Matthew Hazley started for Northern Ireland U21’s against Sweden, both played well and the more they gained international recognition so would the club.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Albion Rovers (A) BSL D3 13/10/2007 W 1-0 Att. 284

Goal Scorer:Teggart (11)


Lineup:Crawford, Andrews, Carter, Dublin(C), McKenna, Notman, Hazley, Blair, Hamill, Teggart, Fitzpatrick


Dion Dublin was fit again after injury and he came straight back in alongside Steve McKenna to captain the side away at Albion. From the onset we looked to stamp our authority on the game and some good work by Steve Notman and the very impressive Neil Teggart put us ahead after 11 minutes when Neil headed home an excellent cross from the right hand side. I had picked Steve Fitzpatrick ahead of Tom Ward and Tom was obviously gutted to miss out especially after his double strike the week before. However I knew that Steve had the ability to turn a game in an instant and his prolific partnership with Neil Teggart meant that Tom had to settle for a place on the bench. As it turned out Neil put in a superb performance going close several times in the second half as we pushed for a game clinching second goal. Whilst the goal never came, neither did a Rovers equaliser and so we had returned to winning ways with a trip to Berwick ahead of us.


Berwick (A) BSL D3 20/10/2007 D 0-0 Att. 386


Lineup:Crawford, Andrews, Carter, Dublin(C), McKenna, Notman (Campbell), Hazley, Blair, Hamill, Teggart, Fitzpatrick (Ward)


Our opening day opponents were just as stubborn the second time round as once again we were held to a goaless draw. An unchanged lineup started well and Blair and Fitzpatrick both forced good saves from the opposition ‘keeper in the first half. I threw on Ross Campbell and Tom Ward at the break to try and force a goal but neither man could help us find a goal and we had to settle once again for a point.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I finally got the living room just the way I wanted when the phone rang at about half midnight, scaring the dog into knocking over my precious new £2000 plasma television….so much for good luck. On the phone was Stephen Canning our back up left winger who launched into a 10 minute rant about how I was holding him back and how I was making a massive mistake not giving him regular first team football. His rant took me back to my encounter with Joe McMahon at Lancaster, and my reactions were exactly the same this time, but with a twist. I put the phone down without saying a word. The next day at training I went straight up to Stephen Canning with his contract in one hand with the £1000 left on his contract, whilst in the other I had the contents of his locker. I ripped up the contract in front of him and handed him the remainder of his contract money and his belongings. Stephen seemed utterly shellshocked as I just stared him down, before he slowly left the ground. We never saw him again. That night I released a statement to the press saying that “I PICK THE TEAM� and that I would not be held to ransom by any player. I needed every single player working for the club and I would not put up with any abuse from anybody.


Ayr (H) BSL D3 27/10/2007 W 5-1 Att. 463

Goal Scorer:Teggart x2 (11,72) , OG (77), Bowers(79), Hyland (90)

Lineup:Crawford, Andrews, Carter, Dublin(C), McKenna, Notman, Hazley (Hyland), Blair, Hamill, Teggart (Bowers), Fitzpatrick (Ward)


My words seemed to have an effect, the lads produced a stunning display, as they ripped apart Ayr at Hampden Park. Neil Teggart put an unchanged side ahead early on but for the rest of the first half Ayr proved to be worthy opponents equalising with a penalty just before the half time interval, after John Carter had handballed. Then for 25 minutes in the second half there was never a hint of what was to come as we causally played the ball around without ever really threatening. Then on 72 minutes the game sprung into life when Neil Teggart riffled home a half volley to raise the spirits of the home crowd. 5 minuts later an own goal put us 3-1 up and then young Richie Bowers scored his first goal for the club to put us 3 goals ahead. There was still time for Bryan Hyland to slam home a 5th past a shellshocked Ayr goalkeeper. As the lads walked off I made sure I gave each one a firm pat on the back for a job well done.

-------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------

October had been a success on the field, and by and large succesfull of it as we picked up 7 points from 9, gained international honours. Dion Dublin had returned and was in fine form and Neil Teggart was finding his rhythm and the back of the net on a regular basis. We would go into November with fantastic momentum and in second place in the table. It was onwards and upwards for the Spiders.



October 2007 Review


League Review P3 W2 D1 L0 GS 6 GC 1


Top Scorers:

Neil Teggart6
Steve Fitzpatrick3


<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | | East Fife | | 11 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 18 | 12 | +6 | 20 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Queen's Park | | 11 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 18 | 9 | +9 | 19 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Elgin | | 11 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 14 | 12 | +2 | 19 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Arbroath | | 11 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 8 | +3 | 18 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Ayr | | 11 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 13 | 11 | +2 | 18 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Albion Rovers | | 11 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 10 | 15 | -5 | 13 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Berwick | | 11 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 11 | -2 | 12 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Dumbarton | | 11 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 11 | 13 | -2 | 11 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | East Stirling | | 11 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 15 | 18 | -3 | 10 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | | Montrose | | 11 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 17 | -10 | 6 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre>

retired_steffani

November 2007


The first news in November saw the club sweep the board in the monthly awards. I took home the manager of the month, Dion Dublin the player of the month and Steve Notman the young player. I decided to save the champers for May quietly confident that I’d be drinking it out of a trophy rather then on my own depressed in the back garden.

------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------

Arbroath (A) BSL D3 3/11/2007 W 3-0 Att. 505

Goal Scorers: Fitzpatrick x2 (20, 33), Blair (65)

Lineup:Blower, Andrews, Carter, Dublin(C), McKenna, Notman (Campbell), Hazley (Hyland), Blair, Hamill, Teggart (Bowers), Fitzpatrick

David Blower made his return from injury as the Spiders kicked off November with a thumping of hapless Arbroath at Gayfield Park. We were always in control and confidence had clearly carried over from the demolition of Ayr the week before. This time Arbroath’s tormentor in chief was Steve Fitzpatrick who carved the home team apart time and time again. We went at Arbroath from the onset and Neil Teggart went close with a thumping header after only 5 minutes. Arbroath looked nervous and their defence backed off giving us the time and space needed to create chances, one of which Steve Fitzpatrick converted after 20 minutes. He then added a second on 33 minutes, both goals brilliantly crafted by the ingenious Steve Notman who was proving to be the buy of the summer already. Second half was much the same, although Arbroath did trouble Blower once or twice with some good long range efforts. Ultimately thought we were destined to score again, and did so through Brian Blair who would send the 50 or so Spiders fans home very happy, and his manager too!


------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------

8 goals and 6 points in the last 2 games had made me a very happy man, but that happiness was being whittled away day by day through no fault of my own. First David Blower complained of tightness in his hamstring, and the physio confirmed his fears by telling him he faced 2-3 weeks on the sidelines. To make things worse we had Leluiga demand a transfer, but unlike Mr Canning, I could ill afford to let a player who actually had a transfer value depart on a free. Instead he was placed on the transfer list with a 10k price tag, and several clubs immediately approached me with regard to signing the Latvian international.

In more positive news we had our first domestic international call up as John Carter was selected for the Scotland U19 side in recognition for his efforts at left back for us this season.

----------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------

East Stirling (H) BSL D3 17/11/2007 D 4-4 Att. 772

Goal Scorers: Notman x2 (14,23), Teggart (50), Dublin (Pen 77)

Lineup:Crawford, Andrews, Carter, Dublin(C), McKenna, Notman (Campbell), Hazley (Hyland), Blair, Hamill, Teggart, Fitzpatrick (Bowers)

Probably the most frustrating game since I had taken charge at Hampden Park, as we threw away a 3 goal advantage in the final ten minutes against East Stirling. It all seemed so different after 25 minutes when two Steve Notman goals put us two goals ahead, and 5 minutes into the second half Neil Teggart slotted home a third to see us 3-0 up. East Stirling fought their way back into the game though and grabbed a goal with 25 minutes to go to pull within two goals. Fortunately for us Dion Dublin cooly slotted home his first in a Queens Park shirt from the penalty spot after Neil Teggart had been felled. At this point I brought on Richie Bowers and Bryan Hyland thinking the game was all wrapped up, I could not have been more wrong. Things took a turn for the worse on 80 minutes when East Stirling substitute Jake Edwards nodded home a corner, and the goal gave the whole team a massive lift. Sensing a way back into the game they launched attack after attack and we just couldn’t get position. This pressure led to their 3rd as indecision from Steve McKenna let Ricky Hodge in to round Crawford to set up a frantic final 5+ minutes. We just couldn’t get the ball and sure enough Jake Edwards rammed home an unstoppable shot in injury time to ensure that we snatched a draw from the jaws of victory. Needless to say the lads got the rollicking of the season in the dressing room afterwards.



Elgin (A) BSL D3 24/11/2007 L 1-2 Att. 655


Goal Scorer:Brian Blair (79)

Lineup:Blower, Andrews, Carter, Dublin(C), McKenna, Notman, Hazley, Blair, Hamill, Teggart, Fitzpatrick (Ward)


Much to my frustration we continued as we had left off against East Stirling, concdeding two goals in the opening 15 minutes to an efficient looking Elgin side at Borough Briggs. Even though Brian Blair scored for us, his shot was about the only thing that troubled the Elgin ‘keeper and in all honestly I was embarrassed by the display of the lads. We found ourselves in 3rd place after the defeat and knew that many more games like this and it would be a dash for the playoffs not the title come May.



November Review


League Record P3 W1 D1 L1 GS 8 GC 6


Leading Scorers:

Neil Teggart 7
Steve Fitzpatrick 5

retired_steffani

December 2007

December started on a bright note, with Steve Notman gaining the silver award in the player of the month. Steven continued to draw praise from the media both locally and nationally and he was being linked with several 1st Division Clubs. The lad had a £500k minimum fee release clause and I just hoped we could hold onto him post January.


----------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------

Montrose (A) BSL D3 1/12/2007 D 1-1 Att. 288

Goalscorer:Teggart (52)

Lineup:Blower, Andrews, Carter, Dublin(C), McKenna, Notman, Hazley, Blair, Hamill, Teggart, Fitzpatrick (Bowers)


I was infuriated that once again we failed to convert our domination into 3 points, this time on a rainy day away at Montrose. The first half saw Neil Teggart and Steve Fitzpatrick both thump the bar, and Brian Blair have a header cleared off the line as we descended upon the Montrose goal determined to claim all 3 points. In the middle Brian was getting increasingly frustrated and was lucky not to be sent off for a late lunge on the Montrose centre back just before the half time whistle. Our frustration only grew worse in the second half, despite Neil Teggart putting us head on 52 minutes. Just 2 minutes later Montrose were level thanks to needless indecision in midfield from Brian Blair. The midfield man was robbed of possession and a superb run from the nippy Montrose attacking midfielder who left Dublin for dead before firing low past David Blower. From that moment on the tackles came in thick and fast as both sides tried to gain a foothold in the thickening mud. Subsequently the game wound down into a stalemate and both sides had to be content with a point.

------------------------------------ -------------------------------------------------------------------

The news came through the day after the Montrose mudbath that Dion Dublin had taken a knock to his ankle and would be out of action for a week or two. The news was a blow but we had a fixture against non-league Coldstream next week so I suppose he had picked a good week to pick up the injury.

------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------

Coldstream (H) SFAC 2R 8/12/2007 W 1-0 Att. 851

Goalscorer:Teggart (71)

Lineup:Blower, Andrews, Carter, Wilson, McKenna(C), Notman, Hazley, Blair, Hamill, Teggart, Fitzpatrick (Bowers)

Despite being given odds of 1-14 to beat our non league opposition, we struggled to put the ball in the net throughout the game, and only just made it through. A moment of magic from Neil Teggart with 20 minutes to go saved our blushes at Hampden Park as well as finally ending the cup dreams of the Coldstream players. In some ways I wasn’t surprised. Playing us was one of the few chances many non league sides would have to play at the national stadium and sure enough Coldstream went at it 110% trying to upset the odds. But eventually our superior fitness and skill finally created the chance that put our brave visitors out of the cup. We were through.



Dumbarton (H) BSL D3 15/12/2007 W 2-1

Goal Scorers:Hamill (32), Fitzpatrick (55)

Lineup:Blower, Andrews, Carter, Dublin(C), McKenna, Notman, Hazley, Blair, Hamill, Teggart (Hyland), Fitzpatrick (Ward)


Dion Dublin was fit enough to return for the home game against Dumbarton as we sought another league win to consolidate our position in the top 3. Alex Hamill and Steve Fitzpatrick got the goals that put us into second place. The first was a poke from a goalmouth scramble and Steve’s goal was a well placed shot from the edge of the box. The victory was pleasing, even though the performance was not spectacular, we had played at a good comfortable tempo and controlled the game without ever really dominating. Whatever the case, 3 points was a welcome 3 points.



East Fife (H) BSL D3 22/12/2007 W 2-1 Att. 556

Goalscorers:Teggart (4), Fitzpatrick (51)

Lineup:Blower, Andrews (Trouten), Carter, Dublin(C), McKenna, Notman, Hazley, Blair, Hamill, Teggart , Fitzpatrick


Victory over East Fife saw us overhaul them into first place and we were forcing everybody to sit up and take notice. Once again our dynamic strike duo of Teggart and Fitzpatrick got on the scoresheet, both seemingly hell-bent on finishing as top scorer. Both full backs, Andrews and Carter, well also in excellent form, supplying the balls that led to both goals, just for once Hazley and Notman were put in the shade. Even so, every player on that pitch deserved praise for a job well done.

------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------

I sat in the lounge the next morning looking proudly at the Daily Record, seeing us atop the Bells Scottish League Division 3 for the first time in my tenure. I now felt that the momentum was firmly with that and us if everybody could stay fit that we would be sitting there come May. Back home things were pretty good for me too, the dog had finally settled and I had adapted to life in Glasgow pretty well I was looking forward to the Christmas period but knew that Albion Rovers awaited us on Boxing day…there would be no Christmas booze up, id save the celebrations for May.

------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------


Albion Rovers (H) BSL D3 26/12/2007 W 3-0 Att. 750

Goalscorers:Blair (11), Teggart (34), OG (45)

Lineup:Blower, Andrews, Tulloch, Dublin(C), McKenna, Notman, Hazley, Blair, Hamill, Teggart , Fitzpatrick (Bowers)

We won at Hampden Park for the 4th successive game with an outstanding first half display against hapless Albion Rovers. Once again Neil Teggart got on the scoresheet, but it was the craft and trickery of Steve Notman that was the catalyst for this result The young right winger delivered the corner which found Blair’s head for the opener on 11 minutes. Then Steve crossed the ball from the by-line straight to the boot of Neil Teggart who directed his volley to the right of the Albion keeper. To finish things off Notman then drilled a freekick that was deflected past the Albion keeper by a member of his own defence. Our position at the top was consolidated but the mood was soured when I got a call from my chairman the next day……

------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------------------------------

That night I was told by chairman Gordon Wilson that we’d received bids for two of our star players. Dublin had made an audacious 1k bid for John Carter which was rejected straight away, but to my disappointment St Mirren had come in with a 300k bid for Steve Notman . I knew that Steve would welcome the chance to advance his career but I wanted to ensure we got good value for him, so told them to come back with 500k or there would be no deal.


Berwick (H) BSL D3 29/12/2007 W 4-2 Att. 762

Goalscorers:Teggart x2 (49, 72), Fiztpatrick x2 (55,90)
Red Cardion Dublin

Lineup:Blower, Andrews (Trouten) , Tulloch, Dublin(C), McKenna, Notman, Hazley, Blair, Hamill, Teggart , Fitzpatrick


An astonishing match at Hampden Park saw us recover from being down to 10 men and behind 2-0, to somehow claim victory by a 2-goal margin. With half an hour gone I was more focussed with damage limitation then thoughts of victory, after Dublin received his marching orders for a late tackle on Berwick’s, Lewis Harman. Harman then netted twice just to rub salt into the wound so that going into the break we were facing a 0-2 scoreline. At the break I simply told my players to go out there and express themselves, and it’s exactly what they did. Within 10 minutes we were level thanks to Teggart and then Fitzpatrick both of whom scored typical strikers goals, pulling away from their markers to punish lack Berwick defending. From there we just gained more momentum and we were rewarded for our bravery with a fine goal from Teggart . There was even time for Fitzpatrick to head home a 4th to send the small crowd delirious.

----------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------

Our mammoth run of home games in December had seen us win 5 out of 5 and we were proudly sat atop the division. The scoring form of both Neil Teggart and Steve Fitzpatrick was astounding and Steve Notman continued to draw praise….unfortunately too much praise, I only hoped St Mirren would not come back with an improved offer.

December 2007 Review

League Record P5 W4 D1 L0 GS 12 GC 4
SFAC Record P1 W1 D0 L0 GS 1 GC 0


Top Scorers:

Neil Teggart 13
Steve Fitzpatrick 9

retired_steffani

January 2008

Following our superb form in December Steve McKenna was second in the player of the month voting a very just award for the youngster. Speaking of youngsters Matt Hazley won the young player category and Steve Notman came second, whilst I had to put another bottle of champagne on ice as I took the managers award.

After I put away the horrible knitted jumper my aunt had given me for Christmas and the bottle of champagne I had just won, I settled down at my desk to make a few phone calls. Firstly I called Jack Jolly who I told to get his railcard out and to start scouting the UK once more. More importantly I had to phone the chairman to sort out the recent flurry of transfer activity surrounding the club. Following on from recent transfer bids we were set to sell Rhytis Leliuga for 10k but we rejected a 100k bid for young defender Steve McKenna. Players like Steve would be absolutely crucial for the long-term prosperity of the club and I wasn’t prepared to gable with the long-term future of the club for a quick buck.


St Mirren (H) SFAC 3R 5/1/2008 L 0-3 2795 att

Lineup:Blower, Trouten, Tulloch, Wilson, McKenna, Notman (Campbell), Hazley (Hyland), Blair, Hamill, Teggart , Fitzpatrick (Ward)

Much like our encounter with the Super J’s last year, we found ourselves outplayed by quality opposition in the form of first division St Mirren. Nevertheless we produced a good committed performance which left the bumper crowd applauding the lads off the pitch at the end. We went down to 2 first half strikes followed by a 3rd in the dying seconds, but the result was irrelevant as far as I was concerned we only had 1 target. Promotion

--------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------

What pleased me even more during the St Mirren game was that Steve Notman went out there and gave it 110% even though he knew he might well knock out his potential new side. The Chairman updated me before the game that we had been forced to accept a 500k transfer and that Steve would be travelling up to St Mirren during the week to discuss terms.

Also on the financial side of things, we were awarded £50,000 for our cup run, which would make good inroads into the 100k debt we faced.

--------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Ayr (A) BSL D3 9/1/2008 L 1-3 Att. 1053

Goalscorerublin (83)

Lineup:Blower, Andrews, Tulloch, Dublin (C), McKenna, Notman, Hazley, Blair, Hamill, Teggart , Fitzpatrick

Despite a strike from returning captain Dion Dublin we were comprehensively beaten away at Ayr, it seems we hadn’t learned to get over our cup exist hangovers just yet. However unlike the defeat against St Mirren this time we outplayed ourselves rather then let the opposition do it for us. We looked clueless all over the pitch as passes went astray, corners went straight into the hands of the opposition goalkeeper and our ‘keeper looked like he was Cinderella floating around the dance floor. We fell behind after 12 minutes to a fantastic strike from Ayr’s Scott Gemmill, who then doubled the lead after 33. Whilst these goals were a setback we had plenty of time to get back into the game, but our players didn’t seem to know this and played like a bunch of upset teenagers who had been told to play left back instead of centre forward. Consequently after 65 minutes we fell 3 behind as Gareth Wardlaw put the final nail in our coffin with a precision header from 6 yards after Blower missed the cross. There was still time left for Dublin to head home from a late corner but it was all too little too late.


----------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------

More moves in the transfer market followed the Ayr game this time in our favour, as we signed a former Spiders loanee, Dave McKenna . The St Mirren forward was out of favour and during negotiations over Steve Notman his name was mentioned. St Mirren didn’t include him in the deal but said we could sign him free of charge, an offer we gladly accepted. All that remained were personal terms to be agreed and for David to pass a medical before he officially became a Queens Park player. Similarly Steve Notman agreed terms with St Mirren over a £500k move and would move after the Arbroath game at the weekend. I was gutted to lose Steve but the £270k we would profit (Dundee had a hefty sell on clause) would ensure much needed finances for squad building. But before all that we had a game to win and I was certain Steve would be busting a gut to try and finish with a win, it was exactly the kind of player he was. In other positive news John Carter was making good progress with his injury and would be fit to make the bench for the Arbroath game.

---------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------



Arbroath (H) BSL D3 12/1/2008 D 0-0 Att. 630

Lineup:Blower, Andrews, Tulloch (Carter), Dublin (C), McKenna, Notman (Campbell), Hazley, Blair, Hamill, Teggart , Fitzpatrick (Bowers)


As it turned out Steve Notman could do nothing to prevent his spell at the club ending with a dull whimper, rather then a big bang. The frustrating goaless draw at Hampden kept alive our cup hangover and meant that the chasing pack could gain vital ground on us. Our best chances fell to Neil Teggart and substitute Richie Bowers, both of whom spurned good chances when clean through. So it was goodbye to Steve Notman, but hello to Dave McKenna ahead of our trip to East Stirling.


East Stirling (A) BSL D3 19/1/2008 W 4-3 Att. 259

Goalscorers:Hamill (12), Teggart x3 (21,55,59)

Lineup:Blower, Andrews, Tulloch (Carter), Dublin (C), S. McKenna, Campbell, Hyland(Hazley), Blair, Hamill, Teggart , Fitzpatrick (D. McKenna)

We finally got back to winning ways with a hard-fought but well-earned victory at East Stirling. I have to admit that after our last encounter where we had blown a 4-1 lead, it was good to finally take 3 points off of our old rivals. Ross Campbell came in for the departed Steve Notman, whilst David McKenna had to settle for a spot on the bench. Both teams went at it right from the start with thunderous challenges from both sets of midfielders and it was one of our midfielders who made the first breakthrough, Hamill smashing in from 20 yards to put us 1-0 to the good. Not to be deterred East Stirling fought back and equalised minutes later through Jake Edwards, the guy was proving a real thorn in our side. Fortunately we had our own ace striker, Neil Teggart who put us back ahead seconds later, capitalising on a mistake from the East Stirling centre back to rifle a shot low past the keeper. But before the half was out things were level again, once again Edwards the man with the golden touch. At half time I just told the guys to not let this one slip like we had before and they responded in fine style, crafting two more goals for Neil Teggart before the hour mark to put us 4-2 up. I had an awful feeling of déjÃ* vu in the final minutes as Edwards completed his hatrick but this time we held on and were finally back to winning ways.


Elgin (H) 26/1/2008 W 1-0 Att. 617

Goalscorer:Teggart (5)

Lineup:Blower, Andrews, Tulloch, Dublin (C), S. McKenna, Campbell, Hazley, Blair, Hamill, Teggart (D.McKenna), Fitzpatrick

Now fully back into our stride Neil Teggart helped himself to another goal as we produced an efficient display to see of Elgin at Hampden Park. In a game with few chances and little to catch the eye we defended well and kept possession enough to ensure that Neil’s 5th minute strike would be all we needed to capture back to back wins for the first time this month.


------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------

So after a traditional Scottish Cup hangover we had finished the month in fine form capturing two important league victories that saw us consolidate our position at the top of the table, now 6 points clear of Berwick. Losing Steve Notman was a terrible blow but the capture of David McKenna would be a big boost in the striking department. Furthermore the money raised by the sale of Steve finally allowed me to begin negotiations with other clubs for the services of some of their staff members, but I didn’t have time to sign anybody before the end of the month. That would be the first job of February.


January 2008 Review


Major Departures:

Rhytis Leliuga LTV 20y/o AML (Alloa 10k)
2007/2008 Record : 1 App. 6.00 Avg

Steven Notman Sco 21y/o MR (St Mirren 500k)
2007/2008 Record: 20 Aps. 4 Goals 11 Assists 3 MOM 7.55 Avg.

Major Signings

David McKenna Sco 21y/o AM, FC (St Mirren: Free)



League Record P4 W2 D1 L1 GS 6 GC 6
SAFC Record P1 W0 D0 L1 GS 0 GC 3

Leading Scorers:

Neil Teggart17
Steve Fitzpatrick 9



Table at the end of January
<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> | Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | | Queen's Park | | 23 | 12 | 7 | 4 | 44 | 25 | +19 | 43 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Berwick | | 23 | 9 | 10 | 4 | 28 | 22 | +6 | 37 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | East Fife | | 23 | 10 | 5 | 8 | 26 | 22 | +4 | 35 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Arbroath | | 23 | 10 | 5 | 8 | 23 | 23 | 0 | 35 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Ayr | | 23 | 10 | 4 | 9 | 32 | 26 | +6 | 34 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Elgin | | 23 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 25 | 25 | 0 | 31 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Albion Rovers | | 23 | 9 | 2 | 12 | 26 | 36 | -10 | 29 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Dumbarton | | 23 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 20 | 28 | -8 | 26 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Montrose | | 23 | 7 | 5 | 11 | 19 | 28 | -9 | 26 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | | East Stirling | | 23 | 4 | 7 | 12 | 31 | 39 | -8 | 19 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre>

retired_steffani

February 2008


The month started with the news that Steve McKenna would be ruled out for a couple of weeks with a thigh strain. Steve had been an influential vice captain, not to mention central defender, and his presence would be sorely missed. Also we missed out on any of the monthly awards despite good displays throughout January, still given our recent domination i guess it was only fair to give someone else the spotlight.


------------------------------------------------ -------------------------------------------------------------


East Fife (A) BSL D3 2/2/2008 D 3-3 Att. 594

Goal Scorers:Hamill (5) , Teggart (47), Fitzpatrick (88)

Lineup:Blower, Andrews, Carter (Tulloch), Dublin (C), Wilson, Campbell, Hyland (Hazley), Blair, Hamill, Teggart (D.McKenna), Fitzpatrick

Alan Hamill’s fine long drive gave us an advantage which we preciously failed to hold onto throughout the game, as we settled for a share of the points at East Fife. Alan’s fifth minute opener was cancelled out almost immediately as our hosts showed they were prepared to scrap for everything to get a share of the spoils. I had put Bryan Hyland in to replace the tired looking Matt Hazley and the Irishman responded with a fine performance down the wing, his ingenuity creating a fine goal for Neil Teggart to give us the lead once again. East Fife never looked likely to give up and showed grit and determination to fight back to not only equalise but find themselves in the lead with just 5 minutes to play. Whilst Neil Teggart had been recently grabbing headlines, one man who was working hard was his strike partner and Steve Fitzpatrick would grab the headlines this weekend by netting with 2 minutes to go to ensure we returned home with a well deserved point.



Montrose (H) BSL D3 9/2/2008 W 2-0 Att. 716

Gaolscorers:Fitzpatrick (50), D. McKenna (72)

Lineup:Blower, Andrews, Carter, Dublin (C), Wilson, Campbell, Hyland (Hazley), Blair, Hamill, Teggart (D.McKenna), Fitzpatrick

It was back to winning ways for the Spiders as we comfortably beat a lacklustre Montrose side at Hampden Park. Second half goals from Fitzpatrick and Dave McKenna’s first goal since joining permanently from St Mirren, saw us gain another 3 points for our title push in a fairly straight forward affair. We dominated the first half keeping possession well and creating chances for both strikers, only to see the Montrose keeper make several superb saves. However the second half was an entirely different affair and after Steve opened the scoring we never looked back.



Dumbarton (A) BSL D3 16/2/2008 D 1-1 Att. 509


Goalscorer:Teggart (44)

Lineup:Blower, Andrews, Carter, Dublin (C), S. McKenna, Campbell, Hyland (Hazley), Blair, D.McKenna, Teggart, Fitzpatrick (Ward)

Neil Teggart’s well taken goal just before the break ensured we would leave Dumbarton with another precious point, and 1 step closer to the 3rd Division title. The guys had shown tremendous fighting spirit to dig in on a horrible muddy pitch to scrap their way to this draw, coming back from a goal down to level things when we had looked likely to be bruised out of the game. Dave McKenna had come into the side, with Alan Hamill suffering from flu, but his flair and skill were of no use against the physical Dumbarton players, who were helped by the weather. Curcially however Steve McKenna was back and his defending kept Dumbarton at bay right throughout the second half. At the full time whistle every player on the pitch deserved tremendous praise for sticking at it and securing us a terrific point.


------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------

Following advertisements in national football press I was able to conduct interviews with a number of potential candidates applying for positions on our backroom team. After a lengthy search I was able to use some of Steve Notmans transfer fee to appoint Angel Gonzalez and Alan Kavanagh as scouts, whilst welcoming Gary Anderson to Hampden as a physio to support Rob Findley. With the jump up in leagues would come the inevitable jump up in quality and professionalism so I felt these appointments would help us handle life in the second division and above.

In injury news, Alan Hamill’s flu symptoms were getting worse rather then better, he would defiantly miss the Albion game, whilst David Blower sprained his wrist during training to also rule him out for a couple of weeks.

I also tied up a number of players for next season including Brian Blair, Scott Wilson and David Crawford , all of whom had played pivitol roles during different parts of the season.

------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------

Albion Rovers (A) BSL D3 23/2/2008 W 2-0 Att. 236

Goal Scorers:Teggart (20) , Fitzpatrick (24)

Lineup:Crawford, Andrews, Carter, Dublin (C), S. McKenna, Campbell, Hyland, Blair, D.McKenna, Teggart, Fitzpatrick


Two goals in 4 first half minutes helped us to overcome the challenge of Albion in a tough game at Clinftonhill. Goals from Neil Teggart and then 4 minutes later Steve Fitzpatrick gave us all 3 points against the struggling home side. The match couldn’t have been a greater contrast to the Dumbarton game as the Albion surface and weather conditions suited our passing style brilliantly, a factor which midfielders Blair and McKenna exploited. After the goals Albion put up relatively little fight, seemingly resigned to another defeat in a disappointing season. But for the Spiders, things were just getting better and better.

-------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------------


So February ended with more good form, we had shown we could prosper in any conditions and now I was thankful for our early cup exists as the players still looked hungry and fresh even at the end of February. We faced 5 games in March and now we were at the business end of the season. A good March and the title was in the bag….a few defeats and it would be a nightmare for the dog…listening to me whinge about what might have been…….



February 2008 review



League Record P4 W2 D2 L0 GS 8 GC 4



Leading Scorers:

Neil Teggart:20
Steve Fitzpatrick12

retired_merri13

Quality stuff :thup: