Proper Bo'ness send Spiders spinning out

Bo'ness gaffer Willie Newbigging said: "To lose a goal so early then come back fighting the way we did was very satisfying. I have to hand it to the players. They were tremendous."

All the hype and dramatics in the run up to this game were justified as a crowd of around 1,700 queued up.

Third Division Queen's Park arrived in style, looking very much the favourites and rightly so. So should Bo'ness win this tie, it would be a huge blow for the Amateurs in terms of both prestige and cash. The match started with Queen's Park controlling the midfield. They pushed on very fast as the Bo'ness nerves crumbled. In the seventh minute, they opened the scoring with a simple goal.

Martin McBride won a dubious free kick out on the right. He took the kick himself and crossed for James Brough to rise above the pack to power a header into the net.

Things started to look bleak for Bo'ness as Queens pushed forward again and again. Gradually, though, Bo'ness settled and soon battled their way back into this game.

The nerves disappeared and a gritty determination took their place. Suddenly the back four of the Queens defence looked vulnerable. The Bo'ness pressure was rewarded in the 42nd minute. There was a flurry of activity in the Queens penalty box with a strong penalty claim turned down by the referee for a corner. However, when the corner was sent over, he blew for a penalty because of pushing. Bo'ness weren't for complaining as Derek Fleming stepped up to blast the ball past the keeper for a deserved equaliser. Almost immediately afterwards the referee blew for half time.

It was a perfect time to score a goal and give themselves a lift for the second half.

Bo'ness came out for the second half like a team on a mission. They knew they had nothing to fear from the Spiders.

Things then became a little tense between the sides with the referee dishing out yellow cards like confetti. It was all Bo'ness now with Queens tiring. Something had to give and, with 12 minutes to go, it was the Queens defence.

Bo'ness were awarded a free kick 30 yards out. Fleming looked up and took it quickly to the feet of Paul Shields just inside the penalty box.

He swivelled superbly, giving himself time to take aim and drive the ball into the net. The crowd went crazy. Roughly ten minutes to go and a historic win was on the cards.

They would tell their grandchildren about this game for years to come. Queens had to come out fighting now but they looked a spent force with tired legs. They knew they were out, and it came as a relief when the referee blew for full time.

Bo'ness were the better team after the nerves had settled and can now look forward to the third-round draw when the Senior First Division sides are involved.

Boss Newbigging was on a high after the game, saying "We showed some great character out there. We had Derek Fleming and Fraser Forest in this morning for fitness tests and both declared themselves okay. This gave me a huge lift because I knew and they knew they weren't ready but were prepared for a battle.

"The players, though, take all the credit. Players like Fleming, Forrest, Paul Shields and especially Nicky Walker who is a manager's dream. But it was all the players who played their part in this win. It'll go down in Bo'ness folklore as an epic victory. We not only won, but it was the manner in which we won, that counts with the supporters. We had a shaky start but blew them away afterwards."

Shields said, "It was great to get the winning goal but everyone played great. I was lucky with the goal because of Flea's (Derek Fleming) quick pass. This is the best club I've been with. It's great to come to training and to be honest we were confident we would win. As for the next round, as long as it's a home draw and we can have the same support as today, it would be great for the fans."

Fleming is no stranger to Scottish Cup ties after a career spanning 18 years and was still thrilled with this result. He said: "This result gives me as much satisfaction as I've ever had. It's up there with the best of them. I didn't think I had any more games like this when I signed for the club, but we're not finished yet and there could be more shocks in store.

"I shouldn't have played today but it's games like this you remember for the rest for your life and I couldn't miss it."

Bo'ness: McGurk, Snowdon, Fleming, Duffin, Forrest, Fraser, Carroll, Shirra( Donald), Shields( McFadyen), Walker, Donnelly. Subs: Hamilton, Ure, Longmuir.

Queen's Park: Park: McPherson, Little, McGinn, Gallacher, Brough (Sinclair), McBride, Watt, Anderson, Daly, Quinn, Murray. Subs: O Hara, Capuano, Smith, Lundy.

Bo'ness United 2

Queen's Park 1