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A red card shown to Fraser Fyvie, late in the first half, proved decisive as we lost out to Queen’s Park in our cinch League One clash at Firhill Stadium.

Fyvie was sent off for what looked to be a miss-timed, rather than malicious – tackle on Charlie Fox – close to the half-way line.

Despite the protests of his team-mates, referee Calum Scott gave the midfielder his marching orders.

It was disappointing as we had been the better side up to that stage and it had a huge bearing on the outcome of the game.

Queen’s Park made the extra man count, with Simon Murray and substitute Robert McHugh netting early in the second period to send them on to victory.

We made two enforced changes to the starting line-up that faced Falkirk the week before, with Ryan Strachan and Leighton McIntosh coming in for Scott Ross and Ross Draper.

There was a nice touch pre-match, when the players gave our opponents a guard of honour as they came out for the official unfurling of the League Two Championship flag, which Queen’s Park won last term.

It took both sides a wee while to get into their stride, although the Spiders weren’t helped by losing defender Jake Davidson, through injury, after just nine minutes.

It was four minutes later when the home side created the first chance.

Simon Murray fed the ball through to Louis Longridge and his shot, from a tight angle on the left, was held by Kyle Gourlay.

We replied with a Shay Logan cross from the right that just evaded Mitch Megginson and Robbie Leitch as it sped across the face of the home goal.

We were unlucky not to go ahead in the 21st minute. Harry Milne fired an excellent cross over from wide on the left and Fyvie was unfortunate to see his eight-yard header go just wide of the far post.

Murray then broke forward for the Spiders but his shot from the edge of the area lacked power and was easily gathered by Gourlay.

The Spiders were fortunate again in the 25th minute when slack defending gave Megginson space to shoot from 16-yards, with Stuart Morrison making a last gasp challenge to block the effort.

Fyvie’s shot from the rebound was also blocked by a defender.

When the resulting corner was fired over by Iain Vigurs, Morgyn Neill nodded the ball down to Milne at the back post and his close-range shot was pushed wide by home keeper Willian Muir.

Fyvie was red carded in the 45th minute, for the tackle on Fox, a couple of minutes after he had been unhappy not to get a foul himself, when he appeared to be shoved at the edge of the Spiders area and needed treatment to a leg injury.

The decision looked very harsh but meant there was an even tougher shift ahead for the remaining 10 players.

Despite that, the half ended with Vigurs sending a free-kick into the area for Milne to get in a 10-yard header that was held by Muir.

The Spiders made one change at the break, bringing on striker McHugh for the restart.

Queen’s Park went ahead when MURRAY fired home with a magnificent 20-yard free-kick in the 52nd minute.

The second, a minute later, came when McHUGH pounced on a careless ball out from our defence. Gourlay got a hand to the striker’s shot from distance but was unable to stop the ball creeping over the line.

Gourlay made a fine diving save from McHugh’s low shot to prevent the home side adding to their lead in the 67th minute.

We brought Rory McAllister and Connor Scully on a minute later and both were pretty lively in the remainder of the game.

Gourlay denied Murray with another outstanding save before Jevan Anderson came on, for his debut, in the 75th minute.

McAllister tried his luck with a 30-yard free-kick, but the powerful effort was held by Muir.

Logan also latched on to a Yule pass to fire wide from just inside area as we battled manfully to get back into the game, but the damage had already been done in this few crazy minutes either side of the interval.

QUEEN’S PARK: Muir, Davidson (Thomson 9), Robson, Morrison, Longridge, Brown, Biggar (McHugh 46), Fox, Gillespie, Murray (Lyon 87),  Doyle. 

Subs: Ferrie, Gillies, Yeats, Nicol.

COVE RANGERS: Gourlay, Neill (Anderson 75), Milne, Strachan, Yule, Megginson, McIntosh (McAllister 68), Vigurs, Leitch (Scully 68), Fyvie, Logan.

Subs: McKenzie, Watson, Higgins.

Referee: Calum Scott.

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