Montrose suffered Hampden heartache as Queen’s Park denied them a place in the SPFL Trust Trophy quarter-final.
Goals from Dominic Thomas and Joshua McPake sunk Montrose, who more than held their own against their full-time hosts.
They had many chances to win the tie but, ultimately, they just fell short, and will pin their hopes on a Championship promotion bid.
Queen’s Park v Montrose: Key moments
This was always going to be a unique and quirky experience for many Montrose players and fans.
Yes they have played at Hampden before – many times.
Sean Dillon has even lifted the Scottish Cup in front of a packed Hampden.
But since Queen’s Park vacated the National Stadium in 2020, it was thought they’d never be back unless it was for a major final.
⚽️ @MontroseFC enter the Hampden pitch backed by the Links Park Dynamo pic.twitter.com/lfa8GgdUWm
— Ewan Smith (@ewansmithpr) December 10, 2022
Montrose were one of two fixtures pencilled in for this iconic venue as Queen’s Park await the sign-off on the redevelopment of Lesser Hampden.
But would the chance to play on such a big stage inspire Montrose?
The visitors settled quickest and Craig Brown, grandson of the former Scotland manager, had the game’s first chance as he screwed a 15 yard effort wide in eight minutes.
Brown then forced a save out of home keeper Calum Ferrie as he met an Andrew Steeves cross to direct a diving header goalwards.
Craig Johnston also tested Ferrie from 15 yards as Montrose took the game to the hosts.
But Owen Coyle’s men took the lead, in 27 minutes, against the run of play as Thomas found the top corner from 15 yards.
Brown came close to a 45th minute leveller as his 25 yard effort fizzed just wide.
Ross Sinclair made some key saves for Mo, including a point-blank stop from Scott Williamson.
And sub Matthew Wright could have levelled on 77 minutes but he fired straight at Ferrie with McPake sealing a 2-0 win for the hosts.
Montrose Player ratings
Montrose: Sinclair 7, Webster 6, Steeves 7, Dillon 7, Waddell 7 (Allan 3), Masson 7, MacKinnon 6, Callaghan 6 (Whatley 3), McAllister 6 (Lyons 3), Johnston 6 (Wright 3), Brown 8 (Milne 3).
Subs not used: Lennox, Quinn, Hutchinson, Watson.
Referee: Scott Lambie
Montrose star man
Craig Brown played like he belonged on the Hampden turf, darting about the pitch to cause Spiders all sorts of problems.
Manager under the microscope
Stewart Petrie kept a settled side from the one that drew with Alloa Athletic last week, with Ross County loanee Adam MacKinnon in for Cammy Ballantyne.
Long-serving Graham Webster celebrated his 30th birthday with a visit to Hampden.
Petrie set up his side to attack and they more than held their own during an impressive first-half display.
Brown was particularly impressive with Andrew Steeves and Terry Masson becoming increasingly influential as the game wore on.
Man in the middle
Referee Scott Lambie will have far more difficult afternoons than this played in the right manner.
Lambie kept his cards in his pocket and his sensible officiating allowed the game to flow.
