Our first home game in the Championship takes place tomorrow when we welcome Dunfermline to Palmerston. Both sides had to settle for a point from their opening day fixtures, while our game away at Arbroath ended goal-less, the visitors shared four goals with Dundee at East End Park.
The four league games between us last season were tight matches with Queens edging it with two wins and a draw. Josh Todd scored the only goal of the game in October in a 1-0 win at East End Park with the Pars winning by the same score-line when we visited again in March. There were no goals in the first meeting at Palmerston in December but Iain Wilson and Josh Todd gave us a two goal lead at Palmerston in our final encounter in April before Jackson Longridge pulled one back late on.
The game is the first time our Manager, Allan Johnston will face his former club since leaving earlier this year. He has been reflecting on last weekend’s draw and looking ahead to the game at Palmerston.
“While it is good to get something on the board away from home, I felt it was two points dropped. With the number of chances we created we should’ve been winning the game comfortably.
Obviously we are going to miss the goal-scoring quality of Stephen Dobbie and I’m sure had he been playing he would’ve scored a couple, but the other players we have in the side are also capable of scoring goals, they just need to learn to show the same composure and make the right decisions in the final third.
A positive from the game was the clean-sheet, after losing sloppy goals during the Betfred League Cup matches that was important for us.
This weekend we host my former club Dunfermline. They made a good start to their season against Dundee and were a bit unfortunate to only take a point. They have found a player in Kevin Nisbet who scored one and created the other last week but they have a number of good players and have a real threat throughout the side. But as I keep saying it is all about us and how we play.
We are still short in numbers and have identified players that we would like to bring to the club. We will continue to try to do that over the next few weeks”.
Some notes for supporters ahead of the game:
Sections six & seven of the BDS Digital (East) Stand have been set aside for away supporters. They should enter the stadium via turnstiles three and four.
The turnstiles will be open for ALL spectator entry at 1415.
Entry is by ticket only. Tickets should be purchased from the ticket offices before arriving at the turnstiles. The ticket office within the QOS Arena will be open from 1230 with the BDS Stand Away section ticket office opening an hour later.
Please note that the BDS Stand ticket office is CASH ONLY. If you wish to purchase your ticket by card then you should use the Arena ticket office.
Ticket prices have been frozen at last season’s entry fees.
Adults: £18
OAP/Concessions/ Students/ 16-21 year olds: £10
Under 16’s: £5
Pre-School Kids: FREE
Season tickets are valid for the game and are available to purchase. A full price list is available in the Fans section of the website.
Accessible tickets are available at £8, £5 and £3.
Wheelchair access for away supporters is on the south side of BDS Digital stand. There is a lay-by on King Street for vehicles to drop their passengers for flat access to the ground. Disabled parking is available on the north side of the BDS Digital Stand or at the Arena car park. The cost of entry of one personal assistant is included in the price of the ticket.
Car parking is available in the Queen of the South Arena car park next to the ground. There will be some on street parking restrictions but there is plenty of other on and off street parking available around the ground.
Supporters buses will NOT be allowed to park in the Arena car park, therefore it is requested that buses/minibuses 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.
There are no ongoing roadworks currently around Dumfries that may affect travel times to Palmerston Park. Fans should check the Traffic Scotland website at http://trafficscotland.org/index.aspx for confirmation of any delays.
Separate catering outlets and toilets will be available for use throughout the ground. Toilet and catering facilities are also available in the Arena prior to kick off. The café within the Arena offers a full menu and the bar under the Gates Stand will also be open for refreshments.
We are aware that some spectators at the earlier Betfred League cup matches at Palmerston were deliberately throwing food to attract the seagulls into the crowded areas. We are concerned about the potential for spectators or other personnel to suffer injury or fouling from seagull waste. We ask supporters to refrain from doing so and have instructed that should this type of deliberate behaviour be observed at the match those responsible will be immediately removed from the ground.
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. 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. Any person deemed to be under the influence of alcohol will be denied entry to the ground. This will be strictly enforced.
All spectators are required to abide by our acceptable behavior policy and your cooperation would be greatly appreciated.
Our Saturday Kids Club also makes a return this weekend. The club for primary school age children takes place ahead of all of our Saturday home games from 1230 at the Arena. For two hours ahead of kick off, kids will receive coaching from Queens coaches and members of the Under 20 squad as well as having fun and the chance to play short games. For the cost of £10 per child (£8 if they have a Junior Blues season ticket) they will also be given lunch and then entry into the first teams game where they can either sit with their families or be collected after the match.
Pre-registration is not compulsory anyone can turn up and pay on the day.
Kick off – 3pm