Queen's Park face a difficult trip to Somerset Park on Saturday 31 October to take on Ayr United in the Scottish Championship. The match, kicking off at 3pm on October 31, arrives at a critical juncture for the Spiders, who sit 10th in the table with just seven points from 11 games, a record of two wins and a draw from those matches.
Recent form a concern
Their recent form shows a single win in the last five outings, a 2-1 home victory over Inverness CT, sandwiched by four losses. The most recent was a 2-0 defeat away to Morton last weekend, where goals from G. Gillespie and M. Garrity sealed the result. That leaves the side with a goal difference of -12, having scored only six times all season while conceding 18. Their recent results include a 2-0 loss to Raith Rovers, a 2-1 defeat at Arbroath, and that 2-0 home loss to Ayr United on September 18. Ayr United have also struggled lately, with one win, one draw and two losses from their last four, including a 1-0 home defeat to Partick Thistle.
Head-to-head history
This fixture will be a quick reunion, with the teams having met just last month. Ayr United won that encounter 2-0 at Queen's Park's home ground on September 18, a result the Spiders will be keen to avenge. The visitors' lineup that day is likely to see changes from the side that started against Morton, which included D. Mitchell in goal and attackers like M. Ruth and N. Todorov. Ayr's last starting XI featured H. Stone between the posts and forwards such as O. Stirton and E. Walker.
The wider picture
With 16 points separating Queen's Park from league leaders Stenhousemuir, the immediate focus is on climbing away from the lower reaches of the standings. The task does not get easier after on Saturday 31 October, with a home match against fifth-placed Dunfermline scheduled for next Saturday, October 24. That follows a previous 2-0 loss to the same opponent on September 12. The squad will need to find a cutting edge quickly, with midfielder A. Connolly, who scored both goals in the 2-1 win over Inverness CT, a key figure. Preparation for the Somerset Park test begins in earnest this week.
