Pre-match with Paul: Queen’s Park v Airdrieonians
Queen’s Park meet Airdrieonians in the cinch Championship this Saturday with The Spiders out to build on an encouraging display and point against title chasing Dundee United in their last outing and the Lanarkshire side looking to move on from a goalless draw at home to Morton.
The game will be a tenth contest between the sides since July 2021 but a first at Hampden since a nil-nil in a League One game in March 2018.
The first meeting between the clubs this season ended in a 1-1 draw in Lanarkshire in a game that was shown live on BBC Scotland with Calum Gallagher scoring for Airdrieonians and Jack Turner replying for the Spiders.
Paul Nuijten takes his third game in charge of the Glasgow side with the Dutchman looking for his players to show the same defensive strength they showed against Dundee United but add an attacking edge to their game.
Paul spoke with QPTV and covered:
- Team Spirit/ Fighting Spirit.
- Not thinking about things turning.
- Don’t look at gap, win the game.
- Positional moves for Airdrie.
- Squad news
- Similar Styles
The cinch Championship so far
After a promising start to their season Queen’s Park are looking for the three points that could lift them away from tenth place at the end of 2023 and to within a point of their visitors. A win would also see the home fans leave delighted after just one success and three draws on home soil this season.
One of the challenges facing Paul Nuijten and his players is to increase the goals from across his team as only seven players have scored in the Championship this season and three of them Alex Bannon, Jack Thomson and Tommy Robson have found the net once.
Dom Thomas and Barry Hepburn have scored twice with Jack Turner next on five and Ruari Paton leading the way with seven goals.
Airdrieonians are one of a trio of clubs sitting in mid-table with 18 points with Rhys McCabe’s side winning five and drawing three of their 17 games which is one more than Queen’s Park have played.
After winning four of their first seven fixtures Airdrieonians have picked up one three-point haul with a 2-0 triumph over Arbroath back in November. Gallagher is one of only six goalscorers in the Championship for Airdrie with the attacker grabbing five of the 14 goals scored with a defence that has conceded ten fewer goals ensuring that their goal difference is five goals better than their hosts.
Squad News
Queen’s Park hope to have Stuart McKinstry available again however Charlie Fox, Grant Savoury and Liam McLeish continue to be absent.
Click HERE to buy tickets for the game.
Last time out
20 October 2023
Airdrieonians 1 Queen’s Park 1
Queen’s Park – Calum Ferrie, Ben McPherson (Barry Hepburn 79), Alex Bannon (Charlie Fox 87), Will Tizzard (Lewis Reid 40), Tommy Robson, Louis Longridge, Jack Spong, Jack Turner (Patrick Jarrett 87), Jack Thomson, Dom Thomas, Ruari Paton.
Unused substitutes – Sam Kane (G/k), Aaron Healy, Cameron Bruce, Alex Fairlie, Lucas McCormick.
Airdrieonians – Josh Rae, Mason Hancock, Callum Fordyce, Lewis McGregor (Josh O’Connor 78), Calum Gallagher (Nikolay Todorov 62), Adam Frizzell, Liam McStravick, Dean McMaster, Kanayo Megwa, Craig Watson, Murray Aiken (Charlie Telfer 62).
Unused substitutes – David Hutton (G/k), Rhys McCabe, Elliot Dunlop, Gabby McGill, Joe Cassidy, Alasdair Spalding.
Referee – Grant Irvine
Read the Match Report – HERE.
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