A Queen’s Park ‘super-fan’, who has not missed a home or away match in 43 years, cannot wait to head to Inverness as the club makes its return to the second-tier for the first time in 30 years.
Keith McAllister starred in the BBC Scotland’s TV documentary What’s Next for Queen’s Park during the pandemic in 2020 – when he feared being locked out.
However, thanks to the Sunday Post he was matched with a voluntary co-commentating media role within Hampden to keep him backing his team.
Scotland’s oldest club Queen’s Park, whose long amateur status ended when they became professional in 2019, now have former Ross County manager Owen Coyle in charge after he took the helm in March this year.
Back-to-back promotions have seen the Spiders surge to the same level as Saturday’s opening day hosts Inverness, although it took an unlikely route via the play-offs for last year’s fourth-best side in League 1.
To their credit, they defeated Airdrie and Dunfermline Athletic, and their strong squad, bolstered by the backing of Willie Haughey, have high hopes for the new season.
The 152-year-old club are now setting their sights high, and passionate fan McAllister admits their form peaked at the perfect time after an indifferent 2021/22 campaign.
He said: “Last season, we finished 28 points behind (champions) Cove Rangers and 21 behind Airdrie, then all of a sudden, things just clicked in the play-offs.
“Owen Coyle came in and got us sorted out and (forward) Simon Murray, who is a fantastic talent, it all clicked for him too. The players just seemed to step up across the board in the four play-off games.
“We were worthy winners. The play-offs are designed to be exciting and they certainly were for Queen’s Park and here we are at the second level of Scottish football again, which is fantastic.”
Quality, exciting players at Queen’s
And McAllister is confident his beloved team will bring flair and creativity to the Championship.
He said: “We’re a really exciting team. We have a really good midfield and have picked up Grant Savoury from Peterhead, Pat Jarret from Stoke City, and Liam Brown, who is such an exciting footballer. He played for us as a youth and went to Motherwell and Edinburgh City. I think he was our first signing as a professional.
“People will be entertained by our midfield and Owen has them in a formation which seems to work.
“We also have (ex-Hamilton and Falkirk player) Louis Longridge, who plays on the left wing then the right wing, and is a difficult guy to stop.
“We have also signed a player called Scott Williamson from Cambuslang Rangers, who is only 20, but he is an old-style junior centre-forward, with a bustling style and is quite a handful.
“He has come on to replace Simon Murray and a couple of times he’s played with him. He’s an exciting prospect. He looks the part and I’d expect he will get a run on Saturday.
“We also have Josh McPake on loan from Rangers. That is one of the advantages of now playing in the second-tier – we can attract a player like him. He is a terrific signing for us.”
Unexpected stay in Aviemore station
And McAllister revealed he’s taking a safer option when coming to watch his side face the Caley Jags this weekend after the return journey took a wrong turn on a previous visit.
He added: “We were coming back on the train from Inverness and I’d had a couple of drinks. I told my friend as we pulled into Aviemore a band I liked were playing there that night.
“One of my pals got off the train and we ordered our pints. I told a guy we were there to see a band called Bombskare.
“He said ‘I saw them last night’. I asked where did he see them, he said ‘in here’.
“So we missed them by a night and we had to sleep in Aviemore Railway Station. I’d like say it was a stupid thing I did when I was young.
“It will be cast up to me on Saturday, but we’re coming up on the supporters’ bus this time and we will stay on the bus.”
The last time these sides met was on July 31, 2010 in the League Cup when goals from Lee Cox, Eric Odhiambo and Ross Tokely sealed a 3-0 Caley Jags win.
A midweek Scottish Cup replay in January 1979 at Peterhead was the last occasion when McAllister failed to follow Queen’s Park in action.
