While the first team were in the capital to take on Edinburgh City in the KDM Evolution Trophy the under 19s were at home to Livingston.

As they continued their CAS League fixtures the boys fell behind early on when the visitors fired home a free-kick after seven minutes.

That was the only goal of the first half and although they found it difficult against a strong Livingston team the boys worked hard to compete for large spells in the game but conceded a further two goals in the final twenty-minutes and ended up losing three-nil.

FULL TIME: QOS u19s 0 Livingston 3

Coach Eddie Warwick said “As each game comes along the players are understanding and learning the levels required. It was a tough night but again we take many positives from the game both individually and collectively and we will keep progressing.”

Our youth sides continue their fixtures this week when the under 17s take on Falkirk at Palmerston on Thursday night.  Kick-off 7.45pm.

Our KMD Evolution Trophy matches continued away at Edinburgh City.  With a big game to come in the league at the weekend, manager Nicky Clark, made six changes to the side that beat Airdrie.  Chris McQueen, Brodie Dair, Cole Coughlin, Ruari Ellis, Billy Gray and Rocco McColm all got the nod ahead of Liam Smith, Zander Mackenzie, Connor Young, Shaun Want, Niall Rogerson who all dropped to the bench. The Gaffer also sat this one out due to the rib injury he picked up against the Diamonds.

It was a sluggish start from Queens and the home side had a couple of early chances from Jack Leish and Murray Aiken that Deniz Mehmet saved.  But the keeper was beaten after eight minutes when Ricky Waugh played in a corner that was knocked back into the path of Leitch who curled a left foot shot into the top corner.

Queens were struggling and as they gave away a free-kick 25-yards out Jason Jarvis fired the ball just wide of the upright. And as City continued to push forward Leitch hit a powerful strike that Mehmet pushed out for a corner. 

It had been relentless pressure and Lennon Walker forced another save from Mehmet with a shot from just inside the box.  As they came again, Ellis got across to cover to allow the keeper to collect.

Midway through the half Queens eventually had a peek at goal when Gray was inside the six-yard box but turned his left foot shot the wrong side of Mark Weir’s right-hand post. 

It was a brief flurry out of their own half and as the visitors failed to clear their lines properly Walker cut inside and fired a shot just over the bar from outside the box.

With just over half an hour played Queens had a lucky escape when Aiken played a low cross from the right for Walker who took a touch before hitting a left foot shot off the post.

Sixty seconds later Walker got in between McQueen and Ellis to get through the middle but Mehmet blocked his right foot effort.  The same player missed another opportunity when Casey Bunker crossed from the left and as he slid in he could only knock the ball wide. 

Clark’s side were finding it tough but did finish the first half better and seven minutes before the break Taylor Charters played the ball out to Dair on the right had side of the box but as he kept the cross low the hosts cleared.  Back at the other end, Jarvis cleared the bar from distance.

The final chance of the half did fall to Queens when Dair did the hard work to get the ball to Charters, his delivery into the area was blocked but it wasn’t cleared properly and as the ball came back out to Dair he crossed for Coughlin but he couldn’t get enough on it to cause any danger.

HALF TIME: Edinburgh City 1 Queens 0

Both sides made several changes at the start of the second half and with just over an hour on the clock, Smith worked his way into the box but found it crowded and the move fizzled out.  It was better from Queens and Ben Johnstone carved out a cross from inside the box but he had no takers. And as the game moved back up the park, McQueen got caught on the wrong side by Walker who got the shot away and had Mehmet beaten but again he was denied by the base of the post. 

It was a let off for Queens and within a minute they were back level when Young scored his first goal for the club when he drilled the ball low into the bottom corner from the edge of the area.

Midway through the half Caleb Goldie played the ball into the box but it was cleared.  The substitutions had made an impact for Queens and after Smith caused problems, Johnstone was inside the box but his low shot was blocked.

Two minutes later, Mackenzie’s effort was deflected for a corner and as the ball came in Young headed just over.

Smith then linked up with Goldie on the right and as the defender returned the ball into the 18-yard area, the winger hit a left foot shot too high.  In the final five minutes a long ball forward by Ellis was kept in by Charters who found Johnstone but his snap-shot was hit with power and cleared the crossbar.

Bunker then hit a free-kick straight into the arms of Mehmet before the final chance of the game on ninety-minutes fell to Queens when great play by Smith set-up Mackenzie but the keeper got down to save his shot.  The ball was still in play and as it fell to Johnstone, he dragged a weak shot wide.

FULL TIME: Edinburgh City 1 Queens 1

Teams:

Edinburgh City: Weir, McGinn, Grigor, Leitch (Quinn 57), Walker (Lynch 69), Jarvis (Pitt 46), Waugh (Brodie 46), Bunker, Aiken, Rowe & McGregor (Law 57).  Subs not used: Dowie.

Queens: Mehmet, Goldie, Charters, McQueen, Dair (Smith 54), Johnstone, Coughlin, Ellis, Davis, Gray Young 54) & McColm (Mackenzie 54).  Subs not used: Petry, Want, Rogerson & Morton.

Ref: Cameron Stirling

Our youth teams both have home games in their respective CAS leagues this week. 

For fans who are not travelling to Edinburgh with the first team but are looking for a game to watch, the under 19s host Livingston tomorrow night (Tues). Kick-off 7.30pm.  Entry will be the usual £3 pay at the gate.

While the under 17s play Falkirk at Palmerston on Thursday night. They have a slightly later kick-off time with the game starting at 7.45pm.

We continue our KDM Evolution Trophy matches tomorrow with a trip to Edinburgh City. After home wins over Cumbernauld Colts (4-0) and Hibs B (1-0), we sit sixth in the standings. City also have maximum points from their two games with wins away at Hamilton Accies (1-0) and at home to Cowdenbeath (3-1) but sit five places below due to the goal-difference.

As he looked forward to our first away fixture in the competition, assistant manager Sandy Clark said “I thought Hibs, young players were really good but this will be different again as Edinburgh will be a more experienced side so we will maybe have to approach it a little bit different.  We will make a decision on what side we will play but we might have a lot of young, enthusiastic players on the pitch.  It’s a chance for them to go and show what they can do in a competitive environment. They're a league below us but we will give them the respect that they deserve and we'll go and try to win the match and if we win it, it's another bonus and another step forward.”

Supporters Information

For those making the trip to Meadowbank Stadium, tickets are available to purchase via the FanBase platform, using the following link:

https://bit.ly/ecfc080926

Adults: £10
Concessions & U18s: £5

Additionally, tickets can be bought at the turnstiles, right up to kick-off via card or cash payment.

Visting supporters should access Meadowbank Stadium via the West Turnstiles with Sections A & B of

the stand designated for them, seating is strictly allocated.

Car Parking is very limited within the stadium car park itself but there are no special parking restrictions around the stadium, with on street parking free in the surrounding streets, such as Wishaw Terrace, Dalgety Avenue, Dalgety Street and Marionville Road

There will be food kiosks within the stadium and supporters can use cards and electronic payment devices.

Kick-off: 7.45pm

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.