The Spiders bring their Betfred Cup campaign to end on Saturday afternoon with the toughest test so far as Premiership side St Mirren visit Hampden. The Buddies top Group G going into the match and know that a win guarantees qualification and although the Spiders having nothing to play for in that regard, Ray McKinnon’s men will be looking forward to the opportunity to test themselves against Premiership opponents.
Manager’s thoughts
“It’s another very tough test for the squad on the back of Tuesday night but it’s one that the boys will be relishing and looking forward to. St Mirren have a very good squad and are a Premiership side so it’ll be another marker to show where we are at the moment and it’s one that I hope the boys can go out and enjoy. We know St Mirren will be at full strength as they look to cement the top spot in the group and secure qualification but that doesn’t change our approach to the game. We go into every game looking to win it and Saturday is no different.
“We are likely to again make some changes tomorrow, as we did on Tuesday night against Queen of the South, and we may also look at changing the system and use the opportunity to experiment ahead our return to league action next week but that does not change the fact that it is a game that we want to win.
“As much as the league is our priority, Tuesday night’s game gave us the opportunity to give game time to those who we feel ned it, such as Canice and Jai who were late in joining us, and Craig Slater who didn’t get a full pre season under his belt and we used that game, the same as we will use the St Mirren game, as a tool for us to get better as a club.
“After what was a disrupted and not full pre season I really feel that the players are starting to get up to speed and looking stronger week on week. We need to dust ourselves down from Tuesday night’s defeat, learn from the mistakes which cost us, and hopefully give a good account of ourselves on Saturday. If we can do that it will set us up well for the league campaign ahead.”
Squad news: The game will come too soon for striker Simon Murray who edges ever closer to being available for selection. The gaffer confirmed that he will feature in a couple of planned friendly matches over the next fortnight ahead of a return to competitive action.
The opposition: The Buddies go into the game sitting top of Group G and looking for the points to secure that position and qualification. Jim Goodwin’s men opened their Betfred Cup account with a 4-1 home win over Partick Thistle before going on to record draws against Queen of the South and Greenock Morton, picking up the bonus point from both matches courtesy of penalty shoot out wins.
Head to head: Played 117; Queen’s Park 45; Draw 21; St Mirren 51. Scored – Queen’s Park 184; St Mirren 209.
Last meeting of the sides: 24/07/2018 Queen’s Park 0-0 St Mirren (St Mirren won 5-4 on penalties), League Cup Group H.
Last matches: 10/11/2020 Queen’s Park 1-3 Queen of the South; St Mirren 1-1 Greenock Morton (St Mirren won 6-5 on penalties).
Recent form (all competitions): Queen’s Park LDWWWL; St Mirren LLWDDD.
Top scorers (all competitions): Queen’s Park – Will Baynham (2); St Mirren – Jonathan Obika (4).
Match officials: Referee – Greg Aitken; Assistant Referees – Sean Carr and Colin Drummond.
Programme: You can read our digital match programme for the game HERE.
Live streaming: Information for members, season ticket holders and pay per view viewers https://queensparkfc.co.uk/qptv-live/
Facebook: Get the team news at 2.15pm followed by live goal, half time and full time score updates via our Facebook page.
Twitter: Get the team news at 2.15pm followed by live updates throughout the match via our Twitter account @QueensParkFC.
Instagram: Get the team news at 2.15pm followed by live goal, half time and full-time score updates via our Instagram.
QPTV: Post match reaction from the manager will be available shortly after the game. Match highlights to follow on Sunday morning on our YouTube channel.
Next match: v Brechin City at Hampden on Saturday 21st November 2020. Kick off 3.00pm.