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Queen of the South

Full name	Queen of the South Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Doonhamers, Queens, QoS
Founded	March 1919; 99 years ago (1919-03)
Ground	Palmerston Park Dumfries
Capacity	8,690[1]
Chairman	Billy Hewitson
Manager	Gary Naysmith
League	Scottish Championship
2017–18	Scottish Championship, 6th of 10
Website	Club website
Home colours Away colours Third colours
Current season

Queen of the South Football Club are a Scottish professional football club formed in March 1919 and located in Dumfries. The club currently plays in the Scottish Championship, the second tier of Scottish football. They are officially nicknamed The Doonhamers but are usually referred to as Queens or QoS.^[2][3] Their home ground since their formation has been Palmerston Park.

The club's national honours include winning the Division B Championship in season 1950–51, the Second Division Championship in season 2001–02 and in season 2012–13, and also the Scottish Challenge Cup in seasons 2002–03 and 2012–13. Queens led Scotland's top division until New Year during the 1953–54 season and the club's highest finish in Scotland's top division was fourth in the 1933–34 season. The club reached their first major cup final in 2008 when they reached the final of the Scottish Cup, where they were runners-up to Rangers. Gary Naysmith is the club manager.^[4]

History

Stadium

Club culture

Robbie Neilson, the former manager of MK Dons,^[5] said about Queens from his loan period at the club in 2002: "It's a well-run club and a real family club with a good spirit about the place."^[6]

Marc Horne wrote in The Scotsman following Queens' appearance in the 2008 Scottish Cup Final: "In the Palmerston Park club's songbook, it is clear there is no room for songs which feature religion, violent vendettas or centuries-old battles that took place in other lands."^[7]

Historic table positions of Queen of the South in the League.

In the 2008 UEFA Cup qualifying trip to Denmark Queen of the South fans were hailed as "a great credit both to their club and to Scotland" by Danish police. About 850 supporters of the Dumfries club travelled to Denmark to watch the UEFA Cup clash with FC Nordsjaelland. Even though their team was eliminated, local police said their behaviour was impressive. Insp. Rune Hamann said: "It was a pleasure hosting such a visit by Queen of the South whose supporters were extremely well behaved and a great credit both to their club and to Scotland. Copenhagen was particularly busy in the build up to and after the match with a carnival, party atmosphere being evident. I look forward to welcoming Queen of the South and their terrific supporters back in Denmark in the future."^[8]

Ch Insp Mickey Collins from Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary said the fans were a "pleasure to work along with". He added: "Despite the huge numbers of supporters who travelled to Denmark there were no arrests, incidents or issues of any concern. Great praise should be passed on to those fortunate enough to be at the match."^[8]

Club mascot

Dougie the Doonhamer at Palmerston Park for the celebration of the 2007–08 Queens run to the Scottish Cup Final.

The club mascot is 'Dougie the Doonhamer', a human-sized border collie dog. The character has been played for many years by supermarket worker Brian Harkness.^[9]

On 25 August 2017, Dougie the Doonhamer won the Ladbrokes SPFL mascot race at Hamilton Park, having been runner-up the previous year.^[10]

On 31 August 2018, Dougie the Doonhamer won the Ladbrokes SPFL mascot race at Hamilton Park for the second consecutive year. ^[11]

Biblical references

Queen of the South are often humorously cited as the only league club in the United Kingdom to be mentioned in the Bible. Luke 11:31 states "The Queen of the South shall rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them..."^[12] Queen of the South is similarly quoted under Matthew 12:42.^[13] In the biblical quote the "Queen of the South" is considered to be the Queen of Sheba. In 2005 the issue was investigated by The Guardian website in their series "The Knowledge", which also found full references to Arsenal, Bury and Reading as well as partial references to "hearts", "wolves", "forest", "hammer", "spurs" and "man's field".^[14]

Honours

National League Competitions

Highest Finish in Top Division – 4th; Division 1; 1933–34

Division 2 – Champions 1950–51, 2001–02, 2012–13; Runners-up 1932–33, 1961–62, 1974–75, 1980–81, 1985–86

Division 3 – Runners-up 1924–25

National Cup Competitions

Scottish League Challenge Cup – Winners 2002–03, 2012–13; Runners-up 1997–98, 2010–11; Semi-finalists 1991–92

Scottish Qualifying Cup – Winners 1923–24

Scottish Cup – Runners-up 2007–08; Semi-finalists 1949–50

Scottish League Cup – Semi-finalists 1950–51, 1960–61^[15]

B.P. Youth Cup –
Runners-up 1985–86

Invitational Tournaments

1936 Algiers Invitational Tournament – Winners

Border Cup – Winners 1991–92, 1992–93

Scottish Brewers Cup – Winners 2000–01, 2001–02, 2006–07

Regional League Competitions

Scottish League South and West (Wartime League) – Runners-up 1939–40

Western League – Champions 1922–23

Southern Counties League – Winners 1996–97

Regional Cup Competitions (Competed for and won by the reserve team)

Southern Counties Charity Cup – Winners 1920–24, 1926, 1930–32, 1934, 1937

Southern Counties Cup – Winners 1921, 1924, 1935, 1936, 1962, 1966, 1972, 1976, 1982, 1983, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1997, 2003, 2004

Southern Counties League Cup – Winners 1996–97

Southern Counties Consolation Cup – Winners 1922

Potts Cup – Winners 1921, 1960, 1961

Individual Awards

PFA Scotland Manager of the Year Award – Allan Johnston 2012–13^[16]

PFA Second Division Player of the Year Award –
Jimmy Robertson 1980–81, Andy Thomson 1991–92, 1993–94, John O'Neill 2001–02, Nicky Clark 2012–13^[16]

Bell's SFL Fan of the Season Award – Ian Black 2003–04

SFL Phenomenal Achievement Awards

Recognition of Queens' remarkable Scottish Cup run – Gordon Chisholm 2007–08^[17]

Second Division Player of the Year Award – Nicky Clark 2012–13^[18]

SFL Goalkeeper of the Season Award – Lee Robinson 2012–13^[18]

SFL Second Division Manager of the Year Award – John Connolly 2001–02, Allan Johnston 2012–13^[18]

Ginger Boot Award – Nicky Clark 2012–13^[18]

Bell's SFL Angels Award – 2003–04^[19]

SFL Team of the Season Award – 2012–13^[18]

Club records

One of Palmerston's record-breaking floodlights

Record victory: 11–1 versus Stranraer; Scottish Cup; 16 January 1932^[20]

Record defeat: 2–10 versus Dundee at Dens Park; Scottish First Division; 1 December 1962. Queens played for 78 minutes with 10 men after goalkeeper George Farm was injured in the 12th minute and was carried off. Dundee's Alan Gilzean scored 7 of the goals. Dundee were reigning Scottish League Champions at the time and would make the European Cup semi-finals that season where they lost to eventual winners AC Milan.^[21]

Record home attendance: 26,552 versus Heart of Midlothian; Scottish Cup 3rd Round; 23 February 1952; Queens 1 Hearts 3^[22]

Record home league attendance: 21,142 versus Rangers; 6 October 1962; Queens 0 Rangers 4

Record attendance (any venue): 58,975; 5 April 1950; Hampden Park; 3–0 Scottish Cup semi-final replay defeat to Rangers; 52,924 watched the 1–1 draw with Rangers four days earlier, also at Hampden Park.^[23]

Most league points (2 points for a win system): 55; Scottish Division 2; 1985–86

Most league points (3 points for a win system): 92; Scottish Division 2; 2012–13

First ever Scottish League Match under floodlights: Rangers versus Queen of the South; Ibrox Park; 7 March 1956; Rangers 8 Queens 0; Rangers player Don Kitchenbrand scored five goals in this match.^[24]

Highest free standing floodlights in Scottish football: Queens floodlights were first used on 29 October 1958 and at 85 feet (26 m) high they are the tallest in Scotland. To mark the occasion Preston North End sent a team north for a friendly match.^[20]

Highest terrace in Scottish football: Following the trend towards all seater stadia, the height differential between the lowest and highest step on the Portland Drive terrace, records this as the highest remaining terrace in Scottish football.

Individuals

• As of 8 September 2018

Longest serving player: Iain McChesney – 1960 to 1981 (615 appearances and scored 79 goals)^[25]

Record league scorer in a season: Alexander "Jimmy" Gray – 37 goals in season 1927–28

Record scorer (all competitions) in a season: Jimmy Rutherford – 41 goals in season 1931–32; Nicky Clark – 41 goals in season 2012–13

Most capped player: Billy Houliston (3 caps; 1948–49 season; 3–2 v Northern Ireland at Hampden (scoring two goals on his debut in the 30th & 89th minute), 3–1 v England at Wembley and 2–0 v France at Hampden.^[23]

Andy Aitken

First Queens players to earn four senior Scottish football medals while playing for the club: Jim Thomson and Andy Aitken (winners of the 2001–02 Second Division and 2002–03 Scottish Challenge Cup; runners up in the 1997–98 Scottish Challenge Cup and 2007–08 Scottish Cup).^[20]

Most decorated Queens player with four winners medals: Derek Lyle (2001–02 & 2012–13 Second Division; 2002–03 & 2012–13 Scottish Challenge Cup)^[26]

Record transfer fee received: Andy Thomson; £250,000; Southend United; 1994^[27]

Fastest hat-trick: Tommy Bryce Mk II; 1 minute 46 seconds Guinness World Records in the 6–0 win versus Arbroath on 18 December 1993. Bryce's hat-trick was recorded in the 8th, 9th & 10th minutes by the match referee Louis Thow. Bryce also scored a fourth goal in this match.^[28]

Longest distance goal by an outfield player: Ryan McCann – 84 yards (77 m) in the Scottish Cup Quarter Final 2–0 win versus Dundee on 8 March 2008.^[20]

First player to collect the complete set of four senior Scottish football winners medals: Andy Goram when he played in the 2002–03 Scottish Challenge Cup Final 2–0 win for Queens versus Brechin City, to add to his medals haul gathered elsewhere.^[20]

Oldest player to play for the club: Ally MacLeod versus St Mirren in the Reserve League West in April 1992. With Queens short of players the manager named himself as a trialist and played the whole 90 minutes. During the second half Queens were awarded a penalty and the former Scotland manager converted the kick. The final score was 7–1 to St Mirren and MacLeod received a standing ovation from the small crowd at the end of the game. He was 61 years old at the time.

European record

UEFA Cup/Europa League:^[20][29]

Season	Competition	Round	Opponent	Home	Away	Aggregate
2008–09	UEFA Cup	Second Qualifying Round	FC Nordsjælland	1–2	1–2	2–4

Players

Current squad

As of 2 September 2018^[30]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 1 GK Alan Martin 2 DF Scott Mercer 3 DF Jordan Marshall 4 DF Callum Fordyce (vice-captain) 5 DF Darren Brownlie 6 DF Michael Doyle 7 MF Andy Stirling 8 MF Kyle Jacobs 10 MF Josh Todd 11 FW Stephen Dobbie (captain) 12 DF Callum Semple (on loan from Sheffield United) 14 MF Gary Harkins

No. Position Player 15 DF Charlie Exley 16 MF Dean Watson 17 FW Connor Murray 18 FW Declan Tremble 19 MF Owen Bell 20 GK Jack Leighfield 21 MF Adam Frizzell (on loan from Kilmarnock) 22 MF David Norman Jr. (on loan from Vancouver Whitecaps) 23 DF Ewan Gourlay 24 DF Daniel Harvey 25 FW Lyndon Dykes 26 MF Robbie Ivison

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 30 GK Sam Henderson (on loan to Upper Annandale) [31]

• For recent transfers, see Queen of the South transfers in 2018–19 season.

Notable players

• For all former Queen of the South players with a Wikipedia article, see Category:Queen of the South F.C. players.

The following players were inducted into Queen of the South's Hall of Fame on 29 October 2011, 19 January 2013 and 24 October 2015 respectively:^[32]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player GK Allan Ball FW Bobby Black MF Tommy Bryce MF Paul Burns GK Roy Henderson FW Billy Houliston DF Jim Kerr

No. Position Player FW Derek Lyle DF Iain McChesney FW Jim Patterson FW Jimmy Robertson FW Andy Thomson DF Jim Thomson

The following players are listed on the club's official website as 'Queens Legends':^[33]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player DF Andy Aitken GK Allan Ball DF Jimmy Binning FW Bobby Black DF Crawford Boyd FW Ivor Broadis MF Tommy Bryce DF Nobby Clark MF George Cloy GK Alan Davidson FW Jocky Dempster FW Ian Dickson GK George Farm MF Willie Ferguson FW Hughie Gallacher FW Dave Halliday

No. Position Player FW George Hamilton GK Roy Henderson FW Billy Houliston DF Jim Kerr FW Lex Law FW Neil Martin DF Iain McChesney FW Ted McMinn FW Jackie Oakes FW Jim Patterson FW Jimmy Robertson DF Willie Savage DF Dougie Sharpe FW Andy Thomson DF Jim Thomson

Managers

P/C = Player-Coach P/M = Player-Manager

¹ Second Spell

Club staff

Board of directors

• Chairman: Billy Hewitson


• Vice-Chairman/Secretary: Craig Paterson


• Director: Mark Blount


• Honorary Directors: Norman Blount and Davie Rae
  

Coaching staff

• Manager: Gary Naysmith
  


• Assistant Manager: Dougie Anderson


• First Team Coach: Eddie Warwick


• First Team Goalkeeping Coach: Ross Ballantyne


• Community Development Coach: Daniel Armstrong


• Physiotherapist: Gavin Lee


• Sports Scientist: Andrew Lombard


• Groundsmen: Andrew Brown & Kevin McCormick


• Kitmen: Graeme Dalgleish & Kevin McCormick


• Under 20s Manager: Eddie Warwick


• Under 20s Assistant Manager: Warren Pearson


• Under 20s Goalkeeping Coach: David Byers


• Under 20s Physiotherapist: Lauren Edwards


• Head of Youth: Andy Irving


• Under 13s Coaches: Darren Malin & Neil Murray


• Under 15s Coaches: Stuart Douglas, Gary Kerr & Ross Newlands


• Under 17s Coaches: David Learmont, Warren Pearson & Martin Thomson


• Youth Goalkeeping Coaches: Daniel Armstrong & David Byers


• Club Doctor: Dr Guy Beaumont

References

External links

• Official website


• 
  National Library of Scotland: SCOTTISH SCREEN ARCHIVE (archive films of Queen of the South F.C.)