THREE wins in their first three games of the season have seen Queen’s Park get the 2007-08 campaign off to a real flyer.
But boss Billy Stark refuses to get carried away, despite their wins over Brechin City, Alloa Athletic in the cup, and Ayr United in the league on Saturday.
However, he’s delighted his side have once again been given the plum tie of the second round, as CIS Cup holders Hibernian will come to Hampden.
He said: “I’ve been in the game long enough to know you get your ups and downs. We won’t get too high or too low - but we’re pleased it’s been a good start to the season and we’re happy with that. There’s still a long way to go.
“In the CIS Cup, it’s seeded, so you know if you get through the first round, you’ll get a seeded team. For the past three years, we’ve been lucky and had great draws, with Hearts, Aberdeen and now Hibs.
“It’s going to be a great test for us, one we will keep building on.“
Having won promotion through the play-offs last season, the side have kept their good form going despite the summer break.
Billy said: “We have carried on where we left off, but it’s a long break between the seasons, and it’s a fresh start.
“Going into a new division, it’s wasn’t a case of us thinking we had to keep it going, as we had to start afresh - and that’s great credit to the boys, as they’ve managed to do that.
“Getting a good start when you go up is probably more important than normal, and it does give you a wee sense of what it’s about, and also shows you can compete at that level.
“We’ve now played a couple of teams everyone was expecting to be in the top half of the table, but we still have to keep our feet on the ground with a healthy dose of realism.”
Saturday’s match at Ayr saw the Queen’s take a 2-1 lead into the final part of the game, before the Honest Men equalised, and Alan Trouten popped up to score his fourth of the season in injury time.
Billy said: “We had played well enough in the game to win it, but from a winning position, we lost a goal and were under severe pressure, and getting balls put into the penalty box.
“It could have gone either way, but the boys stood up to it and came back to win it.
“Apart from the goal, Trouten played really well on Saturday and was a real force for us in the first half, and that should give him some real confidence.
“Trouten and Canning have been quite prolific for us in the three games so far.
“That’s the great thing about the start of the season - if you can get them scoring, they feel confident, and I’m delighted with that, but there’s other areas we can threaten from, and I hope to add to that.“
The Spiders faced Stranraer in the league challenge cup on Tuesday, as the Reformer went to press, before the Queen’s host newly-relegated Ross County at Hampden on Saturday.
Billy added: “We’re only really looking ahead to the Stranraer game. Richard Sinclair will be suspended, and Paul Ronald is still struggling with an injury.
“That’s the trouble with so many games at the start of the season, you pick up early suspensions and injuries, so it does test the depths of your squad.
“Ross County are a full time team, and one of the favourites to go straight back up, so it will be a tough one.”
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