Queen’s Park defender Ross Millen can’t believe that Gus MacPherson is still the manager of the club, tipping him to earn a move higher up the league ladder soon.

MacPherson steered the Spiders to safety in League One last season after winning promotion in the previous campaign, and they are aiming to challenge for the promotion play-offs this term.

Millen says that his boss has been integral to Queen’s Park’s success, and he can’t believe that bigger clubs have yet to come calling. Not that he’s in a rush for his gaffer to move on.

“I’m surprised he’s still here,” Millen said. “I think he should be at a higher level. It’s not my place to say, but I’m sure he will move on at some point when the time is right.

“It’s a credit to the boys how well we’ve done, and how well he’s done, that we are aiming to be in the running for the play-offs in League One. We work well together.

“One of the key reasons for our success is the team spirit, which has always been good at Queen’s Park.

“I don’t know what it is, whether it’s because you don’t get any money, it seems to bring the boys closer and the manager plays a massive part in that too.

“The gaffer does well with the players he brings in, he brings us all closer together and I think that’s why we did so well in the league last season.

“We’re obviously looking towards the playoffs this season, but you can’t get ahead of yourselves. For Queen’s Park, just to stay in this division was an incredible achievement last year, and the manager deserves great credit for that.

“That’s our first aim, to stay up and get that stability in the club. But we would hope to be in around the playoffs again as we were last season.”

In Millen’s opinion, the arena in which the Spiders host their games is almost as much of an advantage as having such an experienced manager at the helm.

Numerous critics have called for Queen’s Park to play their games elsewhere, but Millen thinks that such is the edge it gives them, they should resist those calls at all costs.

“At home we’ve always got a good advantage, because people get a wee bit spooked with the size of Hampden, and the size of the pitch,” he said.

“I think playing here is huge plus for us, and it is tough for teams to come here. You won’t get a better pitch in Scotland when it’s at its best, and we need to use that to our advantage and get those results at home.

“It’s a hell of a shift on that pitch, let’s just say that. Pre-season hasn’t been easy and I think that’s why. But it stands us in good stead to make the most of playing here.”

Millen believes that his side’s impressive performances in the Betfred Cup, where they only fell to defeat against Premiership opposition in Motherwell, can stand them in good stead for a successful league campaign.

“Obviously Motherwell was a tough game,” he said. “We did really well in the first half, and in the first 15 of the second half.

“That was our first real game though, and I think we did well against Morton, Edinburgh City and Berwick, we’ve just got better.

“Hopefully we can carry that form into the game at Arbroath on Saturday.”