Queen’s Park 1 St Johnstone 1 – Spiders skipper’s Late Show with League Leaders

QUEEN’S PARK skipper Euan Murray struck late to seal a point against league leaders St Johnstone after former Spiders star Josh Fowler had returned to haunt his old club.

Fowler pounced on the 54th minute, to turn in a cross from another ex-Spider Josh McPake for the opener of a tight affair at The city Stadium.

But captain Murray forced in a Roddy Macgregor header in the 89th minute to earn a deserved point for Sean Crighton’s side and continue the excellent run of form at home.

Queen’s Park have lost just once on the southside since September and have registered seven points from a possible nine since that reverse to Ross County.

The visit of the league leaders, postponed by the cold snap in January, was a true test of the current confidence in the Spiders’ squad – and one that they passed.

Well-drilled Queen’s kept their shape throughout a tactical first half where Sean Crighton’s gameplan combatted Saints’ potent attack of Fowler, McPake and Gullan.

There were several Saints attempts though as Murray blocked out Fowler, Matthew Shiels cleared a drilled McPake cross across the goal and Ferrie made an excellent fingertip save to push another drive from the Hearts-bound winger around the post.  

Saints had the majority of the chances, but Queen’s had one of their own when Magnus Mackenzie stole into the box five minutes from the break and had a go at Toby Steward’s goal – but sent his strike over the bar at the Somerville Drive end.

After a disciplined first half the second continued in the same way as the first, and Queen’s kept up the pressing that served them so well.

Seb Drozd had a chance after a good bit of pressure play from himself, and Callum Smith which saw his shot blocked. 

That  preceded Saints opener and it was Fowler, on his return to The city Stadium, who did the damage. The striker has scored in each of the last two meetings of the teams, and he did so again, only this time in the blue of St Johnstone.

He slid in ahead of Henry Fieldson to convert McPake’s low cross at close range for his first goal for his new club. 

Fieldson denied him a second shortly after as Sean Crighton pitched in Nikolay Todorov, Michael Ruth and Roddy Macgregor for the final half-hour – and the substitutes had an impact later on. 

They shook up the remainder and urged on from the noisy home support, the Spiders sought out an equaliser.

Ferrie was on top form on Saturday against Morton, and again in the first half of this one. He carried that into the second with a reaction save to meet a Sam Stanton strike with five minutes to go. 

That paved the way for Queen’s Park to level in the 89th minute with a Connolly free kick headed into the air by captain Murray. Macgregor kept the attack alive on the by-line and nodded back into the danger area where it was swept in by the skipper.

In the celebrations Saints defender Morgan Boyes was ordered off for violent conduct after an off-the-ball incident with Matty Shiels. 

With six additional minutes the Spiders started to search for a winner but it wouldn’t come and eighth placed Queen’s Park edged a little further away from the ninth and tenth positions, while Saints maintained their three-point gap over Partick Thistle at the other end.