Young Spiders Show Steel – Queen’s Park U19s 3 Motherwell U19s 1
QUEEN’S PARK under-19s registered an impressive 3-1 win over Motherwell’s elite academy in a friendly at Lochinch on Tuesday.
Two Liam McLeish goals either side of a Conor Falls strike sent Charley King’s side clear though the Steelmen pulled one back late on with their only clear cut chance of the match.
The win continues the good run of form for the Young Spiders who are unbeaten and top of the CAS Advanced Youth league at this early stage of the season.
They faced rivals from Elite level Motherwell – who had drawn with Hamilton Academical first-team in the KDM Evolution trophy last week.
The Spiders couldn’t have made a much better start.
After good work from the returning Ross McLean – continuing his return after injury – advanced down the left and sent a low ball into the box that was tucked away by Liam McLeish.
He spurned an even easier chance 25 minutes later – but couldn’t covert after Leo Clark released Josiah Sowa and his cutback was laid on a plate for McLeish, but his miskick sent the ball back across goal.
Clark, and defensive partners Cole Burke and Ollie Fisher were rarely troubled, though Burke was fortunate not to receive punishment for a last man shirt pull after the Steelmen striker stole beyond him in a tight offside line.
If anyone was to score another it would have been the Spiders on volume of chances alone. Conor Falls forced a great save from the Motherwell keeper and McLeish did likewise shortly before the interval.
However it went 2-0 shortly after the interval when Falls rounded off a good team move to slam in the second from close range within two minutes of the restart.
By the hour-mark it was three, McLeish beating the offside line and cutting in from the left to tap across the goalkeeper and in off the post.
It could even have been four but there were no takers after Leo Fisher hit the by-line and cutback but Motherwell cleared.
The visitors edged back into the game as both sides made plenty of changes to their teams and the Steelmen pulled one back in the 71st minute with their clearest sight of goal.
That’s how it finished though and coach Charley King was pleased with the run out, and the performance.
He said: “It was a good performance and we started really well. Motherwell were difficult to break down but I still feel like we made plenty of chances, in the first half especially, and their goalkeeper made a few good saves. So I was a little bit disappointed to be only one ahead at half-time.
“We managed the game from the second goal onwards and that was pleasing.
“When we played Edinburgh City last week they had a few counter attacks to threaten us and that suggested we were maybe not set up properly behind the ball but our structure was better today although I’m a little disappointed with the goal we lost because we had possession and lost it in an attacking area and that’s something to look at in training this week.
“The first-team coaching staff were watching the game too and it’s up to our guys to keep performing like this to try and enter into their thoughts.
“We had Ross McLean returning too which was good to see. He’s a player who can give us something a bit different and now we turn attention to Elgin City here at Lochinch on Sunday in the league.”
