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Spiders started with some decent football and Tony Quinn headed just over from a Paul Paton corner after 11 minutes, from the resulting goal kick however United were ahead. McGeown's long ball was met by Michael Moore whose knock down was given an attempted hoof by Damiano Agostini, the ball however rebounded off Moore and allowed Andy McLaren to slide home from close range. Queen's weren't ready to be put down though and within two minutes we were level. A fine passing move ended with Stuart Kettlewell hammering past McGeown from close range.
The captain was driving Queen's forward and Tony Quinn came close from a Trouten cross before Ketts fired wide from the edge of the box. Then the game burst into controversy when both McLaren and Queen's defender Richard Sinclair were sent off. In a goalmouth stramash, McLaren lashed out and kicked the floored Mark Cairns, Sinclair reacted shoving McLaren who then slapped Sinclair in the face. Both Sincy and the veteran Ayr hitman were dismissed by the match referee Stevie O'Reilly, and truth be told, more could have followed if O'Reilly was a competent referee that is.
Both sides probed away and Mick Dunlop cleared Michael Moore's effort off the line after a whipped corner caused problems in the Spiders box. Mark Ferry and the on form Tony Quinn came close for Queen's as we got closer to an equaliser, but we couldn't quite find a further breakthrough and took the 1-1 scoreline into half time.
United started the second period on top and Mark Cairns stood tall to withstand a number of whipped crosses into the box which wreaked havoc with the Queen's Park defence. Paul Paton and Alan Trouten were now causing endless problems to the United backline and their link up play allowed Stephen Canning to force a good save from McGeown with a shot from twenty yards. Mark Ferry then hooked a volley narrowly wide from close range before Queen's took the lead for the first time on 71 minutes.
A harmless ball was completely missed on the edge on the box by the Ayr number four and in ghosted Stephen Canning to elegantly lob McGeown from twenty yards and spark bedlam celebrations. Queen's were hanging on to the lead however and Mark Cairns made two world class stops to deny Moore and David Dunn before the big ex Stranraer forward Moore made it 2-2 with only six minutes heading home a corner at the back post.
Queen's refused to settle for a point however and deep into injury time, managed to grab a winner. Paton exchanged passes with Trouten on the wide right and delivered a cross, Canning miscued his header high but under pressure from sub Molloy, McGeown could only half-clear it with a punch, Stuart McGrady declined to allow McGeown to clutch the second ball and he could only punch once more this time accross his own goal and that allowed Alan Trouten to knock the ball home with his left foot from three yards at the back post and spark pandemonium in the covered terrace behind the goal. An unbelievable Spiders performance, one of the best ever, to take Queen's Park to the top of the league!
QUEEN'S PARK: Mark Cairns, Paul Paton, Mick Dunlop, Richard Sinclair, Damiano Agostini, Alan Trouten, Stuart Kettlewell, Paul Cairney (Shaun Molloy), Tony Quinn, Stephen Canning, Mark Ferry (Stuart McGrady)
SUBS NOT USED: Richard Bowers, Robert Dunn, Alex Cowie
GOALSCORERS: Stuart Kettlewell (14), Stephen Canning (71), Alan Trouten (90)
BOOKED: Paul Paton, Alan Trouten, Stuart Kettlewell, Tony Quinn
SENT OFF: Richard Sinclair
REFEREE: Steven O'Reilly
ATTENDANCE: 1,265
MAN OF THE MATCH: Alan Trouten