Queen of the South 0 - 2 Inverness CT

League - League 1
Saturday, September 20th, 2025, 3:00 PM at Palmerston Park, Dumfries
Attendance: 1,114
Referee: Chris Graham
Queen of the South Inverness CT

Goalscorers
None. Chanka Zimba (9)
Luis Longstaff (94)

Team Managers
Peter Murphy Scott Kellacher

Starting Eleven
Ross Stewart
Jack Hannah
Matt Douglas
Taylor Charters
Michael Hewitt
Reece Lyon
Jack Stott
Ben Johnstone
Kurtis Guthrie
Kai Kennedy
Liam Smith
Ross Munro
Remi Savage
Oscar MacIntyre
Daniel Devine
David Wotherspoon
Calum MacLeod
Alfie Stewart
Joe Chalmers
Chanka Zimba
Luis Longstaff
Liam Sole

Bench
Billy Gray
Niall Rogerson
Lawson Green
Freddie O'Donoghue
Benjamin Luissint
Logan Ross
Ross Millen
Mitchell Robertson
Matthew Strachan
Adam Mackinnon
Paul Allan
Jordan Alonge
Alfie Bavidge
Billy Mckay

Substitutions
Jack Stott -> Freddie O'Donoghue (87) Alfie Bavidge for Chanka Zimba (71)
Paul Allan for David Wotherspoon (76)
Billy Mckay for Liam Sole (80)
Adam Mackinnon for Alfie Stewart (80)

Bookings
Ben Johnstone (51)
Michael Hewitt (70)
Remi Savage (31)
Daniel Devine (37)
Calum MacLeod (41)
Joe Chalmers (41)
Oscar MacIntyre (47)

Red Cards
None. None.
Appearances & Goals To Date
Ross Munro (GK) 12 apps -
Daniel Devine 266 apps10 goals
Remi Savage 72 apps2 goals
Oscar MacIntyre 9 apps -
David Wotherspoon 23 apps8 goals
Calum MacLeod 39 apps4 goals
Joe Chalmers 108 apps6 goals
Alfie Stewart 29 apps4 goals
Chanka Zimba 9 apps5 goals
Luis Longstaff 79 apps9 goals
Liam Sole 13 apps3 goals
Adam Mackinnon (sub) 43 apps3 goals
Paul Allan (sub) 42 apps9 goals
Billy Mckay (sub) 349 apps121 goals
Alfie Bavidge (sub) 19 apps9 goals

Starting Lineup
Youngest Player:Alfie Stewart (19 years 56 days)
Oldest Player:David Wotherspoon (34 years 348 days)
Average Player Age:25 years 259 days
Domestic Players:6 (54.55 % of starting eleven)

Matchday Squad
Youngest Player:Alfie Stewart (19 years 56 days)
Oldest Player:Billy Mckay (36 years 342 days)
Average Player Age:25 years 133 days
Domestic Players:13 (65.00 % of matchday squad)

First Team Debuts

Milestones

Longstaff Longshot seals win


Scott Kellacher made two changes from last week with Bavidge and Mckay dropping to the bench and Chanka Zimba and Luis Longstaff coming in from the start. Queens had a sparse bench with only the five subs. It was a second airing for the new away strip and the visitors didn't have to wait long for the pink strip to open the scoring through Chanka Zimba in the 9th minute. Thereafter it was Queens keeper Ross Stewart doing his utmost to stem the flow in a first half dominated by the Caley Jags, but with only one goal and five bookings, would we pay the penalty for not scoring more and picking up yellow cards instead? These two teams had started the day on ten points apiece and just in behind current table toppers Stenhousemuir. By half time, Inverness found themselves at the top. It took a 94th minute long range strike from Luis Longstaff to secure the points after keeper Stewart had come up for a corner only to find himself stranded as we scored on the break forward. Alas Stenhousemuir scored another couple to regain top spot.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Inverness were looking to come out of the blocks quick and the almost took the lead in the fourth minute after Liam Sole found Alfie Stewart outside the box. His well struck shot hit the bar for what could have been a sensational start to the game. As it was we only had to wait another five minutes when Stewart fed Chanka Zimba for the big striker to slot into the bottom corner for the start we wanted. Keeper Ross Stewart had to look lively to keep out a Wotherspoon header from an acute angle off a Sole corner. All the early chances going the way of the visitors and the keeper denied Alfie Stewart as he cracked another one goalwards from outside the box, the keeper palming the effort to safety. Zimba was blocked as he tried to get another shot away. Looks like the shoot on site policy was working so far with Ross Stewart denying Alfie Stewart, Calum MacLeod and Zimba on the rebound. It's fair to say Ross Stewart has been the busier keeper in that first half with half a dozen saves and also tipped a Spoony effort over the bar. Guthrie went closest for Queens heading just over. The second busiest guy on the park was referee Chris Graham who booked four five Caley Jags players in a fifteen minute spell before the interval. That could come back to haunt us later in the game.

HALF TIME: 0-1

The second half started like the first with Alfie Stewart on a personal mission with another couple of efforts saved by the keeper with Devine and Sole also being thwarted by him. Ross Munro was eventually brought into action after nearly an hour of play as he tipped a Guthrie header onto the bar and over and at the other end a Luis Longstaff shot came off the bar and bounced off the back of the Queens keeper. Sole was denied by Stewart again. However, with Queens still within touching distance, they came out of their shell a bit and Liam Smith was blocked before Jack Hannah shot high and wide from distance. Stewart denied Alfie for about the fiftieth time with twenty minutes remaining, but there were signs that Queens fancied taking something from the game despite the stats being loaded in our favour. (15 on target to 0). Another Guthrie header comes off the bar after a Kai Kennedy free kick with Munro saving from Jack Stott on the line off the rebound. With five minutes left substitute Billy Mckay shot just wide of the post. In a dramatic ending and with MotM keeper Ross Stewart up for an injury time corner, Luis Longstaff sealed the points from his own half on the break after the corner was cleared. The drive home is much more enjoyable with three points in the bag...

Stenhousemuir came back to win 3-1 and that keeps them at the top of the table a point ahead of the Caley Jags closely followed by Alloa, Accies and East Fife who come North next week.

FULL TIME: 0-2

Match report written by tm4tj



Pld W D L F A +/- Pts
1. Stenhousemuir 7 4 2 1 9 5 4 14
2. Inverness CT 7 6 0 1 12 2 10 13
3. Alloa Athletic 6 4 0 2 6 4 2 12
4. East Fife 7 3 2 2 9 10 -1 11
5. Queen of the South 7 3 1 3 10 9 1 10
6. Montrose 7 2 2 3 8 11 -3 8
7. Peterhead 7 2 1 4 11 15 -4 7
8. Kelty Hearts 6 1 0 5 4 13 -9 3
9. Cove Rangers 7 0 2 5 5 12 -7 2
10. Hamilton Academical 7 3 2 2 13 6 7 -10