by Bert Mitchell

QUEEN'S PARK frontline warhorse Paul Ronald believes that the Spiders' promotion hopes rest on their ability to expose East Fife's lack of mobility.

The Amateurs' passing game stood up once again despite the near-concrete conditions of Arbroath's bone-hard Gayfield surface as they clinched a 4-1 aggregate success to book a play-off final meeting with East Fife.

And, looking ahead to tomorrow night's Firhill first leg - Hampden is unavailable because of next week's Uefa Cup Final - Ronald said: "East Fife will be a similar proposition to Arbroath and, if anything, they may have even more height about them.

advertisement"So I think what we have got to do is get the ball down and make passes. When you are playing against a team of big guys you have got to expose any lack of mobility.

"Firhill is the next best thing to Hampden in that it is a wide pitch and I'm told the surface is superb. That will suit us literally down to the ground."

While he admits that, at 35, doubling up games over the last two weeks of the season is a big ask, Ronald has no worries over a fatigue factor hitting Queen's.

He said: "It is hard for me at this stage of the season to be playing twice a week. But we have a very young side and they could play every day and it wouldn't be a problem."

And he believes the best is yet to come.

The Queen's striker added: "It was a job well done. To go in two-up at half-time killed them off and maybe we switched off a wee bit after that.

"But there was no way Arbroath were going to score four goals against us and, apart from one great save by David Crawford, we were really quite comfortable.

"To be fair, I felt that our boys eased off a bit after the break possibly because everyone had one eye on the Final.

"Hopefully tomorrow we can lift our level of performance again and get a lead to take to New Bayview on Saturday."

Just dug out my old black and gold jesters hat. Had it signed by half of the 97/98 team (I was 14). Big Paul Ronald has his "signature" on it. He decided to do it in block capitals! I still wonder if he did it for practical reasons or whether he never learned to write joined up lower case!!!

Was Paul Ronald an amateur when he was with East Fife, or did he just play like one ??

We will hump yas the moro, big ronaldo wiz rite, a team o haz beens

Paul Ronald is worse than a 'has been' he is a 'never was'

Ronald was at East Fife in his "prime". Says it all really!

Sounds like Ronald has just delivered East Fife's team talk to me...

Senor Bobby-that is what i was thinking when i read it.
C`mon boys lets the prove Ronald wrong.

C`mon the Fife!!!!