On The Road: Spiders etch out another chapter in their proud Scottish Cup history with shootout triumph

History is reserved for Queen’s Park, a viable nomination for the club that invented modern football. History was preserved in Hampden on Saturday.

The Scottish Cup, the world’s most venerable trophy, was in play, although you would have to be an optimist on a diet of positive thinking tablets to suggest that the winner of this third round tie would be back here in May for the final. .

Queen’s Park triumphed on penalties after a 2–2 draw, continuing Partick Thistle’s record of never winning a Scottish Cup match at Hampden.

The Jags, of course, won the League Cup at Hampden in 1971, but their only Scottish Cup final success came at Ibrox in 1921.

If history surrounds Hampden in the same way as the mist that engulfed 19th century London, then there was enough of contemporary relevance to intrigue followers.

The spiders are at a peak. This state of mind is nothing like that of the ten Scottish Cup victories that ended in 1900. But a climb to the Premier League is a possibility in the future.

This is the kind of verdict that would once have led to intervention by medical providers.

Thistle, meanwhile, is the subject of a documentary produced by an Academy Award winner and, better known, involved in discussions about substantial investment.

The Spiders have rocketed to the upper echelons of the Championship, backed by Lord Haughey. However, their priority is the promotion of youth.

When asked where he sees the club in five years’ time, Graeme Shields, president and club secretary, says: ‘I’m not going to give you a position in the league. Our top priority is to produce players through our academy and be sustainable. We have been very fortunate with our generous sponsorship, but it is not forever.”

The idea of ​​a profitable trading model for players in Glasgow is of course not limited to Queen’s. Progress has already been made. Callan McKenna was transferred to Bournemouth, Alex Bannon to Burton Albion and Rory Paton to Port Vale.

“That’s the model,” Shields says. ‘Produce players and then sell them on. We are an elite academy, category two, the same as Celtic and Rangers. We want guys to come here knowing they’re going to get better and maybe move up the ranks.”

Shields, 59, has supported Queen’s Park all his life. “I’ve been seriously attending competitions for at least forty years,” he says.

‘My favorite Queen player is John O’Neill, who left us for Celtic as a teenager in 1994 after a season in which he scored 17 goals in the old second division. His career never really got off the ground because he suffered a double leg fracture and wasn’t quite the same anymore.’

Shields remembers that Andy Robertson (Liverpool), Paul McGinn (Motherwell), Lawrence Shankland (Hearts) and Blair Spittal (Hearts) all played in the same Queen’s team.

He adds, “Here’s another little statistic. Three players from Scotland’s final squad made their senior football debuts with us. Andy and Lawrence of course, but who knows the third?’

He does. ‘Tony Ralston made his debut as a Queen’s player on loan from Celtic.’

Queen’s are largely based in Hampden this season, although the SPFL Trust Trophy quarter-final is scheduled for tomorrow in Lesser Hampden. ‘The capacity there is only 900 at the moment, so we use Hampden through a reciprocal agreement with the SFA. They can use our pitch for national team training and we use Hampden for championship matches.’

The completion date for Lesser Hampden has not yet been finalized. But there’s another nod to Shields’ history.

‘We always say that this is the best period for the club in recent times. Put it this way, we beat Morton twice recently. The last time we beat them before that was in 1962. So we had never beaten Morton before in my life.”

History was also the attraction for Ruishu Zhang. It took her from Northwest China to Hampden. Before the match, she sits in the stands reading a book about the history of Scottish sport. “I’m a big football fan,” she says. “But I suppose I’m here in my capacity as a research student.”

She studied English and completed a master’s degree in sports management, but is now in the third year of her doctorate in cultural studies at the University of Edinburgh.

“There will be an important chapter in Scottish football,” she says. ‘I don’t think the world really appreciates the influence of Scottish football on the development of the game. We have so often focused on England in historical matters in China, but the role of Scotland and this club in the history of football is crucial. I want to tell that story. The legacy of what happened here so long ago is still in football. Scottish football can be very proud of its heritage.”

The area around where she sits includes the Three Hampdens.

This is the center of an area designated as Football’s Square Mile and a campaign is underway to make it a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

It was the breeding ground for the passing game that took football from a rugged physical game to the elegant, athletic sport that captivated the world.

The Scotch Professors, the players of the late 19th century who, in missionary style, brought that form of football to England and therefore beyond, may have done so purely as a mercenary act, as the Caledonian game was amateur, while the game in the south was not .

But their lessons were eagerly consumed by the audience and fellow players. They now offer a learning opportunity for a student from China.

Zhang puts down her book and watches a fascinating cup match that extends to extra time and an extensive penalty shoot-out. It captivated 1,700 fans and Queen’s triumphed largely thanks to the heroics of their goalkeeper, Calum Ferrie, who produced three extraordinary saves in 30 seconds in the first half and carried over this form into the shoot-out.

It was all watched with joy by nine-year-old Joseph Paterson who was with his father, Graeme. The family live nearby and Graeme wanted to take his son to games, so Queen’s seemed like the right fit. This is their second season.

“We love it,” says Graeme as his son munches on his chips. ‘The atmosphere is great. We sometimes watch amateur football and the language used can be quite a bit. But overall, the decorum here is good and the enthusiasm is high. I went to football with my dad and he always said that games were the only place where strangers hugged each other and gave high-fives.”

Joseph, a runner for Shettleston Harriers, nods in agreement. His father added: “I understand why people take it seriously, but sometimes it can be too serious. People want to win, but if you get beat here, you don’t want to go home and kick the bucket. There’s a bit of perspective.’

An older fan saw it all. Forbes McGregor, aged 80, once lived in Langside but now travels from Anderston with his carer.

“I’ve been coming for over 60 years,” McGregor says. “I have to say I liked it more when we were amateurs, but this is still my highlight of the week.”

This observation elicits a sad smile from his caregiver, John. “I think I’m a curse here,” he says. “Every time I come around, Queen loses.”

The best part of three hours later, the Queen players are running around the field. A curse has been broken. Another little piece of history written.