THERE may be no epic cup run to occupy Queen of the South this season, but that doesn't mean the club and gala occasions have drifted apart for the time being.
Twelve months after the Dumfries outfit were contemplating one of the most eagerly anticipated events in their history, a Scottish Cup semi-final against Aberdeen, Palmerston Park is again a hive of activity.
As Livingston visit on First Division
business today, the 90th anniversary of Queens will be celebrated; 22 key players, dating through seven of those nine decades, will be on hand to help things along. Jim Patterson and Bobby Black, each in their 83rd year, will join the likes of Andy Thomson, who departed to Southend United for a record £250,000 some 15 years ago, in being introduced to the crowd at half-time.
If the plans for the day appear straightforward, the range of characters who will figure and the work which has gone into planning such an occasion are anything but. Bill Goldie, the Queens press officer, appears to have been the busiest man in Dumfries amid tireless organisation.
The former players will be hosted by the club before kick-off, form a guard of honour for the teams emerging from the tunnel, and will have photographs taken which will be displayed in the Palmerston boardroom thereafter. Timeless memories of years when Queens were kings.
Typically, intrigue surrounds the issue of history. While there is little doubt the first discussions regarding the formation of Queens took place on 21 March, 1919, some claim the formal nature of a subsequent meeting at the Dumfries Bazaar in the following week marks that as the club's official starting point.
Thankfully compromise has been reached; a plaque will be unveiled at the Bazaar this evening, but including both "formal" and "21 March, 1919".
Beforehand, a league of local legends seem determined to enjoy their day. "It should be an absolutely fantastic occasion," said Allan Ball, Queens' record appearance holder who featured 731 times in competitive matches. He is now an honorary director and attends games weekly.
"I have been involved with this club for 45 years now; I'm just hoping I will see the 100th anniversary.
"There has never been any stars here, nobody above themselves. I think every player who has been here could legitimately say that Queen of the South helped them in some way."
Ball's ambition, that centenary aside, remains to see Queens participate in the Premier League. "Of course that is possible; the last three chairmen here have each taken the club to new levels."
Selflessly, his fondest memory since signing over a corn beef sandwich beside a coal mine in 1963, is somewhat more recent. "The highlight in all those years was getting to the cup final last year and then playing in Europe. Honestly, that was a dream come true. If you have a feeling for the club, that was just an incredible time."
While Ball dismisses talk of superstars, Patterson was regarded as one in his day; 251 goals, including 11 hat-tricks, making him the club's record scorer, saw to that. "I am very much looking forward to going back to Palmerston," he admitted. "I haven't been for quite a while. I am looking forward to seeing Bobby Black and Eddie Garrett again, someone told me we scored 459 goals between us in our time at Queens. We must have had our shooting boots on back then."
Black and Garrett – who celebrated his 70th birthday with another party attended by a host of former footballers little more than a week ago – are making a special effort this afternoon. Black, Queens' second highest scorer of all time, began a 327-mile journey from Wells in Somerset yesterday afternoon. "I have been back to Palmerston once since I stopped playing there," revealed Black, who moved south in 1961. "It's only ever when I am in dreamland that I remember my times there.
"We had so many good times, I loved the pre-match banter with my team-mates and that's something I always remember. I am really looking forward to returning."
Garrett faces a similar, if not quite so lengthy, journey. Now based in the North Wales town of Prestatyn, he has never lost touch with events in Dumfries. "I still visit the town regularly and, of course, if Queens have been at home then I have gone to see them," said the former centre forward, who counts goals against both halves of the Old Firm and a hat-trick when facing Dundee United as his high-points in blue and white.
"A lot of my old mates still go. I could never forget the club; how could I when I have named my house down here 'Palmerston'?"
As if to highlight a family occasion at a family club, he will be joined today by his daughters who stay in Welwyn Garden City and Bristol. His voice, indeed, quivers when he stresses: "Honestly, I am really looking forward to it. It is a brilliant club."
The only downside, potentially, is that Gordon Chisholm's class of 2009 are under pressure to impress such illustrious attendees.
