Can Queen's Park clinch three promotions in a row?

Queen's Park's Jake Davidson, Grant Savoury and Simon Murray celebrate a goal against Cove Rangers

The Christmas message to Queen's Park supporters, current and prospective, will have stirred the emotions of anyone's romantic side.

"Scotland's oldest and most senior club, Queen's Park, which gave the modern, passing game to the world, is on a uniquely remarkable journey," Leeann Dempster, the club's chief executive, stated.

"Moving from amateur to professional status, successive promotions have been achieved. And we are still very much in the hunt this season."

In April 2021 the Spiders, managed by Ray McKinnon, were celebrating winning League Two, Scotland's fourth tier. Owen Coyle's team sit four points clear at the top of the Scottish Championship.

But could they do the unthinkable and clinch a third successive promotion to reach the Scottish top flight?

"It's certainly possible," says Leanne Crichton, the former Scotland player whose work with BBC Scotland's Championship coverage means she sees more games in that league than most.

"They're getting better as the season goes on. They were conceding a lot of goals but are now eight games unbeaten. A lot of that is down to having an experienced manager like Owen Coyle."

Spiders 'not there' - yet

Coyle, though, is cautious. He knows what it takes to win this league. Hibernian and Dundee United were unable to come straight back up after relegation.

Twenty years ago Coyle and John Hughes jointly led Falkirk to what was then the First Division title, though the Bairns' old Brockville Stadium did not meet the league standards and so they remained in the second tier.

The Queen's manager could be forgiven, then, for being distracted from his football role while reconstruction work goes on at the club's stadium, Lesser Hampden, and his team play their home games at Stenhousemuir's Ochilview Park.

Last season Queen's won 11 of their 36 matches in the third tier, but came good in the play-offs. This term they have already won one game more, with 12 victories and three draws from 20 games.

Saturday's 6-0 thrashing of Cove Rangers at Balmoral Stadium put them four points ahead of Ayr United and Dundee and six clear of Partick Thistle.

Lesser Hampden is being upgraded while Queen's Park play at Ochilview

Arbroath have been unable to sustain their wonderful but ill-fated attempt at promotion last season - they sit ninth. Inverness Caledonian Thistle, another club one might have fancied for promotion, are 10 points adrift of the team from Glasgow's south side.

"We're not there," said Coyle after that win over Cove, their eighth in a row in all competitions and one in which club captain Simon Murray scored four.

"We've got lots of stuff to add to our game. We're a young team and pleasing on the eye. We'll drive the boys on and pass on our experience."

A new era off the park for Queen's

Coyle, 56, can call on two decades' experiences in the hot seat after a career scoring goals for the likes of Airdrie, Bolton, Dundee United and Motherwell. St Johnstone were his final team, playing up front at 40.

His managerial experience had begun as a player-manager in that league-winning Falkirk team of 2002-03. From there, it was St Johnstone, then in England leading Burnley, Bolton, Wigan and Blackburn.

Stints too at Houston Dynamo and in India prior to his arrival in Mount Florida, a light jog from the Gorbals where he grew up.

That part of Glasgow was also home to Willie Haughey, the peer and club benefactor who has helped Queen's Park transition from 152 years of amateurism to one that for the past three years has paid the players in the famous black and white jerseys a wage.

Lord Haughey and Sir Tom Hunter gave the SFA half the £5m it needed to purchase Hampden from Queen's Park, the tiny club playing in a cavernous stadium. This money has helped fund the building work at Lesser Hampden, which lies in its shadow.

Can the youthful Queen's Park squad hold on to their Championship lead and win automatic promotion?

However, it appears the team's performances have outpaced the construction, for although the club did not turn professional to remain in League Two, three promotions in as many seasons would render the handsome little stadium too small for the visit of Premiership teams.

Should the club reach the top flight, they will have to weigh up home advantage against lost revenue from turning visiting fans away.

Those running the club are driven by ambition. Dempster surprised many by leaving Premiership Hibernian to subsequently join the humble Spiders. Doubters should have paid greater heed to her record of innovation and improvement at Motherwell and Easter Road.

"We want to carry on making history," is her message. "We want to compete on the pitch. We want to do that by developing talented young footballers and giving them a brilliant platform and great and innovative coaching."

To help deliver that, they persuaded Marijn Beuker to join from AZ Alkmaar as director of football. The mission will be to bring through talented youngsters and sustain the club by their sales. As a pro club, if they can produce another Andy Robertson, Queen's will now be properly remunerated.

The progress of their academy has just been recognised too, with the award of elite status by the SFA.

"Look at the young lad Healy," says Crichton. "He was released by Celtic when he was 12 and was then playing in the juniors with Arthurlie. But Queen's Park have signed him on a long-term contract. It's a really interesting journey."

So, can they win promotion this season? Keith McAllister, a Queen's fan who has not missed a game in 44 years, is in no doubt. "Yes, definitely. And the Scottish Cup; it's the big double this year."