24th March 2023 FC Edinburgh 1 Queen of the South 3

 

Friday night football at Meadowbank with FC Edinburgh at home to Queen of the South(QoS) in a League One fixture. I left home at 18.30 and walked down to Haymarket to catch a bus to the ground. I caught a 44 which seemed to be running early so I got off at Abbeyhill and walked the short distance to the ground arriving around 19.15. I saw there were queues in the FC Edinburgh shop in Dalziel Place and realised why when I arrived at Meadowbank seconds later. There was a queue from the one open turnstile down to the pavement and arching round the front of the stadium. Everyone so often a steward would walk down the queue say that you had to have a ticket to get in and tickets were available in the club shop. Thankfully I had bought my ticket on Fanbase in advance. After wasting five minutes of my life I finally got to the turnstile and had my ticket scanned and bought a £3 programme. My ticket was for a seat in the home stand just over the halfway line. As the weather forecast was for torrential rain later this was a good choice as I was in the second row of the three in the stand and sheltered from the elements. About fifteen. Inures from the kick-off I saw Alex arrive. I was unable to sit with him as he had a ticket in the away fans section of the stand. We had a chat before he moved into the away section. He is just back from a holiday in Germany and Hungary where he saw a number of matches in different grounds. He went to see Bayern Munich v PSG in the Champions League whee his ticket cost €19, considerably less than what would have been charged in Scotland for a match in the Champions League.

Edinburgh have surprised everyone following their promotion to League One after last seasons play-offs. They are currently fifth in the league table and challenging for a playoff place in a league which contains several full-time sides. They lost Hibs loanees Jack Brydon, Emmanuel Johnson and Adam Delfrriere in the transfer window with all three moving back to their parent club on the expiry of their short-term contracts. Scott Mercer from East Fife and Steven Warnock on loan from from Kilmarnock have been brought in as replacements. QoS are now managed by former Hibs player Marvin Bartley and stand seventh in the league table.despite their lowly position in the ten team league they are in no danger of relegation with Clyde and Peterhead fighting out who goes down and who goes into the playoffs. Their squad has a strong Edinburgh influence. Goalkeeper Maceij Dabrowroski is on loan from Hibs and full-back Cammy Logan from Hearts. Both have been told they will not be offered new contracts next season and the loan moves put them ‘in the shop window’ for clubs looking for new players. In addition Harry Cochrane were signed from Hearts and Jack Brydon from Hibs on full-time deals. QoS were playing in their black change strip with grey/silver numbers which were difficult to make out. 

Edinburgh started the game well and Innes Murray shot narrowly wide from the edge of the penalty area in the first minute. Shortly after Lee Hamilton shot over the bar from the centre of   the penalty box after a corner taken by Murray. Ryan Shanley then hit a post as Edinburgh pushed for the opening goal. The striker then shot wide from the centre of the penalty area after another rood passing move from Edinburgh. Kieran McKechnie  of QoS had their first attempt at goal when his shot from about twenty yards was pushed over the bar by Robbie Match in the Edinburgh goal. Just before halftime Edinburgh's John Robertson had a shot saved by Dabrowski as he cut into the right hand side of the penalty area.  

QoS came more into the game in the second with McKechnie looking dangerous on the right hand side on the park. The turning point of the game for me came just after the hour when QoS brought on Cochrane and Connor Murray for Lee Connolly and Ian Wilson. In sixty-four minutes after a move started by Cochrane in midfield McKechnie fed the ball into the penalty box for Paul Paton to hit home a low shot from twelve yards. QoS were now on top  and were making chances to add to their lead. Edinburgh brought on substitutes Ouzy See, Danny Handling and Kyle Jacobs in a effort to equalise but QoS went two up after eighty minutes. Lee Hendrie passed the ball across the penalty area to Murray just outside the penalty box who fired a low shot into the eft hand corner of the net past Mutch. Four minutes later Hendrie had a shot saved by Mutch at the expense of a corner. Murray took the corner on the left and centre-back Paul McKay headed the flighted ball to put his side three up. Edinburgh pulled a goal back in the last minute of normal time. Warnock passed to David Craigen just outside the penalty area on the right. Craigen took the ball on the volley and shot across goal into the far corner of the net. After three minutes of injury time the referee blew the final whistle for what was the end of a game of two halves.

I headed towards the exit where I met my old boss Robin who agreed with me that the introduction of Cochrane and Murray had changed to game in favour of QoS. The fans leaving the ground were held up my barriers placed on the route towards the exit to allow the players and officials access to the dressing rooms. I would not have minded this so much had it not been pouring rain at the time. After the barriers were removed I left the ground and instead of heading to the nearest bus stop I walked out of town to the pervious stop near to Holyrood Park. I caught a 44 bus within minutes and got a seat before the bus moved on and a number of fans got on at Meadowbank.I took the bus to Haymarket and walked home from there arriving around 22.15. 

Teams

FC Edinburgh: Mutch, Mercer, MacDonald, Hamilton, McIntyre, Crane, Robertson, Craigen, Shanley, Warnock, Murray.

Subs: Handling, See, Jacobs.

QoS: Dabrowski, Logan, Hendrie, McKay, Brydon, East, McKechnie, Wilson, Paton, Todd, Connolly.

Subs: Cochrane, Murray, Irving.