Queen’s Park 1 Raith Rovers 5
QUEEN’S PARK paraded the Reserve League trophy at Hampden pre-match – and then fielded several of the B team winner in the first-team that went down 5-1 to Raith Rovers in the season finale.
The Spiders were already safe from relegation after Hamilton’s appeal against a 15-point punishment was dismissed on Thursday.
But Raith were on the hunt for the promotion play-offs and ruthlessly took their chances – and two from the penalty spot – but were still denied fourth place by Partick Thistle.
They faced a Spiders team captained by Louis Longridge in the absence of Calum Ferrie, with 17-year-old Milosz Sliwinski in goals and fellow B-team starlets Aiden McGinlay and Timam Scott starting.
The winger told QPTV he was loving the first team experience and exciting the fans – and he did just that, drawing their acclaim early on with some clever footwork to hold off two Raith players on the right wing.
It was Timam’s first start at Hampden, but there would later be a big homecoming return for one of his team-mates who’d waited almost a year to get back from injury.
As bright a start as it had been for the Spiders it was Raith who went closest after ten minutes, Paul Hanlon racing by Adam Devine and crossing low for Will Tizzard to hack out of the six-yard area.
Debutant Sliwinski had shown early confidence with his feet, but he made a good stop to deny Dylan Easton next when Scott was penalised on the edge of the area.
Rovers, of course were chasing the fourth and stepped up the pressure – though Queen’s broke and a lofted ball from Louis Longridge found Adam Montgomery who collided with Josh Rae on the by-line as he went close for the home side.
Dylan Easton sent a drive straight at Sliwinski on the half-hour mark but the keeper was eventually beaten ten minutes later, and then again before the interval.
He punched a corner clear then beat out a follow-up strike from Shaun Byrne, but it was third time lucky for Raith as Callum Fordyce forced the ball into the net.
Queen’s Park heeded the warning but were still punished again three minutes later.
They were more alert to the danger as Raith overloaded the box again and Sliwinski was again to the fore – making a quick-fire hat-trick of saves but in the melee Louis Longridge was adjudged to have tripped Jamie Gullan and ref Ryan Lee pointed to the spot.
Lewis Vaughan scored from the spot to send Rovers two up – but their promotion rivals Partick were also ahead at the interval.
Adam Devine was replaced by Joseph Smith for another debut in the QP ranks but early in the second half it was McGinley’s turn to turn on the style, weaving through the Rovers defence, before being shut down.
The Raith defence couldn’t deny Seb Drozd two minutes later though.
The goal-scorer of the season’s – or maybe the century’s – most memorable Queen’s Park goal took a Louis Longridge pass in his stride, juggled it on his knee twice and then volleyed under Rae to reduce the deficit.
It was Drozd’s second in as many weeks, but Lewis Vaughan netted his second of the match when he charged down a Sliwinski clearance for Rovers’ third.
Loanee Kyle Hurst made his final appearance before returning to Doncaster, and his Spiders’ swansong off the bench almost came with a goal as he waltzed through the Rovers defence just after the hour-mark but was blocked off at close-range.
At 3-1 down Queen’s Park were still pressing and Roddy MacGregor showed great control to pull a Longridge pass out of the sky but the shot was tame and straight at Rae.
The comeback was killed off though when the referee handed Raith another penalty, but only after heavy hesitation as Lewis Vaughan went down alongside Will Tizzard. Easton denied Vaughan his hat-trick by scoring the spot-kick and QP interim assistant Sean Crighton was booked for protests in the technical area.
The home fans were just as aggrieved as the Spiders’ staff but they were all on their feet to welcome Charlie Fox back for his first action since his knee injury against Celtic in July.
A 15-minute cameo was more than he expected but he was immediately in the mix at the top end of the park, though neither he nor Louis Longridge could force the ball beyond Rae.
Queen’s kept going and Seb Drozd raced clear to flash a low strike across goal but Raith rounded off the scoring with Aiden Marsh in the 85th minute.
In the end it counted for little in the league table, Partick Thistle held their lead at Livingston to take fourth place – a result that rubber-stamped Falkirk as champions. That left Raith in fifth and Queen’s Park, at the other end of the table, match last season’s finish in eighth.
Queen’s Park: Sliwinski, Devine (Smith 46), Tizzard, Jackson, Montgomery, Longridge, King, Scott (Hurst 64), McGinley (Hickey-Fugaccia 61), MacGregor, Drozd.
Raith Rovers: Rae, Hanlon, Stevenson, Doherty, Fordyce, Mullin (Connolly 69), Matthews, Byrne, Easton, Vaughan, Gullan (Marsh 82).
Starting Eleven
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