With both sides sitting at the wrong end of the league one table, it was a massive game at Palmerston as Queens welcomed Airdrie.  Manager, Nicky Clark handed debuts to Shaun Want and Connor Young in three changes he made to the side that lost at Montrose. Niall Rogerson also returned following injury with Chris McQueen, Cole Coughlin and Ruari Ellis the players missing out and dropping to the bench.

Aaron Davis got the game underway and five minutes in Caleb Goldie started a good move down the right and as the ball was played into the box, after a few chances it ended with Young’s left foot shot blocked.

Five minutes later Taylor Charters had his left foot shot saved at the top corner by Jamie Sneddon. As the game swung from end-to-end Liam McLeish fired a low shot across goal but it flew wide.

Back at the other end as the corner was played in Rogerson looked to be held in the box but as the game played on, Ben Johnstone had his shot blocked and as the ball broke to Davis his effort was also blocked. With Liam Smith and Zander Mackenzie also in the box, Sam Fisher cleared for a corner. 

Midway through the half, Smith could’ve had a shot but opted to play it to his left for Johnstone who skied over.  Queens continued to push and the Gaffer broke through the middle and played the ball wide out to Charters who was off target.

As Airdrie hit back, Lewis Gibson cut in from the wing and played in Callum Burnside who curled a right foot shot the wrong side of the post.

Smith then intercepted a slack pass and made his way forward to play in Johnstone who was undecided wither to shot or pass and the ball was cleared for a corner.

With half an hour played, Gibson floated a free-kick into the area and Liam McLeish fired well over the bar. McLeish did break the deadlock, six minutes later when Burnside crossed from the left and the frontman rose at the back-post to head home the opener.

The remainder of the first half played out with bookings and stoppages as Clark went down with a rib injury.

HALF TIME: Queens 0 Airdrie 1

As the game restarted, Clark was unable to recover from the knock and was replaced by Coughlin at the interval but it was the visitors who had the first attempt on goal when Dylan MacDonald riffled a shot on target but Deniz Mehmet tipped the ball over the crossbar.

Within sixty seconds Queens broke and Coughlin played the ball out for Smith on the right, as he played it back in Mackenzie fired the ball towards goal but it lacked power.

The game moved back up the park and an unfortunate slip allowed McLeish in to shoot but Mehmet got down to collect.  Goldie then crossed from the right-hand side and as the ball dipped it landed on the roof of the net. Smith then had a shot blocked and Davis hit a left foot shot from the edge of the area that was just wide of the post.

The pressure paid off midway through the half when Mackenzie floated a free-kick into the area where Coughlin caught it sweetly on the volley to beat Sneddon to level.

Back on level terms, Queens pushed for a second and Declan Gallagher was booked for a challenge on Smith as he homed in on goal.  Young took the free-kick but the keeper got down to save at the bottom corner.

As Queens won another corner, the ball came out to Johnstone but his right foot shot was way too high.

With fifteen minutes to go Smith burst forward and played in Coughlin but the offside flag went up and as Airdrie hit on the counter, Want ushered the ball out of the park as substitute Kian Taylor attacked.

Palmerston erupted in the 78^th minute when Smith had his effort saved but Mackenzie pounced on the loose ball and hit a great right foot shot high into the net to give Queens the lead.

More bookings and changes followed and the final chance fell to the visitors on ninety minutes when Burnside hit a left foot shot from outside of the box but was wide of the upright.

FULL TIME: Queens 2 Airdrie 1

Teams:

Queens: Mehmet, Goldie, Charters, Smith (McQueen 92), Mackenzie, Young (Gray 86), Clark (Coughlin 46), Want, Johnstone, Rogerson & Davis (Ellis 70).  Subs not used: Petry, Dair, Morton & McColm.

Airdrie: Sneddon, MacDonald (Devine 63), Ross, Fisher, G Gallagher, Boateng, McKinnon (Mebude 63), McLeish (Taylor 70), Burnside, Gibson (Yates 82) & D Gallagher (Gentles 70).  Subs not used: Adams, Simpson, Bridge & Iserhienrhein.

Ref: Ross Birrell

Crowd: 754

Queens under 17s travelled to Stark's Park, this evening for their latest league match 'away' to Elgin City.

The boys started the game well, keeping possession against a robust defensive 5-4-1 formation from the 'home' side. However, frustration crept in as chances were few and far between and the first half ended goal-less.

After the break Queens upped their energy levels and worked harder to open up the Elgin defence. The game remained tight until Alex Dalziel calmly finished from a great through ball. As they continued the pressure and kept the ball well, a second followed when an Elgin player volleyed a corner past his own goalkeeper to round off the scoring and give Queens the victory.

FULL TIME: Elgin City 0 Queens 2

Coach Ross Newlands said “Tonight was a big learning curve for the boys. They won't play against that style very often so it was important they remained calm and tried to play their own way, which they did for the most part.”

Next week the under 17s welcome Falkirk to Palmerston on Thursday night with a 7:45pm kick off.

Our league one fixtures continue tomorrow when we play host to Airdrieonians. It’s a massive game for both teams so we are hoping for a good backing from the home support within the Palmerston crowd.

It hasn’t been the start to the season that either side would’ve wanted with both teams still searching for their first victory of the league campaign.  Three points separate the sides at the bottom end of the table, with tomorrow’s visitors sitting just above us in nineth place with three points on the board from three draws in their opening five fixtures.

Looking ahead to the game, manager Nicky Clark said “I know it's still early on in the season, but you don't want that gap to become bigger because then it could really start having an effect. It’s four games, zero points, two goals scored and the goals against isn’t good enough either.  It isn’t good enough, it’s as simple as that, but it is where we are and we just need to keep our heads up and get on with it.  It’s Airdrie at home, it’s another one, we'll prepare for, as we always do, and we'll go out and hopefully put in a good performance and get three points.” 

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 3 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 https://qosfc.ticketco.events/uk/en/e/queen_of_the_south_v_airdrie 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.

Supporters’ buses/minibuses 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, half-time draw tickets and the latest edition of the official Queen of the South magazine.

Tomorrow’s match kicks off at 3pm

The latest edition of the official Queen of the South magazine has been delivered and is now available to purchase.

Inside this version of the magazine, we complete our round-up of season 2025/26, the Board and CEO share their thoughts. We feature manager, Nicky Clark and we also catch up with Kieran about his role in the Community Trust and some of the things they’ve been up to.  Our Youth Academy is flourishing and, in this issue, we chat to another of the volunteer coaches, Neil Sturrock and we have an exclusive interview with William Salfenmoser who has an outstanding goal record across the under 17s & 19s.

We put Zander Mackenzie under the spotlight to find out a bit more about him as a person as well as a player. And we’ve spoken to some more of the volunteers who give up their time in various different roles to help the club.

The magazine is currently available in the club shop and will be available from vendors outside the Arena tomorrow ahead of our game against Airdrie.  In due course they will be added to our online shop and will be available from Warwick Newsagents in town.

Having won a competitive race for his signature on transfer deadline day, we are delighted to have signed Connor Young.

The 22-year-old highly sought after forward has penned a two-year deal as he moves from Dunfermline Athletic for an undisclosed fee.

Connor started his career at Rangers and had spells at Clyde and Edinburgh City before signing for the Pars in February last year. During his time at East End Park, he went out on loan to play regular football with East Kilbride.

Manager, Nicky Clark said “It has been a hectic day trying to get this one done but we are delighted to have secured Connor on a longer-term deal. He is predominantly left footed and is comfortable on the ball. He is also tall and strong so that will give us a physical presence upfront and I’m sure he will work well with the players that we’ve already got in the squad.”

The under 19s continued their CAS league matches yesterday against Elgin City.

The boys started well and as they controlled the game, William Salfenmoser put them one up after 12 minutes with a great volley.

They continued to push forward and had another couple of opportunities but the Elgin keeper saved to keep his side in it.

However, after half an hour the side started to make silly mistakes and were punished for giving away cheap free kicks in dangerous areas and two quick fire goals gave the host the lead. An own goal and another gift saw Elgin hold a four-one lead going into the break.

Queens coaches made changes to the side and formation at half time to up the tempo and put Elgin under more pressure. And it quickly paid off with a goal from a trialist within two minutes of the restart. Five minutes later the deficit was reduced again when Salfenmoser grabbed his second of the game, this time a spectacular bicycle kick into the bottom corner. 

As Queens pushed forward looking for an equaliser they hit the bar and the City keeper made more saves.

But with twenty minutes to go against the run of play, Queens were reduced to ten men and went on to concede two more goals in the final ten minutes.

Full Time: Elgin City 6 Queens u19s 3

Coach Eddie Warwick said “It was a very frustrating afternoon and a crazy game to watch. To go from being in total control and having the lead to losing the goals in the manner we did absolutely beggers belief. However, despite the defeat there was actually some very good play and lots of positives to take from the game. Elgin were just more clinical than us on the day and punished our mistakes.”

It’s a quick turnaround for the boys as they have their next game on Thursday night away at Falkirk. The match at the Falkirk Stadium kicks off at 1945.

It was a trip to Montrose for us as we looked to pick up our first points in the league campaign.  After a one-nil win over Hibs on Tuesday in the KDM, manager Nicky Clark made four chances to the starting line-up, Caleb Goldie, Zander Mackenzie, Cole Coughlin and the Gaffer himself all came back in for the injured Niall Rogerson and Benji Luissint along with Rocco McColm and Brodie Dair who dropped to the bench.

A poor start to the game saw us go one down after just three minutes when some shocking defending allowed Gary Oliver the chance to fire the hosts ahead.  It started when Blair Lyons held of Chris McQueen to force himself into the box. He cut it back for Jake Sutherland who fell but whilst on the ground surrounded by four defenders and the keeper, he still managed to get the ball to Oliver who beat Deniz Mehmet from inside the six-yard box.

Up against it Queens found it hard to get out of their own half but although the home side had a lot of possession they never really threatened. 

As Queens started to find their feet, they came close to scoring midway through the half when Liam Smith played the ball down the right-hand side for Ben Johnstone to play the ball into the box where Clark hit an overhead kick only for it to rattle off the post.

It was better from Queens and a minute later, Aaron Davis hit a right-foot shot from 20-yards that just cleared the crossbar. As they continued their grip on the game, Coughlin did well on the byline and kept the move going as he laid it back to Smith but it petered out as it lacked that final delivery. 

On the half hour mark, Smith slipped the ball in for Coughlin who beat the keeper with a good finish but the forward had gone just too early and the offside flag went up.

Johnstone then won a free-kick 25-yards out, it was Clark who took the set-piece but as he tried to curl a right foot shot past the keeper, he didn’t get enough on it and it went wide instead.

After a spell of better chances for the visitors it was the home side who had the next one when Lyons forced a block from Mehmet.  Four minutes before the break, Harry Craig hit the ball low only for Ruari Ellis to clear. 

The final chance for the first half came from a Goldie cross that was parried out by Cammy Gill but the loose ball was behind Coughlin and Johnstone was too hesitant to pounce.

HALF TIME: Montrose 1 Queens 0

After a poor start to the first half, Queens started the second with more purpose and within three minutes of the restart they were back level.  A brilliant ball into the box by Goldie was caught sweetly by Coughlin but the keeper made a terrific point blank save to push it over for a corner.  As Smith delivered, Taylor Charters headed it back into the six-yard box where Clark got his right boot on it to steer it into the net.

But Queens soon shot themselves in the foot again when just six minutes later Montrose played a long ball forward and as Sutherland chased, Ellis put a hand on his back and he tumbled inside the area and ref, Lewis Hogarth pointed to the spot.  Oliver kept it low as he sent the ball to the keeper’s right with Mehmet diving to his left.

On the hour mark, Sean McGinty had his back to goal but hooked the ball just over and then Mehmet made a save from Sutherland as the corner was played in. The keeper was busy as sixty seconds later he got down to stop Oliver’s right foot strike. 

Midway through the half, as Queens attacked Smith played the ball in from the right for Clark his shot was heading for the top corner but it curled away at the last minute.

The home side pushed forward again and a long ball forward was knocked across the box for Craig who fired the ball towards an empty net but Ellis was on hand to clear the ball off the line.

In between bookings and substitutions, Goldie’s shot was wide and in the final stages Smith played the ball into the box for Jack Stott but the keeper got down to collect. 

FULL TIME: Montrose 2 Queens 1

Teams:

Montrose: Gill, Duffy, Quinn, McGinty, Barjonas (Byrne 84), Lyons (Webster 84), Freeman, Sutherland (Loudon 80), Oliver, Bertie (Oosenbrugh 80) & Craig.  Subs not used: Millar, Williamson, Dillon & Clark.

Queens: Mehmet, Goldie, Charters, McQueen, Smith, Mackenzie, Clark, Johnstone (Stott 79), Coughlin (Dair 79), Ellis & Davis (Gray 86).  Subs not used: Petry, Morton, Kelly, Thomson & McColm.

Ref: Lewis Hogarth

Crowd: 564