At the end of a busy week, we return to Palmerston tomorrow for the final of our public friendly matches. After Welsh side Connah’s Quay Nomads visited last weekend, this week it’s the turn of the Irish as Boyle Sports Premiership side Crusaders make the journey across the water from Belfast.

There may well be a few familiar faces in the squad with Kieran McKechnie, Fraser Bryden and Adam Brooks all with the Seaview side.

Ahead of the game, Queens boss Nicky Clark said “It’s going to be another great challenge, another great test for us. I think it'll be different from the previous two against Nomads and Threave but it’s one we're really looking forward to and we'll prepare for. We need to go and play against these teams. I'm sure they'll be physical again and will move it about, so it's important that we are set up properly and we bring what we want to do to the game as well.”

Supporters Information

Due to ongoing construction work on the roof of the Thompson Solicitors stand, there will be no public access within the area and the stand will be closed for this match. Therefore, HOME supports will be located within the 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 Away 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. These will be the only turnstiles in operation.

Turnstiles will be open for spectator entry at approximately 1345.

Entry is by ticket. Tickets are now on sale for both home and away fans online via the link below:

https://qosfc.ticketco.events/uk/en/e/queen_of_the_south_v_crusaders

On the day ticket prices are:

Adults: £12
Concessions: £8

U16s: £4

Tickets will be available online 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 which are likely to 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. Unfortunately due to the ongoing construction work the lounge bar under the Thompson’s Solicitors stand will NOT be open for this match.

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.

Tomorrow’s match kicks off at 3pm

Tickets for our two home Premier Sports games against Kelty Hearts and Aberdeen are now on sale.

www.qosfc.com/buytickets

Prices for both games are

Adult : £17
Concession : £10
U16 : £5

Prices are for home and away fans and tickets for both are now on sale.

Our pre-season friendlies continued last night when we travelled to Castle Douglas to face Threave Rovers in the inaugural Charlie Boy Foundation Trophy match. Josh Kelly headed home the only goal of the game after the break to secure victory and bring the cup to Palmerston.

The warm-up game was the first of what will now be an annual match played in memory of Charlie Watson who was a midfielder for both clubs before losing his brave battle to cancer at the age of 20 just over a year ago. Charlie’s Mum, Amanda and step-dad Richard were on hand to present Jack Hannah with the trophy.

Half of all proceeds from the match will be given to the Foundation.

While the manager continues to build his squad for next season, our Academy coaches are also working hard behind the scenes.

With some of our Academy players, Shaun Petry, Ben Morton, Josh Kelly, Billy Gray and Joe Thomson all involved in our pre-season friendly against Connah’s Quay Nomads on Saturday it shows just how important the youth set-up is to the club.

Over the next few weeks, we will be signing more players for our under 19 and under 17 sides as they prepare for their games in the CAS Leagues. But for now we have the following players signed up:-

Shaun Petry

Josh Kelly

Joe Thomson

Kayden Reilly

Doug Smith

Ayden Ashraf

Isaac Scott

Tom Bolger

Lucas Cluckie

Shaun Dinnin

Alfie Copland

Blake Murphy

Ignas Banys

Ben Morton

Logan McKenzie

Dylan Craig

Lewis White

William Salfenmoser

Lucas Jones

Connal Smith

We look forward to seeing how their careers progress over the next campaign.

Our warm-up matches continue tomorrow night with a trip to Meadow Park, Castle Douglas to take on Threave Rovers for the Charlie Boy Foundation trophy. A new annual fixture in memory of youngster, Charlie Watson who played for both clubs before he sadly passed away with cancer last year.

It is pay at the game and ticket prices for the game have been set at:

Adults: £10
Concessions: £5

U16s: Free

Half the proceeds from the match will be donated to the Foundation.

Ahead of the game manager Nicky Clark said “We still need to get the distances in the legs and get the fitness level as high as we possibly can. Some boys will maybe play forty-five, some boys will get a wee bit longer, but it's another challenge that we're looking forward to. It’s another chance for us to work on the things that we're working on.”

The match sponsored by BDS Digital has a 7.30pm kick off.

Although the World Cup continues to take centre stage, there’s a bit of an international theme at Palmerston tomorrow, when after a short-break we return to action with the first of our pre-season friendly matches.

The game against Welsh side, Connah’s Quay Nomads, will be our supporters first chance to cast an eye over the squad that Nicky Clark is assembling for the new season and an opportunity for fans to watch a Cymru Premier league side who are preparing for their UEFA Conference League qualifying round 1st leg against FC Ballkani.

Supporters Information

Due to ongoing construction work on the roof of the Thompson Solicitors stand, there will be no public access within the area and the stand will be closed for this match. Therefore, HOME supports will be located within the 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 Away 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. These will be the only turnstiles in operation.

Turnstiles will be open for spectator entry at approximately 1345.

Entry is by ticket. Tickets are now on sale for both home and away fans online via the link below:

https://qosfc.ticketco.events/uk/en/e/queen_of_the_south_v_the_nomads

Tickets are priced at:

Adults: £12
Concessions: £8

U16s: £4

Tickets will be available online 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/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.

Supporters’ buses including minibuses will not be allowed to park in the Arena car park.

Those travelling to the game should be aware that there is roadworks in and around the town which are likely to cause some delays and the annual Youth Beatz music festival is also taking place. 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. Due to the roof construction the lounge bar under the Thompson’s Solicitors stand will NOT be open for this match.

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.

Tomorrow’s match kicks off at 3pm

We are delighted to welcome Zander MacKenzie to the club on a permanent deal. The 20-year-old who was on loan from Partick Thistle last season makes the switch to Palmerston on a one-year deal.

Zander joined the Firhill side in 2017 as part of their Academy under 12s and progressed through the age groups and as a 15-year-old was handed his first team debut by Ian McCall. During his loan spell in Dumfries, he made 23 starts and seven appearances from the bench under Peter Murphy.

Manager Nicky Clark said “Zander proved to be a key player for us last season as his versatility gave us options both defensively and in the middle of the park. He turns 21 in August so is still young and learning but he is a big strong player who has a physical presence and gives 100% every time he plays.”

Zander added “Having spent last season on loan, I know the club well. I’m disappointed that we fell short and missed out on promotion but I loved playing for Queens and when I knew I was leaving Thistle I had no hesitation in coming back. We have good players and have great potential so we will be going all out to go that one step further this year and get back into the Championship.”

As we return for pre-season training and manager, Nicky Clark builds his squad for the new campaign we are delighted to welcome Trevor Carson to the club.

The 38-year-old goalkeeper who has been capped eight times for Northern Ireland brings a vast amount of experience to the squad also becomes part of the coaching team as he takes on the role of goal-keeping coach.

Trevor left his home land when he joined Sunderland in 2004. After a decade in England, he crossed the border to Motherwell. Four seasons at Fir Park was followed by a spell at Dundee United before the keeper joined St Mirren making 37 appearances for the Saints during his twelve months there. It was then back to Tayside for three years with Dundee during which time he went out on loan to Ross County.

Following the signing, The Gaffer said “Having been with Trevor at County, he is someone I know well and I’m pleased to have been able to bring him in as part of the squad. He is an excellent goalkeeper with a wealth of experience so it’s great to have him for such a fundamental position within the team and coaching staff.”

Carson added “I’m delighted to join the club and I’m looking forward to getting started. It’s a great opportunity for me to continue playing at a good level whilst having the chance to coach. It is going to be a tough league this year with the teams that are in it but we will be up for the challenge.”