UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!

Playlist
Wizzard – Wizzard Brew
Various – Party Bus Disc 3
Status Quo – Gold
Asia – Phoenix
James - Hey Ma
Bob Marley – Sun is Shining
Bob Marley – Lively Up Yorself
Bob Marley – Love Light Shining
Black Mountain – In the Future
Battles - Mirrored

Wow what a day!! (yes really)...

Didn’t sleep well last night – I hadn’t noticed being nervous about today’s Cup Semi-Final to be honest but, subconsciously, it must have been having an effect...

And, before I start, sorry if what follows seems slightly OTT – but there’s never been a day like this before in the history of my favourite team, Queen of the South, which, if you remember, I support because, as a small boy in the late 60’s, I liked their name*...

Up around 7:30 and, after a quick light breakfast of coffee and toast, I decided to leave my long johns off as they might interfere with my lucky pants – chosen expertly from at least six pairs taken from the drawer...

On the drive through to Glasgow we were entertained by one of the party bus discs I compiled for the trip to Loch Lomond last year...

We took our usual route and parked over at Byres Road in the West End around 9:10am...

A quick visit to Fopp where I purchased a 3CD set of early Bob Marley for a frankly stupid £2 – how do they do it?

To the Underground, aka the Clockwork Orange, and return tickets were purchased...

We alighted at Buchanan Galleries and walked over to Wellington St in search of the original Sarti Café, which we duly found and within which we partook of some scrummy nosh for brunch – scrambled eggs and Italian sausage for Anne, Italian sausage and spicy Italian beans for your correspondent – all accompanied by some lovely Italian coffee...

Then a walk down to Central Station, joining the throng of Aberdeen and Queen of the South supporters, making their way to Hampden Park...

Again, return tickets were purchased – it costs less to Hampden and back than from Byres Rd to the town centre and back...

We walked to the ground amongst the ever increasing band of supporters from both teams, past the flag, horn and scarf vendors and were in our seats in plenty of time...

Queens started well and, unbelievably, took the lead mid way through the first half – only for Aberdeen to pull back before half time – still, if you’d asked me if I’d have been happy to see QoS level at half time, I’d have taken that....

The second half contained the most extraordinary 12 minutes of football I’ve ever seen....

Queens miraculously took the lead again just a few minutes into the half – Aberdeen equalised again five minutes later – within another three minutes I could not believe my eyes as Queen of the South went ahead for the third time – only for Aberdeen, three minutes after that to pull back again...

Just one minute on, Queens scored their fourth goal of the afternoon – 4-3 with 30 minutes still to go...

Aberdeen laid siege to the QoS goal, with the occasional breakaway from the Mighty Doonhamers, who certainly rode their luck with around 15 minutes to go, when the Dons hit the bar with a header which rebounded to the same player, who volleyed the ball – in utter slow motion for all wearing blue – onto the post and away...

Our nerves were shattered, as were the Queens players, as we approached the 90 minute mark – then we had to endure 4 minutes of injury time...

Then it was all over – I don’t mind admitting I had tears in my eyes as we danced around to the sound of Status Quo’s “Rockin’ All Over the World”, Queen’s (how apt) “Don’t Stop Me Now” and the track that summed it up, “Heroes” by David Bowie, while the Queens squad bopped up and down in front of their fans – over 10,000 – more than can actually fit into their home ground in Dumfries...

We received texts and phone calls from well wishers (and, as I discovered later, e-mails too)...

The old guy next to Anne had been waiting all his life for a day like this and he wasn’t alone, all around us were old boys dancing and waving their flags – supporters who have lived for 70 years and never seen their club achieve what was achieved by them today....

No fan of Rangers or Celtic could possibly understand what it means to fans of clubs like Queens to get to the Cup Final. Many of them may well scoff at anyone stupid enough to support a team which has very little chance of ever winning anything in their lifetime, while their own chosen favourites take winning silverware season in season out for granted...

But I’d rather have had this day than a million cup finals as an Old Firm fan....

Talk about Cloud Nine - I cannot remember being so high – as we emerged from the stadium, I was a speechless, grinning tube...

Still dazed, we walked to a nearby café for a sit down, a coffee and a chance to digest what had just happened while we let the massive queues for the trains back to town die down...

We walked (on air) to Crosshill station and were back in the centre by 3:30pm...

So what could I do to celebrate – why, buy a couple of CDs of course...

In the main branch of Fopp I wandered around with £3 greatest hits CDs by the likes of The Cars, The The, They Must Be Giants, Judy Collins, John Coltrane but ended up putting them all back and opted instead for the disc playing over the store’s sound system, Black Mountain’s “In the Future”, along with “Mirrored” by Battles which comes strongly recommended by the hip movers and shakers on the scene, man...

Then to HMV where I ended up buying a 2CD collection of Status Quo’s singles from 1968-1998 – including of course “Rockin’ All Over the World”

I met up with Anne again and we walked to our second Sarti restaurant of the day for a celebrationary evening meal – spaghetti with “mama’s” meatballs followed a delicious bean soup for me, while Anne opted for bruschetta followed by giant ravioli..

Tasty...

Then back to the Subway to Hillhead and picked up the car for the drive home – we forgot to hang a Queens flag out the window, but we did come to realise that Status Quo represent the acceptable face of “the blues” and probably provided a template for ZZ Top...

Back home and “Dr Who” awaited on the video – much better than last week’s shaky start – some brief listening time re all the new CDs, including Asia and James which had arrived in the mail after we’d left this morning..

Then “Pushing Daisies” – a promising, “bringing people back to life” US com-dram...

Finally – a couple of beers and the highlights and analysis of today’s game, lauded as one of the best semi-finals in recent history – all taped for posterity of course...

Ended the day ripping today’s purchases to the Jukebox for tomorrow’s early morning visit to the gym...

And what a day it was...

Highlight of the Day : Erm...

*The origins of the name Queen of the South

It was quoted in the Bible in both New Testament Books, Matthew and Luke as a referral to the Old Testament saga of Soloman and the Queen of Sheba (also known as the Queen of the South).

The passage reads: “The Queen of the South shall rise up in judgement with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, a greater than Solomon is here.”

Thus the epithet, 'The only team in the Bible'.

The name was quoted in an election speech in 1857 by local writer and politician, David Dunbar, who, at that time, described the Royal Burgh of Dumfries as the 'Queen of the South'.

The first football side to use the title was Queen of the South Wanderers when founded in 1873 but they folded shortly thereafter and have no connection to the present club.

At a meeting in Dumfries Town Hall in March 1919, Queen of the South United was formed when several local teams amalgamated. By the time they had taken to the field in August of that year to play Nithsdale Wanderers at Palmerston Park the 'United' had mysteriously disappeared.

Queen of the South 4-3 Aberdeen
(BBC Report by Colin Moffat)

Queen of the South reached their first ever Scottish Cup final by winning a seven-goal thriller against Aberdeen.

Steve Tosh slammed home the opener for Queens, while a header from Andrew Considine levelled before half-time.

Paul Burns finished from close range only for Aberdeen's Barry Nicholson to follow suit, while Sean O'Connor fired the Doonhamers back in front.

Considine bagged his second header of the day but John Stewart responded by lashing in the winner on 60
minutes.

The First Division side will meet either the winner of next weekend's semi-final, with St Johnstone waiting to play the winner of the Partick Thistle v Rangers replay.

If Rangers were to progress, the Dumfries team would be assured of a place in next season's Uefa Cup.

And some of Europe's finest may be quaking in their boots after an amazing display from Gordon Chisholm's men at Hampden.

Queen of the South made a bright start and less than three minutes had passed when Soutar battered an attempted clearance against O'Connor, only for the ball to rebound behind for a goal kick.

It was no surprise when the Doonhamers claimed the lead on 22 minutes.

Soutar failed to punch clear Ryan McCann's deep free-kick into the and the ball broke to Andy Aitken, who slipped it back to Tosh.

The former Aberdeen midfielder carefully side-footed his shot from 16 yards high into the top corner.

Queens had the ball in the net again but Burns had strayed two yards offside before gathering Dobbie's pass.

Palmerston goalkeeper Jamie MacDonald was called on for the first time as he gathered a header from Lee Miller.

But the Scotland Under-21 international was soon picking the ball out of the net after Considine levelled matters on 36 minutes.

The Dons defender rose above Jim Thomson to guide a header inside the post after Scott Severin had nodded Nicholson's free-kick back into the six yard box.

Chisholm's team were dealt another blow three minutes from the interval when top-scorer Stephen Dobbie limped off to be replaced by another ex-Aberdeen player, Stewart.

However, match-winner Stewart played a key role in Queens' second goal just four minutes into the second half.

Burns gathered a pass from Stewart at the back post and, with the goal at his mercy, sent an awkward shot against Severin, but the midfielder got another opportunity and managed to slam the loose ball home.

MacDonald made a fingertip save to deny Chris Maguire and Burns squandered a golden chance when he sent a shot over the top from eight yards as the game raged from end to end.

Parity was restored when Nicholson was on had to finish after MacDonald had done well to keep out Miller's header from a Maguire cross.

Fans of the Dons barely had time to celebrate before they were behind again.

Considine misjudged a long upfield punt and O'Connor did well to slip the ball past Diamond before slotting a neat shot beyond Soutar from 18 yards.

This time the supporters from Dumfries had their joy cut short with Considine making up for his blunder with a second goal.

Nicholson's cross from the right was helped on by Miller and the young defender found himself alone at the back post with the easiest of tasks to head home.

A breathtaking sequence of five goals inside 11 minutes was complete when Queens scored an almost identical goal to the one they had just lost, Stewart picking up a header from Thomson and powering a shot past Soutar.

The Dons swarmed forward for the remainder of the game and Zander Diamond was incredibly unlucky to hit the bar with a header then the post with a shot from the rebound.

Queen of the South: MacDonald, McCann (Paton 90), Thomson, Aitken, Harris, Burns, Tosh, MacFarlane, McQuilken, O'Connor, Dobbie (Stewart 42). Subs Not Used: Grindlay, O'Neill, Gilmour.
Booked: McCann.
Goals: Tosh 22, Burns 49, O'Connor 56, Stewart 60.

Aberdeen: Soutar, Maybury (Young 80), Diamond, Considine, McNamara (Mackie 62), Nicholson, Severin, Foster, Aluko, Maguire, Miller. Subs Not Used: Langfield, Duff, Touzani.
Goals: Considine 36, Nicholson 53, Considine 59.
Att: 24,008

Ref: K Clark