Queen's Park boss Gardner Speirs 'fed-up' of play-off misery as side slump to Stranraer

May 15 2012

QUEEN'S PARK boss Gardner Speirs couldn't hide his frustration after seeing his side dumped out the play-offs at the semi final stage yet again.

Despite a bumper crowd of well over 3000 turning out at Hampden on Saturday the Spiders slumped to a second defeat in three days against Stranraer as Keith Knox's men ran out 5-1 winners on aggregate.

It's the fourth year in a row Queen's have fallen at the play-off semi final stage.

And Speirs grumbled: "It is disappointing as we have had such a good season consistently. Anyone who has come to watch us over these two games will probably have got a false picture.

"If you want to go up the divisions and up the levels then these are the games you have to deal with and stand up to. Unfortunately, we haven't done that.

"I'm fed up losing in the play-offs. But to be fair to Stranraer they deserved it. Good luck to them."

Queen's welcomed back David Anderson and Martin McBride as they looked to overturn the 3-1 deficit from Wednesday night's first leg at Stair Park.

But Stranraer put the result to bed after just 10 minutes when Craig Malcolm knocked home Frank McKeown's flick from a corner.

And the match was definitely over as a contest after 20 minutes when Neil Parry misjudged Martin Grehan's tame effort and could only palm it into the net.

It got little better for Queen's after the interval with the large home support already turning their attention to next season after a campaign, in which they were second only to the runaway leaders Alloa, again ended in a cruel play-off defeat.