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.