Queen's kicked off their first CAS Elite League fixture of the new season against Aberdeen in the warm summer sun yesterday at Lochinch.
The Queen’s Park Academy had moved up to Elite status a few months ago and with the new season, this was the first opportunity the 18s had to play at the top level of Scottish youth football.
Aberdeen kicked off the match and forced the young Spider back from the off.
Queen’s responded in the second minute, forcing a corner, but nothing came from the delivery.
Aberdeen created the first chance of the match in the fifth minute when Fraser Mackie ran onto a ball played over the top of the Queen’s back line and hit a superb volley that brought out a great save by Queens goalkeeper Sam Kane.
Two minutes later Queen’s Ross McLean cut inside and attempted to fire in a shot from the edge of the box only to see his effort blocked by a Dons defender.
Aberdeen had the ball in the net in the sixteenth minute, but Mackie was flagged offside to keep the score at 0-0.
Just two minutes later Aberdeen opened the scoring. A misplaced pass out of defence was intercepted by Alfie Stewart who played in Fletcher Boyd. Boyd slotted the ball into an empty net from just outside the box.
Queens Park nearly equalised in the twenty second minute when Ross McLean dribbled his way into the Aberdeen defence and passed to Jude Bell unmarked wide right. Jude evaded an in-rushing defender and struck a powerful shot which rattled off the post to deny an equaliser.
Aberdeen immediately responded with a fast break with Mackie and Wilson creating a one-on-one with Sam Kane. Wilson’s shot was well blocked by Kane.
The Dons were well on top at this stage of the game. Their pacy forwards were making good use of the width of the Lochinch pitch to get beyond the Queen’s defence. They created a number of chances that narrowly missed the target.
Aberdeen’s second goal came in the five minutes before the interval. A corner form the left was expertly delivered to the near post. Jamie Mercer met the cross and headed the ball into the top left corner of the net.
Right on the stroke of half time Aberdeen goalkeeper Rodrigo Vitols brought down Dom Brady inside the area and got a yellow card. The penalty was taken by Liam McVey but was saved by Vitols diving low to his right. Vitols was very quickly back on his feet to save the rebound attempt to keep Aberdeen’s two goal cushion.
Half-time: Queen’s Park 0 Aberdeen 2
The second half certainly started in dramatic fashion, one minute into the half, with Aberdeen keeper Vitols sent off after a second yellow. He was replaced by substitute keeper Rueben Smillie.
Smillie was called into action two minutes later when be pulled off a great save from Queen’s Jamie Bradley’s shot from the edge of the box.
Queen’s were now in the ascendancy. They were controlling more of the ball and beginning to make in-roads into the well organised Aberdeen defence.
Aberdeen tested the Queen’s defence in the sixtieth minute with a fast attack. Enem drove down the right hand side, played the ball Wilson who attempted to get a fast shot away, but Michael Collie blocked his attempt.
A minute from time Liam McVey fired in a shot from outside the Aberdeen box which scraped past the upright.
Into injury time and Lewis Birchill pulled one back for Queen’s. A cross was fired in low from wide right and was met by the foot of substitute Lewis Burchill. His shot was fired hard past the diving Smillie and finished high into the net.
A much improved second half by the young Queen’s side against a disciplined and well organised Aberdeen side who should do well in the league this season
Full-time: Queen’s Park 1 Aberdeen 2
Queen’s Park: Sam Kane, Jude Bell, Dom Brady, Darryl Carrick, Michael Collie, Liam McVey, Theo McCormick, Jamie Bradley, Conor Falls, Ross McLean, Tyrece McDonnell.
Subs: Daniel Matheson, Alfie Lumsden, Jayden Fitzpatrick, Joshua Fitzpatrick, Lewis Birchill
Aberdeen: Rodrigo Vitols, Kai Watson, Jamie Mercer, Chistovie Kondolo, Alfie Stewart, Victor Enem, Cameron Wilson, Trialist, Fletcher Boyd, Fraser Mackie, Lewis Carrol.
Subs: Rueben Smillie, Joseph Teasdale, Cooper Masson, Lee Simpson.