THE football authorities are in a no-win situation when the weather
turns nasty, as it did on Saturday. Travelling fans will complain if a
match is put off while they are en route to the venue, and the
alternative is that games are played in conditions which may deteriorate
until they border on the unplayable.
No-one was arguing at kick-off time that Meadowbank's top-of-the-table
encounter with Queen of the South should be put off. At some point
during the goalless action, however, the unofficial verdict would have
to be ''rain stopped football.''
In Queens' best attack, Tommy Bryce released the division's top scorer
and hottest property, Andy Thomson, but he was denied by keeper Jim
McQueen. A Stuart Wilson header came off the bar at the other end midway
in the first half and, in the final minute, Alan Davidson fingertipped a
Gordon McLeod drive to deny Meadowbank. But Queens did not deserve to be
losers.
The weather could not save Queen's Park from a 6-0 rout at Berwick. On
what was a real lucky-white-heather day for the Spiders they trailed at
half-time to an own goal by Ian Maxwell and the roof fell in during the
next 10 minutes.
One of their two trialists was sent off for a foul which conceded a
penalty, duly converted by Kevin Kane, Mark Cowan headed No.3, Kane
added one more, and Craig Cunningham raised the total to five. After a
20-minute respite, substitute David Scott hit the sixth.
Equally consistent in the wrong sort of way are Cowdenbeath, whose
winless home sequence was extended to 27 matches when they lost 3-1 to
East Stirlingshire.
Cowden's acting manager, Colin Harris, equalised a header by Derek
Yates, but an own goal by Billy Herd on the hour mark put 'Shire ahead
and a late shot by Mike Geraghty prompted calls from the home support
for the resignation of chairman Gordon McDougall.
Alloa manager Billy Lamont signed three attacking players on Friday
and the reward was a 3-0 victory at Forfar, where one of the new men,
Mike McAnenay, gave the visitors an early lead.
There were 1-0 away wins for Arbroath, through a Colin McKinnon header
against Albion Rovers, and East Fife, whose substitute John Reilly
scored at Montrose. Kenny Brannigan ran into the box to head home a
corner just before half-time, earning Stranraer the points at home to
Stenhousemuir.
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