Football Season Guide

Queen of the South escaped relegation via the play-offs after a dreadful end to the regular season. Allan Johnston was parachuted in for a second spell as manager for the play-offs and together they comfortably saw off the challenge of Raith Rovers. Few of last season’s squad remain at Palmerston Park with some heading to rival clubs in the Championship, most notably Josh Todd to Dundee and Kyle Jacobs to Morton. Dependable utility player Michael Doyle has signed for Falkirk. Gary Oliver, Kevin Holt and Lewis Kidd all return for second spells at Queens. Experienced defender Lee Kilday joins from Morton and is a strong choice for captain. Highly rated goalkeeper Ross McCrorie has joined on loan from Rangers. Queens face a difficult season with much of their fate resting on the scoring form of veteran striker Stephen Dobbie. He scored 36 last season and showed few signs of age catching up with him. However, Queens need a ‘Plan B’ should his fitness falter as they didn’t have one last season. They seem likely to fill their squad with loan signings from the Premier League. With Dobbie up front Queens should always be capable of scoring goals. Fit-again Gary Oliver should enjoy teaming up with him again and benefit from Dobbie’s guile and craft. Currently Queens look lightweight in midfield and could struggle for possession. Allan Johnston is also known for his stubborn streak and unwilling to make changes when things go wrong.