Queen's Park 1 - 1 Elgin City: Elgin able to snatch point at Hampden despite top scorer missing trip south

IT WAS honours even at a Hampden Park that showed signs of an ultimately successful battle with the weather as Queen's Park and Elgin City drew 1-1. When the game kicked off, the visitors were guarding an 18-yard penalty box that was a green oasis with the home side defending an area that was predominately white in colour.

However, the lines were clear and the pitch was soft, so the 452 fans that braved the icy chill were rewarded with a more than decent game of football.

The visitors, who have crept into a play-off place, had left for Glasgow at eight o'clock in the morning and thankfully had an uneventful trip south; however, there was one seat vacant on the team bus. In-form top goalscorer Craig Gunn failed to make it to his Inverness rendezvous point as he was still stuck in the snow at his Wick home more than 100 miles away with Borough Briggs manager Ross Jack saying: "We knew on Friday evening there was a good chance Craig would not be with us and on Saturday morning it was confirmed. There is nothing travelling between Inverness and Wick just now."

The home side without a game for five weeks and a win for considerably longer settled quicker than their northern visitors who had faced what seems in these frozen times a hectic schedule of two games in the past week.

Spiders' midfielder David Anderson was denied three times by Elgin shot-stopper Peter Donnelly in the first half, but the breakthrough came from Hampden stalwart Tony Quinn after 66 minutes with a flowing move that saw the ball crossed from right to left and back again.

Ian Watt picked out Paul Harkins with a 40 yard crossfield pass and he touched the ball back the way to Martin McBride who forced a fine save from Donnelly. Quinn pounced on the loose ball and he sent a shot over the line from six yards out via Donnelly and the underside of the bar.

Within five minutes in-form Elgin were level when Craig Frizzell wriggled free on the right wing and sent over a cross that was perfect for Jason Crooks to nod home from six yards.

Jack was pleased with a point saying: "Queen's Park were the better team and we were a bit disjointed especially in the first half but full credit to my players for the run they have been on."